How likely is a broody coturnix?

[birbdabble]

If I hatch eggs in an incubator is there any likelihood that a female could grow up to brood her own? Are there any particular types that are more likely to do this? Thanks!

 

[Fuchsia]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

 

[Nabiki]

It's remotely possible, but not likely. Your best chances are if you make an environment as natural as possible with lots of places to hide and lots of space.

 

[Quailobsessed]

It really depends on a lot of factors (like their enclosure, diet, predators, how they were raised, ect.). I have had several broody quails, but It's hard to say how likely it is.

 

[Pullet Press]

If you think that hatching them in an incubator is more likely to make the offspring more susceptible to being broody, then that is not true. The environment around your chicks might make them more inclined to broodiness, however.

 

[Green Bean Quail]

My two females started brooding out of the blue, one day just started rolling all the eggs towards a corner and sitting on em. One thing I did was add hay piles to the hutch. This made them WAY more likely to brood, also I noticed the more hiding spaces there were, the more likely they were to brood. None of them have successfully hatched though.

 

[Xouie]

Over several years, I have had several broody quail... sort of. A hen grumbles around the run and clamps down on a set of eggs for about 3 days. Then she seems to forget where her clutch is or gets bored, and moves to another clutch. My most recent girl made it for over a week on one clutch before switching. I’ve never personally had a broody girl go the distance, but I’ve read of others who have.