Being part of the circle of life is an honor and a blessing. Because it’s likely I won’t be able to have children of my own due to medical conditions, hatching quail is my way of bringing life into the world.
My adult birds are approaching eight months old, which is a bit long in the tooth for Coturnix. So I popped some eggs into my amazing Borotto Lumia incubator and kept an eye on them for the next 18 days.
What a joy it was to see the first beaks break through on Easter Sunday! And with a hatch rate of 93%, there were only three “dud” eggs.
24 hours after the last little nugget hatched, I moved them to the brooder where they can be kept warm until their feathers all arrive. At this age, they peep and poop – and that’s about it! I try to help them get used to my hand coming into the coop by feeding them out of my hand and picking up and stroking each one. This usually reduces their anxiety around humans when they become adults.
Finally, at three weeks, it’s time to move outside! At first, they were shy and stayed huddled in a corner together, but they eventually began to explore the coop and integrate with the adult birds. In the past, I’ve certainly noticed a “pecking order” when it comes to food, so I set up three feeding stations to lessen any fighting over nourishment.
The size difference between the adult and “toddler” quail is apparent – for now! But it won’t be long before the youngins have grown up and started laying eggs of their own.
Quail and Cotton 