Does my button quail want to sit on eggs? Or is she messing with me?

[ButtonHoarder]

So yesterday evening I went out to feed the buttons and there was 2 eggs in her cage and I had already got 1 from her yesterday morning, so she had probably just hid them. ANYWAY I decided to leave them and see what she would do. Well I go back this morning and she had just pushed the one out of the corner and was just acting normal, not paying any attention to them but I leave them. Then this evening when I went to feed them she is puffed up sitting on the one of them in the corner, (the other one is still where she pushed it this morning) and she continues sitting on them while I feed the others but when I set food in her and her mates cage she gets off and comes and eats. Does she actually want to try and hatch some? I'm really trying not to get my hopes up but it's hard. Please help.

 

[sourland]

Sounds like possible pre broody behavior.

 

[ButtonHoarder]

You just made it impossible to not get my hopes up

 

[Quailobsessed]

I don't want to get your hopes up, but it sounds like she wants to go broody.

 

[BantyChooks]

Patience, if she is going broody, it may take a while. My Chinese painted hen took over a week to commit to setting, if I remember right.

 

[ButtonHoarder]

By the way her name is cream

this is her not sitting on them

 

[Quail 66]

So yesterday evening I went out to feed the buttons and there was 2 eggs in her cage and I had already got 1 from her yesterday morning, so she had probably just hid them. ANYWAY I decided to leave them and see what she would do. Well I go back this morning and she had just pushed the one out of the corner and was just acting normal, not paying any attention to them but I leave them. Then this evening when I went to feed them she is puffed up sitting on the one of them in the corner, (the other one is still where she pushed it this morning) and she continues sitting on them while I feed the others but when I set food in her and her mates cage she gets off and comes and eats. Does she actually want to try and hatch some? I'm really trying not to get my hopes up but it's hard. Please help.

My favourite hen did the same 3 times. Last time made it till the fifth day before giving up. But she kept even the other hen's eggs. I have read that they can recognise their own from the pattern. Or they can understand when an egg is bad. Put more eggs under her. I think that will make her more broody . Isolate her and put food and water next to her so she won't have to go. But the eggs won't go bad if she makes a break for a while. I also think they want to do it but they don know how because they come from an incubator. Next spring I will make sure she is left undistracted by other hens and I am thinking of treaking her. I will replace the eggs with ready to hatch from the incubator. That is if she last more then 5 days. I hope it's not a bad idea. I am new to quails but I read a lot. Please correct me if I something I wrote is really wrong ( yes, it's 18:30 in Greece. My birds are sleeping already! )

 

[Quail 66]

Thank you I will put more eggs under her. Can I separate her from her mate though? Then she and him will be alone.

I didn't separate them, and at one time she got out off the box to eat, I was surprised to see him on the eggs. I have read some times the mail does that but they don't always behave the same every time. Then again, my mail lost the urge to mate and produces no foam. That's one of my problems. Just keep the other hens apart. And the eggs don't lose fertility for a week if kept in a box with wheat or something like that, point down. It is better to uplift a different side of the box 3 times a day as if they were in the incubator. And don't make the same mistake i made. Don't put very fresh eggs ( at least two days old, better three). I read that after I hatched one chick with many problems and had to improvise a splint and mouth feeding her for two weeks. ( That is my other problem. They all pecking her). Sorry for all the information. We are in a constant lockdown and had a lot of time to read and observe them.

 

[ButtonHoarder]

Thanks guys. I hope your right I'll tell you what she's doing when I go out to feed them.

 

[ButtonHoarder]

My favourite hen did the same 3 times. Last time made it till the fifth day before giving up. But she kept even the other hen's eggs. I have read that they can recognise their own from the pattern. Or they can understand when an egg is bad. Put more eggs under her. I think that will make her more broody . Isolate her and put food and water next to her so she won't have to go. But the eggs won't go bad if she makes a break for a while. I also think they want to do it but they don know how because they come from an incubator. Next spring I will make sure she is left undistracted by other hens and I am thinking of treaking her. I will replace the eggs with ready to hatch from the incubator. That is if she last more then 5 days. I hope it's not a bad idea. I am new to quails but I read a lot. Please correct me if I something I wrote is really wrong ( yes, it's 18:30 in Greece. My birds are sleeping already! )

Thank you I will put more eggs under her. Can I separate her from her mate though? Then she and him will be alone.