how to hatch quail eggs with a broody chicken??

[dc3085]

Bantams aren't any better. And still pose the exact same disease risk. The experiment that ChickensLegs is talking about, the hen killed many of the chicks by stepping on them.

What is so hard about buying or building an incubator? I built all the ones I use for less than $300 and I can hatch 240 chicks at a time. You guys could build cooler bators for $40 or less and eliminate all the risk. Or just use pigeons or doves to brood them. Why would you even want to use chickens after seeing the pictures I linked here?

Spelling edit

 

[313759]

Awesome!

 

[ChickenLegs13]

Bantams aren't any better. And still pose the exact same disease risk. The experiment that ChickensLegs is talking about, the hen killed many of the chicks by stepping on them. 

And quite a few of them just dropped dead for no apparent reason after seeming to thrive for several weeks. Zero survival rate. When I hatch & raise quail chicks by themselves I never, never ever had a sick quail or have any death other than from the normal freak accidents like smashing them in the cage door or dropping a feeder on them.

 

[Feggy]

I just hatched a couple of jumbos under a small eternally broody bantam - they're looking good. I've hatched chicks before and even though these chicks are the size of large bumble bees mama is very gentle. we'll see how it goes.....

 

[MrSplintered]

I'm wondering why people are still trying to do this when the risks are so high? You can kill all your birds and your putting other bird owners you come in contact with at risk. Out where I am there have been massive cullings because of the asian bird flu and most people out here won't even allow you very far on their property because they're afraid of contamination. I actually have an 'iq air health pro plus' hepa filter system for my birds. I use it in conjunction with a heavy particulate/loose carbon pellet filter that I made myself. I have actually moved the fridge I keep my eggs for sale in to the end of the driveway in attempt to keep my property biosecure.

If you still want to try hatching your gamebirds with chickens after doing some reading about the almost guaranteed spread of disease, then just promise me you'll stay away from my place!

 

[kingmt]

Putting for quail on the ground outside of a Avery is a very bad idea. It isn't only your chickens that spread diseases but also the wild birds. On top of that they are likely to be infected by parasites.

ETA:I just can't see how putting your bird at so much risk is carrying about it or how a sick bird can be a happier bird.

I can tell you from raising them that there is two things that make then happy. They live food & sex so make sure they can always get both & they will be very happy. 6-7 females to one male works well. Or keep all of one sex in one cage & all of the other in a different cage where they can't see each other & they will still be happy with the quality & quantity they get. I'd not put less then four females with a roo tho or your back to unhappy birds that will get hurt. Some people will keep twenty hens with two or three roos that say they have luck but I had low fertility with this arrangement. The top roo was always chasing the others away or mounting the other roos so I didn't have many ferial eggs. You also don't have control of what you get out of them that way. My best option was grouping about seven females to one male in their own cage then putting everything I was culling in another cage to grow out away from the rest.

 

[Aussie-Chook]

I am over-the-moon excited at my very first quail hatch ... under a broody hen!! I have 60 plus chickens, so this is pretty exciting stuff!

PS. They will get their own coop to live in, unless anyone can convince me otherwise!

Read about our experiment (and see more photos) here: http://atr-sp.blogspot.com/2015/06/cheep-cheep-from-some-different-peeps.html

 

[kingmt]

I've seen so many of these threads talking about how they was successful in keeping the two kinds of birds together. Some didn't know the risk while other did but thought they was smarter or something. It almost always ends in sick dead birds. The ones we just quit hearing about I'd guess have died as well.

 

[dc3085]

For fun here is a picture of a quail that got coryza from a "healthy" chicken.

 

[kingmt]

I don't think there is any need in trying to tell them. They seem to be the ones that have to find or for their self.

There is several links here with several pictures to show what happens.