Quail hatch. Follow along.

[Oob Child]

Well interesting story father quail is still being protective but now he is also sticking around with one of the females. The female is now acting like their "mom" and the male is still acting like their father. I'm so confused. Could they have already paired up? My blue scales didn't pair up till they were 5 months old. (If he did pair up with her he is a lucky man, as there is only 2 females in the group)

I really want to know why this is happening. I'll tag some quail people whose usernames I remember
@007Sean @eddie_van_quailen
I can't seem to remember any others rn

 

[Oob Child]

I really want to know why this is happening. I'll tag some quail people whose usernames I remember
@007Sean @eddie_van_quailen
I can't seem to remember any others rn

Sorry I didn't realize they were already tagged.

 

[Mallards and Quail]

@Kiki any ideas?

 

[Mallards and Quail]

Well interesting story father quail is still being protective but now he is also sticking around with one of the females. The female is now acting like their "mom" and the male is still acting like their father. I'm so confused. Could they have already paired up? My blue scales didn't pair up till they were 5 months old. (If he did pair up with her he is a lucky man, as there is only 2 females in the group)

 

[Nabiki]

Well interesting story father quail is still being protective but now he is also sticking around with one of the females. The female is now acting like their "mom" and the male is still acting like their father. I'm so confused. Could they have already paired up? My blue scales didn't pair up till they were 5 months old. (If he did pair up with her he is a lucky man, as there is only 2 females in the group)

They may have paired up. That doesn't mean that they won't change partners later, though.

 

[Squeeing_Onion]

Awww i look forward to reading more! I'm all caught up on the thread now.

I am brand new to quail (re: i am still looking for my first covey), but I've kept rescue parrots for over eight years now. This has been so informative!

I've seen animal of different species over the years, be more parental or not. Quail are often considered mostly for their use in serving eggs, meat, and feathers, but i honestly see just as much personality in them as i do the parrots I've lived with. It makes sense to me that you ended up with some birds acting on strong rearing instincts, even so young.

Could you share pics of the unexpected maybe family?

 

[Oob Child]

Could you share pics of the unexpected maybe family?

I want to see photos too!

 

[Mallards and Quail]

I want to see photos too!

I'll post pics when I get back home. I just left for a trip. I'll be back Tuesday-Wednesday. (If anyone's wondering i decided to let the "parents" take care of the chicks)

 

[eddie_van_quailen]

It’s possible they’ve paired up early, but as Nabiki said it’s they might change later, especially since it’s a bit premature. IMO also important to try not to anthropomorphize behaviors like this too much. Animals operate on instinct, and behaviors/hormones/triggers can be hard to explain and control.

 

[CliftonQuail]

It’s possible they’ve paired up early, but as Nabiki said it’s they might change later, especially since it’s a bit premature. IMO also important to try not to anthropomorphize behaviors like this too much. Animals operate on instinct, and behaviors/hormones/triggers can be hard to explain and control.

My last hatch, I had 10 make it to the brooder. The last one to hatch had curled toes that appear to have been remedied with the sticky part of a bandage. However, that bird is very slow to develop and appears to be about 1/5 the size of its hatch mates. They're about 2 weeks old now and I frequently see the tiny bird trying to hide under other birds as if they were its mother. I'm not sure if it's the same bird all the time. I hope it starts putting on weight/size because I'd hate to cull it after all it's been through. I'm not sure if I want it to be male or female, but I doubt I'll include it in my breeding program either way.