VERY broody Cotournix quail

[Quailobsessed]

Hello fellow Aussie! I would definitely let nature do it's thing. Sometimes we've just got to sit back and watch.

I have a few broody hens right now. One of them is broody for the millionth time in a row! I can't make her stop!

 

[Florence NightingQuail]

Really? Mine has become a real group affair, they all seem to be playing a part in helping out now. The initial broody one is next level though - I decided to let her have yesterday’s eggs too and she dutifully rolled every single one into her nest within mintues of it being laid! It’s pretty cute, I actually do hope she/we get some results. We’ve marked all 11 eggs now and we’ll see what happens!

 

[Florence NightingQuail]

Well, things are suddenly taking a turn for the worst. My lovely little “clutch cooperative” seems to have turned against their task. Instead of helping incubate the eggs, the other hens are now intent on kicking all mama’s eggs out of the nest at every opportunity. Mama is endlessly chasing and pecking at her attackers, which just leaves opportunity for another to go into the nesting box and wreck havoc on her nest. My one roo is crazy rapey chasey again too. I don’t know WTF is going on all of a sudden!

 

[Nabiki]

The phrase "bird brain" exists for a reason...

 

[Quailobsessed]

Well, things are suddenly taking a turn for the worst. My lovely little “clutch cooperative” seems to have turned against their task. Instead of helping incubate the eggs, the other hens are now intent on kicking all mama’s eggs out of the nest at every opportunity. Mama is endlessly chasing and pecking at her attackers, which just leaves opportunity for another to go into the nesting box and wreck havoc on her nest. My one roo is crazy rapey chasey again too. I don’t know WTF is going on all of a sudden!

When one of my hens went broody (who was with another female and a male), after a few days, she started attacking the others to defend her nest. I fenced off the corner where her nest was, because she couldn't have the whole giant aviary to herself only to use up one tiny corner of it anyway!

 

[Florence NightingQuail]

I don’t know what to do now. Things seemed to be fluctuating between calm and crazy, but now several of her eggs have holes pecked in them. Broody mama is clearly stressed and spends a lot of time off the eggs chasing everyone around pecking at them. I’m pretty sure these eggs are kaput. Should I just get rid of them? Or should I divide a section off for her and let her incubate the new eggs as they come up to give her a proper go? Will she be MORE stressed if the eggs just disappear now?

 

[Quailobsessed]

I don’t know what to do now. Things seemed to be fluctuating between calm and crazy, but now several of her eggs have holes pecked in them. Broody mama is clearly stressed and spends a lot of time off the eggs chasing everyone around pecking at them. I’m pretty sure these eggs are kaput. Should I just get rid of them? Or should I divide a section off for her and let her incubate the new eggs as they come up to give her a proper go? Will she be MORE stressed if the eggs just disappear now?

She will probably be the least stressed if you section off her nest.