My Blue Scales are Broody?

[SkyWarrior]

I have a pair of mated blue scales that I bought last year. This year, I've noticed that they've made a nest from wood chips and the female laid eggs there. I put some hay in, and they dragged it over to the nest and lined it.

Since then, I've been tempted to leave the eggs there and let them brood them. I've caught the male sitting on the nest while the female was on top of the waterer.

My question to you is:

Can my quail be broody and hatch their chicks?

The guy who I bought my quail from had his in a big pen with dirt flooring and his quail just laid the eggs wherever and didn't make nests. He left the eggs there.

He had several quail together. I only have two blue scales. Could mine just be more attached to each other?

 

[TwoCrows]

If quail are given the opportunity to build nests, they will. But that does not mean they will turn broody enough to set on eggs for the full term. My Bobs have nests in every corner, under every bucket, in every shelter area and have laid eggs in these nests. Occasionally both males and females can be caught setting on eggs for an hour here and an hour there. But never have they actually "gone broody".

HOWEVER....being that you only have 1 pair, and I take it these Blue Scales are by themselves, sometimes lone pairs will go broody. If they feel that they have their own territory, are comfortable in it and have the right broody sense about them, they MIGHT set on their eggs. Offer them the most natural environment you can by putting in tree branches, dirt, lots of hay, try not to disturb them much during the breeding season, etc...

Blue Scale are an arid landscape bird and in the wild tend to nest during the rainy summer season. So if you have a time during this summer when it starts to rain a lot more than other times, this will be the time they are going to go broody if at all.

Good luck!

 

[SkyWarrior]

If quail are given the opportunity to build nests, they will. But that does not mean they will turn broody enough to set on eggs for the full term. My Bobs have nests in every corner, under every bucket, in every shelter area and have laid eggs in these nests. Occasionally both males and females can be caught setting on eggs for an hour here and an hour there. But never have they actually "gone broody".

HOWEVER....being that you only have 1 pair, and I take it these Blue Scales are by themselves, sometimes lone pairs will go broody. If they feel that they have their own territory, are comfortable in it and have the right broody sense about them, they MIGHT set on their eggs. Offer them the most natural environment you can by putting in tree branches, dirt, lots of hay, try not to disturb them much during the breeding season, etc...

Blue Scale are an arid landscape bird and in the wild tend to nest during the rainy summer season. So if you have a time during this summer when it starts to rain a lot more than other times, this will be the time they are going to go broody if at all.

Good luck!

Thanks! I as wondering about that. I thought I'd at least give them the opportunity to hatch some chicks if they were willing.

The current pen set up is conducive to calmness, compared to the other cage I had them in. This is somewhat enclosed with hardware cloth on the front and top. We have rain through the beginning of July, so we're in our rainy season now. Come July, we'll only have the occasional monsoon--if it gets this far north. They aren't exposed to the elements, but they are in an open barn that provides daylight.

I'd be curious to see if they hatch peepers;