Quail momma sitting on eggs...next steps?

[Sabrinalmq]

Hey all, My husband and I are relatively new to raising quail but we have had our covey of 6 for 6 months now (5 hens and 1 rooster). Well we recently went on vacation and had a girl coming to clean them and collect eggs but when I went to put them outside when we got home 1 wouldnt move for me. I was afraid she was injured but when I went to check her I found her sitting on 3 eggs. I didn’t know how long they had been there since we were gone for a while so I have been leaving her be. I’m not sure how to handle this since everything I’ve read say cotournix quails don’t typically hatch their own eggs.
If they hatch, should I separate them from the flock and set up the heat lamp like when they were chicks? Should I leave them with their mother?
Any advice is greatly appreciated!! Thank you!

 

[DK newbie]

If mom seems to know what she's doing, a heat lamp shouldn't be necessary - she'll provide them with the heat they need. I'd probably separate chicks and mom from the flock when they hatch, but if the enclosure is suitable for chicks and the others are not pecking the chicks, leaving them there might work. Keep an eye on her, but if she manages to hatch the chicks, chances are she'll also know how to care for them.
Good luck!

 

[Fishkeeper]

For now, leave her alone. She's programmed to know what she's doing. Coturnix don't normally go broody, but when they do, they seem to do it pretty well.
When the chicks hatch, take them and the mom out and put them into a safe enclosure, unless you're 100% sure the chicks can't escape where they are now.