Will a broody RIR set on quail eggs?

[catsmithpuddin]

I was wondering has anybody had any luck with letting a broody hen set quail eggs mixed in the chicken eggs? We have RIR barred rocks and sexlinks. The quail are courtinx.

 

[shelleyd2008]

She'd probably break them if she'd even accept them.

 

[donrae]

I've heard many instances of birds brooding a different species' eggs. I don't know about quail, how long is the incubation period? If it's shorter than chickens, when the quail babies hatch she'll probably abandon the chicken eggs. I would set one or the other under her, but don't see why a broody couldn't raise a batch of quail. My bantam cochins came from a woman who used them to brood peafowl eggs.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
Coturnix quail eggs take 18 days to hatch and are about as big as a quarter. A small bantam hen could set them if she would take them but a LF hen would crush them with no trouble. Heck, she'd probably break them trying to roll them, the shells are not as tough as chicken eggs.

Plus it's not a good idea to keep quail and chickens together and you'd need wire no bigger than 1/2" to keep the quail chicks in...and the hen would probably kill them if she even got any to hatch.

 

[Mahonri]

as was said, a RIR would smash them all.

 

[missred871]

I have used broody hens to hatch coturnix and GG Bobs BUT that said mine were BANTAM. Even still under some conditions, like my attempt at allowing buttons to be under them..... will call for a FAIL. lol. That button thing was a disaster. 18 eggs and two days.... SMOOSH. mmhmm. So I wouldnt suggest a RIR on Coturnix eggs... nope. Definately not, because that would be the equivelent to button eggs under a bantam. NOT PRETTY. Trust me.

 

[catsmithpuddin]

Thanks. The quail have not started laying yet and we have never tried our incubator yet. I guess we will have to figure it out!