Wild Quail laying eggs in chicken nesting boxes

There's actually a quail discussion forum here on BYC. I would post over there for more information on quails, nesting behaviors and eggs.

Since they seem like a happy little family, I would leave everyone just as they are. The quail know how long they need to stay on the eggs for them to hatch, but I just did a quick search and it looks like it could be somewhere around 18 days.

I had no clue quail lay so many eggs!
 
Sorry I don't but there's another site that I'm on (Educational Poultry Group/FB), one of the members just posted an incubation chart ... Bobwhite Quails incubation's 22 - 24days.
 

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I have been raising chickens for 48 years now and this is a first for me... In my large chicken run I have 2 coops a small one that houses my older girls who are set in their ways and a much larger coop for the other chicken and ducks, a total of 100 birds all together. My run is made of 1' chicken wire placed over portable 7 foot tall dog kennel panels, I have covered the top with heavy netting once and with the heavy and large amounts of snow it just crashed down, so no longer do that and have never had a problem with wild critters.
Anyways, The last few days I have been getting these really small eggs and when I broke them open they looked just like a regular egg inside. Today I went out a few times to get eggs for customers orders and their was a couple of wild quail in the nesting boxes under my broody hens. They were full size quail and she was treating them as they were her chicks. I put a glove on to get the eggs from her and there was 4 quail eggs in with a couple chicken eggs. Has anyone ever come across this before? should I let her hatch them out?

Sooooo...what happen with the quails? I was reading the thread and it just ended-nothing! I have to know what happen!!
 
It is now 07/28/2025, and google search took me here. Yesterday, I found 4 wild quail eggs and the somewhat broody lately chicken was sitting on them along with 1 egg from my other chicken. Gonna leave them there and see how it develops. Will post some pictures. Stay tuned.
 
It is now 07/28/2025, and google search took me here. Yesterday, I found 4 wild quail eggs and the somewhat broody lately chicken was sitting on them along with 1 egg from my other chicken. Gonna leave them there and see how it develops. Will post some pictures. Stay tuned.
Are wild quail/eggs legal to own where you are? Can you get a permit?
I would not incubate them without verification since you could be fined/jailed.
You are also opening up access for disease for your flock.
 

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