# quail



## guineapig (Jan 9, 2011)

hi all i recently got some quail and one off them has layed some eggs im a bit worried it may be a bit nippy in their for the babies so should i add in some heat for them or would it be ok for them without heat


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## adamntitch (Jun 17, 2007)

are you leaving the eggs in with them or taken them out to put in an incubator 

if your leaving them in and there jap quails they wont sit and hatch there own eggs the only way to hatch them is in an incubator most of the time


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## SilverSky (Oct 2, 2010)

unless you've seen them sitting on them and they are all laid in one place they wont hatch in there, my jap quails lay them all over the place and we have to take them out and put them in an incubator if we want to hatch any


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## guineapig (Jan 9, 2011)

well she laid them all over so i put them all in one place just to see what happened and she is now sitting on them so hopefully its all good i hope


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## adamntitch (Jun 17, 2007)

be very very very surprised if she sits on them long enough for them to hatch


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## Denise aka Martini (May 27, 2009)

Quick question about japanese quail, is a rabbit run ok for them to run around in or do they need the height of an aviary? Sorry to original poster for stealing your thread :blush:


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

I saw them being kept in a 2' high run the other week, the guy had stretched nylon pond netting a few inches below the solid roof, so when they "boing" they hit the netting and bounce harmlessly off it, rather than hitting the roof and braining themselves!


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## Denise aka Martini (May 27, 2009)

Graham said:


> I saw them being kept in a 2' high run the other week, the guy had stretched nylon pond netting a few inches below the solid roof, so when they "boing" they hit the netting and bounce harmlessly off it, rather than hitting the roof and braining themselves!


Hi thanks for that, i was thinking of getting some sorta netting for that same reason, do they need access to a lawned area or would they be fine on a hard standing area?


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

I'm not sure as I don't keep them yet, but I've seen them on both.


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## Pimperella (Sep 26, 2006)

Think most of us with Japanese Quails will be surprised if she sits for the full 18 days. They just don't tend to bother at all. 

Every Breeder of quail incubate the eggs instead. Then brooder the chicks.
They do tend to scatter them all over. If she is not sitting on the eggs apart from tiny breaks to feed and drink once or twice a day, then the eggs will not incubate. 
We are rearing our current batch to be layers (fingers crossed for more females than males then lol) and extra males are for Hubby's Birthday tea in May.


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## guineapig (Jan 9, 2011)

do quails natuarlly not incubate their eggs in the wild or is it just me when people say they have a better chance being hatched in the incubator


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## Pimperella (Sep 26, 2006)

guineapig said:


> do quails natuarlly not incubate their eggs in the wild or is it just me when people say they have a better chance being hatched in the incubator


The quail we keep as pets/layers are different from wild in that they have been bred to be productive layers. Broody birds lay less, so they bred from non broody layers and so on. Thus producing our main kept quails. Hence why they tend not to be broody or hatch and care for their own. It's just been bred out of them.


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## CaptainHowdy (Mar 16, 2011)

*Parent reared*

I have two pairs of Jap Quail, one pair I recently picked up from a friend, the other pair I have I hatched out in an incubator myself. 
The hen built a nest, laid her eggs in them and sat them. This morning I had a shock. 10 Chicks have hatched out not sure yet if she will actually rear them or if they will all survive.

Never known it in Japanese Quail before, out of all the Quail we have kept in the past only CPQ have ever parent reared. However here is proof it is possible:


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## Carnuss (Feb 27, 2011)

Don't you just wanna hug them! :flrt:


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## Pimperella (Sep 26, 2006)

Very sweet. Lovely to see one who has actually reared there own. Very cute tho aren't they at that age. And certainly so much easier to have them reared by mum ratehr than in a brooder. 
Is she on her own with just her male or is she housed along with the other pair? It might have made a difference with her not being harrassed by others if she is housed as the pair.

Yup, it is sooo very rare with Japanese. But not impossible.


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## CaptainHowdy (Mar 16, 2011)

Pimperella said:


> Very sweet. Lovely to see one who has actually reared there own. Very cute tho aren't they at that age. And certainly so much easier to have them reared by mum ratehr than in a brooder.
> Is she on her own with just her male or is she housed along with the other pair? It might have made a difference with her not being harrassed by others if she is housed as the pair.
> 
> Yup, it is sooo very rare with Japanese. But not impossible.


She was kept with the male but started attacking him when she started to sit, he was removed yesterday when the chicks hatched as she went mad at him so felt it best for both of them. The other pair were shut inside the rabbit hutch in the aviary while she was sitting as they have not been introduced yet, however this morning when she came off the nest she tried to get into them and was puffing up threatening them so they have also been removed to a cage where she can not see them. It is just her and the 9 chicks (lost one this morning) left in the aviary, there are however other birds with them, budgies zebs etc but these rarely ever go down to the floor.


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