Could someone tell me how long quail sit on eggs for please?

 

We got 2 quail for the bottom of our avaiy, were told they were both male (never having had quail before don't know how to tell male and female just thought they were different breeds). The brown one has laid 7 eggs and is sitting on them for the last 2 days.

14 days by memory. Brown in females, bluish colour is male

You can get brown males as well so going by the blue tinge to the brown doesn't help if you have silvers or cinnamons... Cocks have a white "beard" like appaearance on their face... i'll run out to the aviary and get a picture of mine for you...

For memory quail eggs take around 14-16 days... and she will generally only start incubating them all once the last is laid... so they should all hatch around the same time.

Remember to remove the male! as he WILL attack hen and chicks! And make sure the bottom wire of your aviary is chick proof, you'd be amazed at the tiny holes they slip through!

Some breeds of Quail are the same visually , So herew you have to listen to them the male will streach his head up in the air and let out a loud call that only he will do , just like a rooster crows and a chicken doesnt.

Oh yes i forgot to ask.. What breed of quails are they? I was presuming normal kings, like alot of people have in their avaries?

Oh yes i forgot to ask.. What breed of quails are they? I was presuming normal kings, like alot of people have in their avaries?

 

 

The man at the shop said they were king quail but also said they were both male so???

The one sitting on the eggs is brown and the other one is a bluey/grey with white and black around it's face.

I will try and get some photos but they run to fast and I'm not very quick at the minute...(Laughing out loud)

 

The other thing is when I checked the avairy this morning I couldn't find our lacewing cock bird so went searching and found him sitting on the quail eggs while he quail was out for a run?? Is this strange?

Edited March 5, 200817 yr by Denise

It's very strange for a budgie to sit on a quails eggs... The male and female quail take turns of doing their nests so it's not unusual to see the male quial on it... but a budgie now, that is odd! (Laughing out loud)Male on the left, female on the right :)Hope that helps

You have a strange budgie!! :(Laughing out loud):

Generally just my female that sits but the male takes over on hatching- feeds them, looks after them and teaching them to pick food.

It's very strange for a budgie to sit on a quails eggs... The male and female quail take turns of doing their nests so it's not unusual to see the male quial on it... but a budgie now, that is odd! (Laughing out loud)Male on the left, female on the right :)Hope that helps

 

 

Yes this is exactly like them. Sad news is that the lacewing cock that was sitting on the quail eggs this morning I have found dead on the aviary floor this afternoon with his head pecked in?? Not sure if it was the male quail or another budgie?

Oh no... ... I don't know quail's... but if your budgie was sitting on their eggs... maybe they did it? I'm so sorry for your loss. (((((((hugs))))))) from me! xxx

I think why your Budgie was sitting on the eggs was because it was already ill, as often sick Budgies will go to the floor & usually they don’t last that long after that. The quails could have attacked it, but I notice that if a Budgie dies it’s often attacked by other Budgies, so its best removed as soon as possible. Has you quail just sat on the eggs & are they fairly fresh eggs, as often King quails will lay massive amounts of eggs & maybe later sit, but usually in this case the eggs fail to hatch because of being old. If your birds have been sitting for more than the normal time, this may be the case.

I think why your Budgie was sitting on the eggs was because it was already ill, as often sick Budgies will go to the floor & usually they don't last that long after that. The quails could have attacked it, but I notice that if a Budgie dies it's often attacked by other Budgies, so its best removed as soon as possible. Has you quail just sat on the eggs & are they fairly fresh eggs, as often King quails will lay massive amounts of eggs & maybe later sit, but usually in this case the eggs fail to hatch because of being old. If your birds have been sitting for more than the normal time, this may be the case.

 

 

She's only laid the 7 eggs in the last 10 days and been sitting on them for 2 days, but doesn't seem to be sitting on them constantly?

Your budgies head was most probably pecked in by the quails... if i have a bird who dies, i have to remove it quickly as the quails will go for it... i don't find other budgies to do so....

 

One of my females is in the aviary on eggs atm... They will leave them several times a day to go feed, the partner may take over, but that is not always the case.... She'll sit tight at night, but wlak around alot during the day

We had a really cold night here last night and when I went to check the birds this morning 3 of the baby chicks were scattered around the floor of the avairy. 2 were dead and the third was really cold but still breathing so I bought it inside and put it under a lamp to warm it up and it seems to be doing okay now.

 

Would the cold have killed them, they had no marks or any other signs of an attack?

Yes, baby quails are very suseptable to the cold. it basically totally shuts down their whole body i'm sorry for your loss, and hopr the little one pulls through. When we have a chilled quail we have to provide him with alot of care before he gets back on his feet. He may also have some brain damage from the lack of oxygen they get whilst "half dead"

Yes, baby quails are very suseptable to the cold. it basically totally shuts down their whole body i'm sorry for your loss, and hopr the little one pulls through. When we have a chilled quail we have to provide him with alot of care before he gets back on his feet. He may also have some brain damage from the lack of oxygen they get whilst "half dead"

 

 

I have just checked the little one I bought inside and it has died too I think I may go out and bring the others into the breeding room as it's supposed to be cold for the next few days.

Bring the mother and the babies inside into a seperate cage... she'll keep them warm or else you'll be needing a brooder/incubator to do it