So I think I might have a broody Coturnix hen...

[iheartquail]

One of my girls keeps hiding all the eggs on me for a day or two. I mean seriously sneakily hiding! She buries them completely under the straw and wood shavings. Then a couple days later she'll make a little nest in the bedding and be sitting on like 5-6 eggs. I feel so bad taking them from her! She seems very persistent!
So what does everyone think?
Should I let her do her thing and see if she'll hatch them?
If she is successful, will it be a problem having the babies around the other birds? There are 6 total birds in a 3.5x4 foot pen.

 

[TwoCrows]

If she were my bird, I would let her give it try. I would enjoy watching the "real thing" in action. LOL However, she is more likely to be disturbed with all the other birds around. And if they do hatch, you do not want the adults near the babies for quite some time. So if she truly sticks with the incubation, you might want to remove the others to let her do her thing alone. You would need to never disturb her much, keep human, dog and other traffic to a minimum as to not scare her off. Be ready to brood the babies yourself should she not be able to do it herself.