Quail gone broody :) :) :)

[chickenshet]

Help fellow quail keepers! I'm so excited - my female coturnix quail went brody a couple weeks ago and I finally went out and grabbed a few of her eggs to candle. I couldn't see anything with two, but one of them, I could see the faintest bit of light flickering on one side and I realized I could feel the egg moving! I have a few questions as I know it is not common for coturnix to brood their own clutch.
1. Do I remove the babies once they are hatched?
2. Is there any way to tell how old the eggs are and when I can guess they will hatch? She is brooding at the bottom area of the coop where rats have been known to get into so I want to move her and the babies to a safer spot once they start hatching.
3. Do I need to get special food? It's been so long since I've brooded quail.

 

[Ellaluvsbirds]

That's so cool, quail pretty much never go broody so you're lucky!! Good luck with your hatch!!

 

[joemorcos]

1. They need heat, you can keep them with the adults if you have a heat lamp.
2.other than candling, no.
3. If their feed has enough protein, you don't need to get any special feed.

 

[GD91]

1. They need heat, you can keep them with the adults if you have a heat lamp.

Doesn't the quail hen provide this?

 

[joemorcos]

I wouldn't rely on her, but I've never had a broody hen so idk.

 

[dc3085]

Help fellow quail keepers! I'm so excited - my female coturnix quail went brody a couple weeks ago and I finally went out and grabbed a few of her eggs to candle. I couldn't see anything with two, but one of them, I could see the faintest bit of light flickering on one side and I realized I could feel the egg moving! I have a few questions as I know it is not common for coturnix to brood their own clutch.
1. Do I remove the babies once they are hatched?

Yes coturnix are missing most of their wild instincts from thousands of years of captive breeding. That aside any other bird in the cage will see the new chicks as a territorial threat.

2. Is there any way to tell how old the eggs are and when I can guess they will hatch? She is brooding at the bottom area of the coop where rats have been known to get into so I want to move her and the babies to a safer spot once they start hatching.

They will hatch in 17-19 days if she performed correctly (which is extremely rare)

3. Do I need to get special food? It's been so long since I've brooded quail.

Chicks need 30% protein.

Just don't get disappointed if she stops early on you. Some sources suggest that coturnix may have been bred in captivity longer even than chickens. In that time we managed to damage most of their instinctual habits. To encourage her to perform correctly try to disturb her as little as possible and make her cage seem as natural as possible.

 

[chickenshet]

Oh my gosh, it's happening! Her eggs are hatching! I went out there today and a few of her eggs were beside her instead of underneath her and one was pecking through. Then she moved and she has chick babies under her wings! Do I just let her do her thing and trust in her mommy instincts since she has brooded them this far already or separate?
I am so blown away! I will post photos soon.

 

[seann]

Holy nuts, that's one rare quail you have there, you lucky you.
Congrats; Expecting pictures too...

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Oh my gosh, it's happening! Her eggs are hatching! I went out there today and a few of her eggs were beside her instead of underneath her and one was pecking through. Then she moved and she has chick babies under her wings! Do I just let her do her thing and trust in her mommy instincts since she has brooded them this far already or separate?
I am so blown away! I will post photos soon.

I think she's earned her mommy medal! I would let her raise them for sure. Save you work, worry, and heating costs!

 

[heartsizedfarm]

And if she gets the positive reinforcement that comes from raising her own she might do this again for you sometime!