It's not uncommon for a laying hen to go broody, especially in the early spring and summer months.For those who need to refresh your flock, try allowing the hen to sit on a clutch of eggs (usually 10 to 14), and let them hatch out naturally into fluffy baby chicks. Hatching Eggs – The Broody Hen. If you intend to use the broody to hatch your eggs, make sure they are fertile. If you have a rooster handy that’s easy to do, if you don’t, buy some hatching eggs and slip them under the broody. The following instructions will help you build an incubator. I've got 4 quails and 1 is definitely a male as I've seen them mating and also the white stuff comes out when you squeeze him. Hi. If you have the fertilized eggs and no quail hens, then you need to use a broody hen to sit and hatch them. Many, if not most, keep quails for their lovely eggs. I've had a broody hen for sometime now and I've been trying to get it to hatch quail eggs with no luck. Whether you are doing it for purely utilitarian reasons, educational reasons or because you have a terrible chicken addiction (I may possibly fall into this last category) there are a few important basics to get your head around. The only downside to chicks that are raised from a broody hen is that they generally are more skittish around humans than those raised in an incubator, but honestly, I’m cool with that. I've got 4 quails and 1 is definitely a male as I've seen them mating and also the white stuff comes out when you squeeze him. Posted on August 17, 2015 by morgan. She will usually keep them safe under her. Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

mum stands on quail chick and squashes it eggs get cold because hen leaves them for too long - she's designed to incubate hen eggs which can be left uncovered longer as they are bigger and cool more slowly predators get the chicks broken eggs contaminate viable eggs chicks drown in mum's waterer - usually people hatch very few and lose what they hatch. my chicken sits on my other chickens sterile egg, when there is 2 I take 1 so it's always only sitting on 1. The Ultimate Guide to Broody Hens. So you have decided to hatch some chicken eggs and keep chooks. ... or quail eggs. All the eggs are due to hatch on the same day.

... Not for eggs under a broody hen at least. If the number of eggs is allowed to build up to where the broody cannot cover them all, some will cool off and die. I’ve been hatching under hens (as well as incubating) for years, and after having lots of problems, I’ve worked this system out: When a hen acts seriously broody, (several days to a week), I wait till dark and move her to a big wire brooding cage with just a couple eggs. Below you will find the information you need to get your very own adorable quail chicks.