Have you ever had your button quail hatch eggs?

[Imapsychowhoa]

My button quail has been sitting in the nest house i have in the pen for 3 days now. i saw her mate coming in and out of the house and will run at the other quails that go near the house and chase them away.She still comes out eat's or if i put grit in the cage she will run out for that then goes back into the nest. about a month ago when i was cleaning my quail cage she flew out, hit into the wall and hurt her leg so i had her by herself for a week then i put her back in now it has been 2 week's and she has been walking ok.Do you think she could be trying to hatch egg's or is just hiding because her leg? I haven't seen any of the other quail's bother her.

 

[Rozzie]

Are they housed in a colony, then? If so, she could be hiding for either reason. You need to figure out a way to separate the mated pair from the others. You can't remove her if she's on a nest because she will abandon it. You would need to remove the others. It is not safe to have babies hatch into a colony.

I have had button quail incubate their own eggs a couple of times. I've had them WANT to many more times. I don't let them usually because I need to control the population of my birds.

 

[Imapsychowhoa]

I have 11 in one big cage for the winter.(during the summer i had two females with a male then two more females with another male in another cage but one of the females hatched 6 babies) I don't think she is trying to hatch anymore because she got off her nest and was making a chirping sound then went up the stairs(the cage has three stories) and she was sitting up there a long time then went back down into her nest.I guess i will take her and her mate out if she is bothered by them. Your quail is very cute in your picture!

 

[shelleyd2008]

She only hatched one and didn't take care of it very good. I didn't realize until it was too late

She has since passed on, she was the only one I had that went broody and stuck it out.

 

[Imapsychowhoa]

Aw. I'm sorry.

 

[ra]

Oh, I sorry too.

 

[Stellar]

Quote:
Ok I am going to comment on this. First of all, housing in "trios" is not how you house Button quail. Button quail are single paired bonded birds (monogamous). having them in a colony lowers their lifespan, stress mating, infertile eggs, inbred eggs, etc... I am only saying this because in the long run, you will see feather pecking, blood shed, even death...I have experienced this, many people have. I understand it is getting cold outside but keeping them together indoors, with a hen that is broody, very bad idea. Please think of the birds and the information I just gave you. I also posted information (now in the stickied section) about the little birds. They are really misunderstood little quail.

 

[xxSonja]

Aw sorry to hear about you button

quaillady is right tho. Its pairs only for these lil guys. There is alot of misinformation out there about buttons and alot of different opinions of ways of raising and breeding them. I say read everything you can, learn from others mistakes, and take all the advice you can from people with experience who care about the animals quality of life not just the easiest or cheapest way of caring for them

oh and yes, my buttons hatch and raise all their own babies.
People have told me it is rare for a button hen to incubate her own eggs, but i must have them in an almost perfect environment or i have been super lucky, as all of my breeding hens have hatched and raised atleast one brood of chicks so far.
I do not artificially incubate my button eggs, its left all upto the parents. (i do step in when needed of course)
Ive raised many many successful button families this way.