THOSE CHUCKLEHEADS TOLD ME

[DanielleInUro]

that Coturnix won't hatch their own eggs. I used to raise them for meat, but my better half got all tender hearted last spring and begged me not to slaughter the breeders I'd kept over the winter. Fine, now they're his pets. We had six, but one disappeared, one dropped dead, a predator got another. Now we have three--Hobbles, Not Hobbles, and The Boy.

I just came home from work to find The Boy and Not Hobbles trying to kill each other, and a squeaking little baby quail a few feet away. It's December.

The Boy is in a box to settle down while I figure out what to do here. Not Hobbles is sitting on a whole BUNCH of other eggs and will fluff up and peck if I reach for her to move her, then gets right back on. The Accident is in the bathroom under a heat lamp while I wait to see if it got injured in the fight. I have no idea how many others are about to hatch.

Thirty eight years old, and I'm experiencing my first unplanned pregnancy.

 

[tacothechicken]

If it makes you feel better we had a welsummer dissapear 2 years ago only to pop back up a week before we moved houses whith 5 chicks 0-0 you ever tried to take a new mom whith 5 surprise babies on a 30 minute car ride whith 3 other jealous hens? Im surprise anyone In the car survived that trip honestly....

 

[Crazydoglady99]

Thirty eight years old, and I'm experiencing my first unplanned pregnancy.

 

[muddy75]

@Texas Kiki .....thought u may appreciate this post!

 

[DanielleInUro]

So The Boy is staying in his box for the night. (I just checked on him, and he's sleeping.) Hobbles is hanging out off to the side. Not Hobbles is still sitting on her eggs, and will peck and crow if you push her off. I pushed her off anyway, because I wanted to check on the remaining eggs, and at least two appear to be rockin and rollin. No new hatchings, though. I'm considering setting up my incubator and putting the rest of the eggs in there to finish up. I don't want to leave them overnight, because there's a chance that Hobbles and Not Hobbles will have whatever switch that throws in a coturnix head and murder them if they hatch at 3 am, and we're not staying up all night for our little gaggle of accidents, I don't care how cute they are. But I'm afraid moving them to the incubator might kill them.

 

[Fishkeeper]

They usually don't set eggs, no, it was bred out of them. Doesn't mean you don't get the occasional one whose instincts are still in place.
I really wouldn't move them over into an incubator, especially since incubators tend to be pretty unstable at first. You risk them all shrinkwrapping. Separate out whoever's not sitting on the eggs, and hope mama doesn't go murderous. Quail don't tend to be too active at night, anyway.

 

[DanielleInUro]

They usually don't set eggs, no, it was bred out of them. Doesn't mean you don't get the occasional one whose instincts are still in place.
I really wouldn't move them over into an incubator, especially since incubators tend to be pretty unstable at first. You risk them all shrinkwrapping. Separate out whoever's not sitting on the eggs, and hope mama doesn't go murderous. Quail don't tend to be too active at night, anyway.

Thank you, I could use the advice. The Boy is separated, and Hobbles can get around, but not well. They'll probably be a'aight.

 

[Mimi13]

Heck, I just love the names! “The Accident” - priceless!

 

[DanielleInUro]

We're trying to figure out what to do about The Accident. Our plan was to let Hobbles, Not Hobbles, and The Boy live out the rest of their natural lives, and then maybe get two bantam hens for eggs, since we won't eat enough of them to justify full sized chickens. But my better half has a soft heart, so who knows what he'll decide to do.

 

[Fishkeeper]

You could try giving away any extra ones you get. They make decent pets, you could probably find some homes for them.
Also, try 3 hens, 2 is slightly too many. If you get extra eggs, give 'em to neighbors, compost 'em, feed 'em back to the hens, anything you can think of.