Although many people say that Cortunix quails have lost their broody and we have bred that out of them. The truth is that because most people keep their quail in wire cages with little too no hay or shavings anywhere. I've actually been rather successful when attempting to get my quail to brood. Here are my tips on getting them to at least attempt to brood.
Why wire cages don't work:
Now to get started. Wire cages are a big no no and are going to completely ruin the chances of a hen going broody. When in wire cages Cortunix quails aren't in their natural environment and as a result don't feel free to brood, hatch, and raise their own chicks. Most breeders tend to keep their quail in wire cages, where they have no where to be alone or feel hidden enough to brood.
Making the proper brooding environment:
In order for Coturnix quail to go broody making a proper environment and setting is a must as it's one of the most important steps. So in my opinion using a ground level aviary is the best, simply because it allows you to give them substrate and area to forage. Giving them a place to dust bath is also a way to allow them to show more natural behavior. They also need plenty of cover like large rocks, plants, and small huts like the ones commonly used for rabbits or guinea pigs, because it will encourage them to lay their eggs in one spot. Which is another big step as Coturnix quail tend to lay their eggs anywhere and everywhere. If you do all these steps, this alone will sometimes cause a hen to become broody. As simple as that.
What is a brood patch:
When a quail goes broody she will loose some feathers around the lower chest area similar to chickens. This is called a brood patch, they do this to allow skin to egg contact because the skin will warn the eggs faster that if it was just feathers. The amount of feathers lost and the over all size of the brood patch can depend on the females level of broodiness or how many eggs she has. However, when quail go broody, they tend to still have a few feathers left. Normally around her sides and under her wings. When she isn't all fluffy and brooding it looks as if she never had a brood patch, but if you push away her feathers around the bottom of her lower chest and in-between her legs you'll be able to see her brood patch.
How do I know if a hen is going broody:
When a quail is starting to, or is about to become broody she will usually act as if she is very stressed for around one or two weeks before finally deciding to sit on her eggs. (This is when I started worrying if I was stressing her out causing her not to fully sit) during this time I would also see my hen passing around the feed bin where her nest was and would walk by the ivy growing on the aviary walls and she would start attacking any birds or other quail that came by her nest. I'd also see her running around with nesting material and she made a few other nests she never used, now although I have my theory's, one is that she was doing what turkey's and some types of reptiles do which is when they make false or fake nests to make a predator unsure of the true location of the nest. After a while I started to see that she was collecting only her eggs and was kicking out any other hens eggs from her selected nest and was acting rather interested in the eggs more than usual. She would rolling them a bit and would sit on them for around 15-20 minutes before wandering off and protecting this wierd almost border like area, she'd seemed to have made. Then during the next few days before she truly became full blown broody, she suddenly stopped eating and was being extra aggressive with the females, but not with the the roo of the flock. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with the other hens, and would chase them away from her nest if any of them even got in her line of sight. After about a week of this, she started sitting on about 6 eggs that she had been collecting and part time sitting on. Now the interesting thing is that the male was the only one allowed near her and I eventually learned he was keeping watch as if to keep an eye out for any hens wanting to raid the nest. And I even hear him making what I could only assume was a warning call as if to say "stay back or else". Sadly the roo did end up dieing after he was trying to fly around but broke his neck on a branch. However all was not lost because she was still brooding her 6 eggs.
What is test sitting:
Test sitting is when a hen of any kind is thinking about sitting on a clutch of eggs and before becoming fully broody. She might sit for 10-20 minutes before deciding to leave or maybe sitting for an hour or two and leaving only to come back and brood a little longer ect ect.
How long do they brood for:
Now although quail eggs in an incubator can hatch around day 15-17 due to the hen getting off the nest every now and then, and her not constantly keep the eggs warm they can take as long as day 19-20. However my hen that was brooding her 6 eggs didn't have a good lockdown, because without the male to help her the nest was messed with by other hens and although I did take out any unwanted eggs, when they started hatching the other females attacked the mom and her babies and any hatching eggs. They sadly killed almost all her clutch, but two eggs. They both never hatched as she shortly after decided to abandon the nest and the eggs. When hens are incubating I've now learned you need to separate any other non brooding quail to allow her full isolation to successfully brood and hatch. After around day 16 you can start to expect chirps from newly hatched chicks and a hopefully very proud mom.
