Silkie//cortunix

[doxies1]

Does anybody out there use broody silkies to set corturnix eggs? If so how many can a silkie set?
I have a coup;e of broody silkies trying to set the same nest. Maybe if I gave them both cortunix eggs to set they would leave each other alone to set their own nest.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I've tried getting an OEGB hen to set coturnix eggs but she didn't 'accept' them as eggs. It wouldn't hurt to try though, just make sure you take the chicks away when they'd hatch. I would think a silkie could easily set a couple dozen or more. I had 15 for my OEGB hen and she would have had room for much more.

 

[angelbabyamy]

The very first chickens I had were 2 silkie hens and a rooster. My silkies were inseperable. They set together next to each other and raised their chicks together. It was very cute!

 

[pringle]

Maybe if you put a clutch of fake eggs,have them go broody over those and then slip some coturnix eggs under they would hatch them.The only problem I see with this is that the eggs are very fragile and I would be afraid of the silkie breaking them when she got up or something.

 

[calgal98]

I would think 8-10 coturnix would be a good number to try. So much depends on the size of the hen and the eggs. If you have an incubator, coturnix are super easy to hatch, and when they do its like popcorn in the incubator. I love incubating the little buggers.

 

[doxies1]

I had 50 of them in a bator and when they hatched I had to set the hatcher on the floor to open it, so the little buggers didn't hurrt themselves jumping out. Like you said "like Popcorn".

 

[sonjab314]

Keep in mind that quail can catch diseases from chickens and it is not advised to house them together. If it were me, I would find grown birds or get an incubator.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
This is why I said to take the chicks away after hatch. Apparently you've been on the quail forum. If your chickens are not carrying any diseases, like MG or Coryza, the quail won't have anything to catch.