Quail Eggs Under Bantam

[Ecotone 2]

Just wondering did any of you ever successfully hatch quail eggs under a bantam? Cheers

[morton 5,367]

Quail eggs are a tad to delicate to put under a bantam,no doubt some of the eggs may hatch,again i believe quail chicks would be to delicate for the average broody fowl.Id attempt to parent rear,you will lose a clutch or 3 before the parents learn their trade.

[comanche 2,799]

I hatched some quail eggs under a broody Malay. She was an amazingly tight sitter. It went wrong when they hatched and she started killing them. She may have though they were bumble bees!

Quail eggs are actually pretty tough.

[Ecotone 2]

Cheers. It would be bobwhites I'd be hatching. I'll probably stick to the incubator so

[comanche 2,799]

Cheers. It would be bobwhites I'd be hatching. I'll probably stick to the incubator so

If you do have a small broody available it could be worth setting a few spare eggs under her for a week then finishing them in the incubator. When I was a keeper we found that old eggs or ones of unknown age that would be considered past their best for an incubator would hatch when started under a hen.

Then give her another clutch to finish herself.

[Ecotone 2]

Interesting Comanche. The reason I wanted to hatch under a bantam was to try get the mothering/broody instinct into birds so that hopefully after a few generations they might sit themselves. I have had bobwhites sit themselves but not realisably enough to bring eggs to hatch.

[Rabid 1,936]

I have hatched a fair few quail under my Orpington bantams, and have just had two clutches hatch under Perkins, so it can be done