Quail Questions

[TwoCrows]

Touching the eggs will not effect a truly broody hen. If she is determined to set on them, she will do it regardless if you have moved or touched them. Now, some quail will set on eggs for an hour here and there and eventually get bored with them. Don't get your hopes up on a quail hen setting full term on the eggs. Now, by piling up some eggs in a nice nest may entice a hen to maybe set on them, but again, quail rarely stay broody long enough to hatch out chicks.

It sounds like the temps are warm enough where you are, so upping the temps is not going to make much difference.

You are not annoying me. LOL If I have the answer to a question one has about quail, I am happy to help.

 

[MrNappy]

Alright, good thing to know i'm not annoying.

What did you mean put the pointy part down? The whole egg has to balance on the pointy part or it just shouldn't stick upwards?

Can i feed them eggshells everyday?

If i put different eggs of different hens in a group will a broody hen sit on them?

 

[TwoCrows]

The egg has a rounder end and a pointier end to it. Take a look at eggs in an egg carton from the grocery store. The pointier end is always down. So store your quail eggs in an egg carton this way. The rounder end of the egg is where the air sac will develop.

You need to keep oyster shells, egg shells or cuttle bone always on hand for the hens. So that is a "yes" to feeding them calcium everyday, if they are laying regularly.

You can put all other quail eggs together in a nest in "hopes" to make a hen go broody. She does not know that somebody else laid them, but it does not necessarily get a hen to go broody. Broodiness is hormonal. Has to come from inside her body when she feels the need to raise a family of chicks. Quail have lost much of their ability or desire to go broody. Sometimes the right female with the right male, in a perfect and private location will stimulate the hormones for broodiness. Quail need a ton of privacy for raising chicks along with the quail's desire and them feeling comfortable enough to hatch babies. It is rare in quail.

 

[MrNappy]

Alright, thank-you.

Also, i found one of my hen bleeding a little around 12PM and i cleaned it up, it looked like her beak had cracked. Before i cleaned it she was drinking the blood and smashing her face into the wood chips. Then around 3PM she was bleeding like crazy. I wet her mouth and dried it for 15 mins. It appeared her beak was broken and some weird piece of flesh was hanging from her top beak piece. Any leads on how it happened, what to do, any tips?

 

[TwoCrows]

I have never dealt with a broken beak before, and I do not know how it could have gotten that way. You can try using corn starch on the area bleeding as that should stop the bleeding. You might want to feed her only soft foods for a few days. Quail love hard boiled eggs and they are also an emergency food for birds. If she will eat cooked oatmeal or even corn grits. But stick to soft foods so her beak will heal.

Keep me posted on her condition.

 

[TwoCrows]

Oh....and watch her for tonight. Sometimes birds get "shocky" after an injury, which means they get cold. If she appears to be cold, put her under a brooding lamp. Not really hot, but up to 80+ degrees. This should keep her from going into shock.

 

[GrandmaBird]

I have heard of other birds fighting and the beak injury is normal. they go for the easiest area to grab that will cause the most damage. a vet may set the beak but it may not be worth the cost. i would watch her after separating her from the flock and just see how she does. good luck

 

[MrNappy]

Ok, i checked on her now and her head area up to her neck is in dried blood. I don't want to risk watering her again but will if you suggest to.I brought in eggs for them and she stuck her head into her right side feathers and only walked a little bit.

Also my button quails are laying more eggs and they are really pointy. They're more pointy than the quail eggs and i think all of them have blood on them, a little.

 

[MrNappy]

I also put 2 jumbo eggs in one of my budgies breeding box and 2 button in the other. They are too young to breed but keep mating, they might sit. Should i remove or keep them there?

 

[TwoCrows]

Parrots are more likely to go broody. You can leave them there if the birds start setting on them. But when it comes time for hatching, you may need to remove the quail from the budgies as budgies are born bald and blind. The adult budgie feeds the babies for several weeks. Since quail can feed themselves after hatching, it might be wise to remove the quail and brood them yourself.

Keep on eye on the one with the broken beak. Keep her warm if she sits in the corner all fluffed up.