Hatching Coturnix Quail with Broody Chicken

[ShrekDawg]

I forget when the last time I saw them was. Probably last year. My oldest son always says "Cheese, Gromit!" Whenever anyone is eating cheese. I do not know how he even remembers that movie because he watched it as a toddler.

that’s awesome!!!

 

[ShrekDawg]

It really is the cutest thing ever. It is amazing watching the chicken you hatched or grew from a chick hatch and raise their own. We stand or sit near the run and just watch them because they are quite amazing animals.

Yesssss!!! I love watching them!!!

 

[FortCluck]

Plus there’s so many!!

I only have 10 in the aviary. Only ones I can tell apart are the males that love to crow at me. I think it's because I try to do the noise back to them and I sound like an idiot.

 

[Floof]

I've only ever raised quail in close confinement because my understanding is that they don't have a homing instinct to come back to the coop. The few that my husband accidentally released certainly never came back lol.

They might stay with the hen for a while but once they get a few weeks old, I forsee them disappearing on you. How will you find their tiny eggs in 10,000 square feet anyway?? Or catch them to eat them? I am hoping this works for you so I can copy instead of having to trial and error it myself :]

 

[ShrekDawg]

I only have 10 in the aviary. Only ones I can tell apart are the males that love to crow at me. I think it's because I try to do the noise back to them and I sound like an idiot.

That’s a good number! At one point I had like 20 but now I think I’m down to like 17. Still too many to name aha

I haven’t even named the 3 or 4 month old chicks yet. That group is just collectively known as The Punks

 

[MGG]

This is super awesome! Following for sure. That was a really cool video. I always wondered about it, but since apparently chickens and quail can transmit diseases I wasn't sure. I just had my first broody too! She's a BLRW, not even a broody breed. I wonder (hope) if she'll go broody again in the future. I love watching the chicks be raised naturally MUCH easier on me too, lol. The pullet who hatched them is only 8 months old, and had only been laying for 2 weeks before she went broody.

I hope this works for you!

 

[FortCluck]

I've only ever raised quail in close confinement because my understanding is that they don't have a homing instinct to come back to the coop. The few that my husband accidentally released certainly never came back lol.

They might stay with the hen for a while but once they get a few weeks old, I forsee them disappearing on you. How will you find their tiny eggs in 10,000 square feet anyway?? Or catch them to eat them? I am hoping this works for you so I can copy instead of having to trial and error it myself :]

I will be the guinea pig for this, I do not mind. The person in the video says that they stay with the flock because they are raised technically as a chicken. They learn from a mother hen, which probably somewhat blurs their quail instincts. If an animal is raised by another animal from birth, they just mimic what the animal that is raising them does.

I will be getting a landing net so that I can catch them if I have to, but I do not see the need to do that. They can just hang out in the fenced in area until winter next year when we move.

I doubt I will find their eggs unless they will learn to go into the nesting boxes like the chickens. This is all new to me so it will all be learn as I go.

 

[FortCluck]

That’s a good number! At one point I had like 20 but now I think I’m down to like 17. Still too many to name aha

I haven’t even named the 3 or 4 month old chicks yet. That group is just collectively known as The Punks

I have all my 30 chickens named I think besides the newer ones. The brahmas I have not named yet. I wasn't sure if I was going to keep them or not, but they all look female.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I've only ever raised quail in close confinement because my understanding is that they don't have a homing instinct to come back to the coop. The few that my husband accidentally released certainly never came back lol.

They might stay with the hen for a while but once they get a few weeks old, I forsee them disappearing on you. How will you find their tiny eggs in 10,000 square feet anyway?? Or catch them to eat them? I am hoping this works for you so I can copy instead of having to trial and error it myself :]

I had always read the same which is why mine are in cages but I think it is different with a broody. But yes, you are right that they mature faster and will probably no longer follow the mother after a certain point but I am sure FC has another area for them to go into if that happens. Or else they’ll just be loose in the area which wouldn’t really be so bad since it’s fenced

She does also have an aviary with quail in it currently and I think is building cages too or was so I think this is more of just a fun experiment to see what happens and I’m guessing the eggs and meat are just secondary.

 

[ShrekDawg]

This is super awesome! Following for sure. That was a really cool video. I always wondered about it, but since apparently chickens and quail can transmit diseases I wasn't sure. I just had my first broody too! She's a BLRW, not even a broody breed. I wonder (hope) if she'll go broody again in the future. I love watching the chicks be raised naturally MUCH easier on me too, lol. The pullet who hatched them is only 8 months old, and had only been laying for 2 weeks before she went broody. View attachment 2257035View attachment 2257036

I hope this works for you!

Sooooo cute!!!