?? On hatching coturnix eggs

[cutechick2010]

I have never raised "regular" sized quail before, LOL, just the buttons. I just won an Ebay auction for 60 mixed eggs. It is supposed to include Jumbo Browns, Tibetans, Golden Speckled, Tuxedo and Texas A & M (White). I thought the mixed lot would work great because I don't know which breed of quail I want to raise yet, so I can try a sampler.

What I was wondering is, are these eggs going to be big enough I could let one of my banty cochin hens incubate them? Or would she crush them?

 

[sojono]

i have found my quail eggs a lot more fragile than chicken eggs i bet she would break them .sojono.

 

[jessaw1981]

I think she would crush them. I have also heard that quail and chickens are not to be together. Some kind of cross contaminant thing I think. But I still think she would crush them. They are easy as pie to put in the bator. !

 

[cutechick2010]

Quote:
Yeah, I know, it's just that my incubator is small and old, and I am having trouble keeping the temp steady in it. I don't know if it mabye needs a new thermostat or what.

 

[jrobertson]

were you planning on stuffing 60 quail eggs under a bantam hen?

 

[cutechick2010]

Um, no, just part of them. And since the general consensus seems to be that it would not work anyway, I will just put them all in the incubator.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I think a bantam cochin hen is too heavy to incubate them, but you can try it with a few. My hens eat any quail eggs they see, so I've never had the chance to try it

I did try once last year with an OEGB hen, but she didn't recognize them as eggs (didn't eat them though) and wouldn't sit on them. After 2 days of waiting and coaxing I gave her some chicken eggs and she took right to them. Guess I should have had a few chicken eggs in the nest too...hindsight is 20/20

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

Some where in my readings, I read that is why the Silkie became so indespensible was its ability to hatch quail eggs. Well most any egg. But especially quail eggs.

Because Quail get some of the same diseases chickens do and we do not have meds for Quail like we do for chickens, as inexpensive at any rate. That is the reason not to have chickens around quail at all. But many people still do, but I quess you are taking a chance.

I have a heck of a time keeping my girls from around the quail pens.

 

[shelleyd2008]

All my chickens hang out around the quails' pen, when the quail were in their other cages some of the chickens were on them

I've also heard that silkies were used to hatch quail, but I don't think I'd trust my silkies with them. They can be a bit 'heavy'

ETA: The problem with having chickens and quail together is that there are some diseases that chickens can carry with no harm to the chicken, but when these diseases are introduced to the quail, it will wipe them out.

Some people have used chickens to hatch quail, but if you do you'd be better off taking the chicks away as soon as they hatch. A friend of mine got some coturnix eggs from me for some of his bantam OEG hens. The hens had a good hatch, my friend went inside, only to come out to NO BABY QUAIL in the pens....apparently the hens had killed and ate them.

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

OOOOO. No no more thinking about that cute little black splash? Silkie I saw Wednesday any more for hatching just for fun. Especially seeing I don't even like them, but am curious about them.

But you know I keep thinking my Mom or someone used them a life time ago for hatching RIR eggs. I'm going to ask my Sister. Somewhere in my life I have run across Silkies kept for hatching, don't remember and it's bugging me. I do know I knew about them long before BYC came along.

No, I'll stick with my bator thank you.

cutechick: How do you like your Bantam Cochins? Why am I asking?

I am overflowing with birds. Somebody better help me stop hatching. Everyone here is hatchaholics and my DH is an enabler.