CPQ on nest in aviary, please help!!

C

culintg

New member
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4
Hi,

I was away on holiday for a week and did not tell the people looking after my birds to check if the quail had laid eggs as it has never been a problem - however, I now have a cpq on a nest with about 10 eggs!

What do I do - should I move her and put her in a separate cage/ cardboard box with soft mesh at the top? Or leave her and trust she will sort out the others if they try to hurt her babies?

She is in an aviary with 6 other quail and 7 canaries and is in the aviary bit, not the flight bit. She was okay when I have moved them twice to clean - she just gets back on them once I have done.....

thank you in advance for any help!

Fran :)

PS: I tried candling them and cannot see anything at all- I think this means that they are fertile as I cannot see through them?? If they are fertile she may have been on them for up to 14 days - she has been on them the week I have been back, I didn't ask for help before as they have sometimes sat on them for a few days, but never this long!!!
 
Marigold

Marigold

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Hi Fran, and welcome to the Forum. It's good to have another quail keeper on here.
What exciting news, about your broody quail. If you think she may have been sitting for up to two weeks, you won't have long to wait before they hatch - quail take 16-18 days usually. As all seems well at present, if she has plenty of room in the aviary it might be best just to leave her and see how she gets on. Maybe you could devise a way of fencing in an area round the nest, using mesh or similar, so if and when they hatch she can see the other birds but they couldn't get at her babies? The fence doesn't have to be very high, quail don't usually fly except if startled, but remember, CPQ Chicks are minute and can get through all but very small mesh, 1/2''' would be OK.
It's not usual to bother with candling quail eggs, especially CPQ, as the patterns are so strong and the eggs so tiny that there is no benefit in disturbing the nest, since the evidence is inconclusive. Best leave alone and see what happens.

Do let us know what happens - some pictures would be great.
 
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