Why wire cages don't work:
Now to get started. Wire cages are a big no no and are going to completely ruin the chances of a hen going broody. When in wire cages Cortunix quails aren't in their natural environment and as a result don't feel free to brood, hatch, and raise their own chicks. Most breeders tend to keep their quail in wire cages, where they have no where to be alone or feel hidden enough to brood.
Making the proper brooding environment:
In order for Coturnix quail to go broody making a proper environment and setting is a must as it's one of the most important steps. So in my opinion using a ground level aviary is the best, simply because it allows you to give them substrate and area to forage. Giving them a place to dust bath is also a way to allow them to show more natural behavior. They also need plenty of cover like large rocks, plants, and small huts like the ones commonly used for rabbits or guinea pigs, because it will encourage them to lay their eggs in one spot. Which is another big step as Coturnix quail tend to lay their eggs anywhere and everywhere. If you do all these steps, this alone will sometimes cause a hen to become broody. As simple as that.
What is a brood patch:
When a quail goes broody she will loose some feathers around the lower chest area similar to chickens. This is called a brood patch, they do this to allow skin to egg contact because the skin will warn the eggs faster that if it was just feathers. The amount of feathers lost and the over all size of the brood patch can depend on the females level of broodiness or how many eggs she has. However, when quail go broody, they tend to still have a few feathers left. Normally around her sides and under her wings. When she isn't all fluffy and brooding it looks as if she never had a brood patch, but if you push away her feathers around the bottom of her lower chest and in-between her legs you'll be able to see her brood patch.
How do I know if a hen is going broody:
When a quail is starting to, or is about to become broody she will usually act as if she is very stressed for around one or two weeks before finally deciding to sit on her eggs. (This is when I started worrying if I was stressing her out causing her not to fully sit) during this time I would also see my hen passing around the feed bin where her nest was and would walk by the ivy growing on the aviary walls and she would start attacking any birds or other quail that came by her nest. I'd also see her running around with nesting material and she made a few other nests she never used, now although I have my theory's, one is that she was doing what turkey's and some types of reptiles do which is when they make false or fake nests to make a predator unsure of the true location of the nest. After a while I started to see that she was collecting only her eggs and was kicking out any other hens eggs from her selected nest and was acting rather interested in the eggs more than usual. She would rolling them a bit and would sit on them for around 15-20 minutes before wandering off and protecting this wierd almost border like area, she'd seemed to have made. Then during the next few days before she truly became full blown broody, she suddenly stopped eating and was being extra aggressive with the females, but not with the the roo of the flock. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with the other hens, and would chase them away from her nest if any of them even got in her line of sight. After about a week of this, she started sitting on about 6 eggs that she had been collecting and part time sitting on. Now the interesting thing is that the male was the only one allowed near her and I eventually learned he was keeping watch as if to keep an eye out for any hens wanting to raid the nest. And I even hear him making what I could only assume was a warning call as if to say "stay back or else". Sadly the roo did end up dieing after he was trying to fly around but broke his neck on a branch. However all was not lost because she was still brooding her 6 eggs.
What is test sitting:
Test sitting is when a hen of any kind is thinking about sitting on a clutch of eggs and before becoming fully broody. She might sit for 10-20 minutes before deciding to leave or maybe sitting for an hour or two and leaving only to come back and brood a little longer ect ect.
How long do they brood for:
Now although quail eggs in an incubator can hatch around day 15-17 due to the hen getting off the nest every now and then, and her not constantly keep the eggs warm they can take as long as day 19-20. However my hen that was brooding her 6 eggs didn't have a good lockdown, because without the male to help her the nest was messed with by other hens and although I did take out any unwanted eggs, when they started hatching the other females attacked the mom and her babies and any hatching eggs. They sadly killed almost all her clutch, but two eggs. They both never hatched as she shortly after decided to abandon the nest and the eggs. When hens are incubating I've now learned you need to separate any other non brooding quail to allow her full isolation to successfully brood and hatch. After around day 16 you can start to expect chirps from newly hatched chicks and a hopefully very proud mom.
