question

[DK newbie]

I think it's actually true for ducklings though. My parents had muscovy ducks when I was a kid. They laid eggs and incubated them, but when they started to hatch, my sister and I decided to help them out of their eggs. This resulted in the mother being unable to call the ducklings and the ducklings constantly trying to get through the wire to reach my sister and I.. My dad wasn't thrilled ^^

But I agree with the other posters - don't expect an adult quail that's not broody, to accept chicks, no matter how many times she's been broody. Even if she is broody, it's a risk.

 

[someusername]

ok. But for some reason, the first chicks I hatched(only one survived ) REALLY imprinted on me and would follow me around whereever I go until he grew up to be like 15 weeks old.

 

[Wolfefarmyard]

ok. But for some reason, the first chicks I hatched(only one survived ) REALLY imprinted on me and would follow me around whereever I go until he grew up to be like 5 weeks old.

Probably because you raised it.

 

[cmom]

I agree with the others. You can try and it may work and it might not.

 

[Fishkeeper]

He did that because he was lonely and probably cold. Baby chicks are very social and will, absolutely, follow a living source of warmth.

 

[someusername]

Thank you all! I will try to introduce them SLOWLY,and raise the chick for the first couple days by myself, with the hen watching, then I MIGHT introduce the quail together and see if they have a good relationship and no one kicks each other or something like that

 

[Lady_Bat]

Don't chicks imprint on the first thing they see?

Not in my experience. In college my dorm was next to the lake. A mama duck made her nest in the bush outside my window. Super fun/cool to watch everything. Baby ducks were born & would follow mama & all the usual cute baby stuff. One night, at like midnight, I heard the most terrible gut wrenching screams. I fly out of bed & realized that it was from the mama duck. By the time I climbed out of the window there was blood & feathers everywhere. Mama was gone, 3 babies were left alive but looked drunk. I gathered the 3 babies up & took them into my room. 1 didn't make it through the night, 1 didn't last the week, but 1 was a trooper. My friend ended up taking her in as a pet. That baby duck ended up imprinting on my friend & would cry if she couldn't see her. It was very neat to watch. My friend would walk out of the room & Peep would cry. My friend would stick her hand into the room & Peep would be quiet. So I personally saw this baby duck imprint on it's real mom & on my friend.