Wilma the Quail is Brooding Fertile Eggs

[SheaLoner]

Day 19, 6:30 AM.

Stole a warm egg from under defensive, pancaked mama and held it to my ear.

Scratching! Pecking! Somebody wants out!

Returned it to chittering, puffed hen. She must hear more of them trying, won't budge from the nest. I put the basket back. Fingers crossed for chicks by tonight!

Were these all her eggs? If so keep the hens from her, more likely to breed broodiness back into them. Might be a market for them.

 

[coffee_and_quail]

Ahhh I'm so excited for you!

We just built a giant aviary for our quail and within days 2 of the hens started creating nests and hoarding eggs so I'm hopeful. Can't wait to see your chicks!

 

[le_bwah]

We have babies! Well, one out and dry, one wet with an eggshell turtled to its back, and two more pipped eggs. Wilma is full of movement and sound, making a noise the seems a bit overwhelmed. I would lift the basket for a full look but I'm afraid of disturbing things since it seems to be "happening."

Here's a video of her fussing and calling, with the chicks playing voice roles only:

 

[le_bwah]

Four so far! One sticks right close to mama, the other three are younger/weaker and stay in or close to the nest. One egg was trampled, the chick got shrink-wrapped and died. I think Wilma panicked when they started hatching—she was making a huge racket and turning the eggs frantically. Poor things, both of them.

The chick that sticks close is quite hardy, already exploring and pecking at things in the aviary. I'll be putting a plastic tote over the nest site at night so none of the chicks can wander too far in the chill.

Note sure how many more will make it out—just hoping we see at least one hen

 

[le_bwah]

4 out of 14—worse than I'd hoped, better than I'd feared.

They behave almost exactly like chicken chicks with a mama hen—stick close, climb up under her wings, eat whatever she tidbits, and cry when they lose sight of her. She is exhibiting sounds and behavior I've never seen before, sprinting after lost chicks, tidbitting, and inviting the chicks to shelter in under her wings. It's very dear—I just hope I won't have to kill more than a couple of them, as I do not intend to keep any males.

Now that they've had a day to toughen up, they are always on the move. She abandoned the nest last night (thus the sad cold eggies) and took her babies on the road. She's been a very good mama to the ones who arrived. It's been so fun letting her have something natural in an otherwise unnatural environment—I can't wait to see how this experiment turns out.

The aviary is partitioned, so the other hens are in the roofed section until the babies are old enough to stand up to pecking. Peaceful in both sides, all things considered. But Raven, another 3-year-old hen, is currently sitting 12 infertile eggs and making quite a fuss at anyone who comes near...

I don't know if my heart can take a back-to-back disaster hatch, but I can't deny I'm sorely tempted.

 

[le_bwah]

Chicks were wary of humans at first, but come out to say hello if mom is around. Here's "the Big One" resting in the sun at 2.5 days old—it seems to need much less heat than its hatchmates.

Now a week old, their feathers are really coming in. They're figuring out how to preen and bathe—lots of flightless flapping going on.

They've also been doing well with all the rain we're getting. Mama still shelters her babies, and she's not so alarmed anymore when they cry out for her from two feet away. They drink the rainwater off of her back, and she's teaching them how to dig for bugs under the bark floor.

Mama can still fit all four of them under her wings. No idea what she would have done if all eggs had hatched.

Everything I've seen so far speaks to the intelligence and instincts of these birds. 10/10, would let Wilma raise chickies again.