Q&A for How to Breed Quail

It can be done but this isn't an effective method to hatch quail chicks. You'll need to first collect enough eggs over a period of time (a week or 7 days) and then put them in the incubator to hatch. If you put the eggs in the incubator at random times they will hatch at different rates which is why it's better to jot down when they were laid and what date they entered the incubator at.

No, you cannot. They will fight unless there are many females with them, so do not put them together.

You cannot force a bird into broodiness but you can encourage it. Provide nesting materials, hiding spots, calcium, a roo, lightning and do not disturb him while he is trying to breed.

At 6-8 weeks is when your quails mature. By then a female quail should be able to become broody and breed if put with another mature male. The eggs should also be fertilised.

It depends on the breed and environment your quail is in. There is no way to tell how often a female quail goes broody due to the fact that they are in captivity and the broodiness has been 'bred' out of them. But, there are ways to increase a quails broodiness. First tip; the ratio which is 1 male quail to every 3-5 female quails. The second tip is to set up a breeding habitat which needs to be set-up in a way that the quails have plenty of space and have a natural habitat set-up. The third tip is to keep your quails healthy and try not to disturb them often. They also need to be old enough to breed and lay eggs. Keep clean straw/hay and nesting materials in their habitat at all times.

You cannot force a quail into broodiness. However, you can promote them into broodiness by providing nesting materials, plenty of space, males, hiding-spots, etc. Read over the article's first method to give you a hint.

You keep her on her normal feed. The mother quail is just the same as before she had her chicks. However, chicks need a higher protein content provided separately.

Feed them a small bowlful and fill it again once that runs out. After a few days, notice how much your quail eat and use it as a guide. Remove old feed and wash the bowl every week or so.

It is uncertain as to how long quails breed in their lives, but they're ready to breed at 6 to 8 weeks. From there, they can hatch out up to three eggs, and then start separating females from males, as over-breeding is said to cause stress. However, you can keep males with every two females or so and keep on letting them lay fertilised eggs, just as long as you collect the eggs to incubate. When they stop laying eggs, this is the time they stop breeding.

It's possible that the male was trying to hold her down for mating. However, it's best to keep them separated if they are pecking at each other.

It's not a good idea to try to mate these birds. They should not be kept in the same cage together.

Button quails (aka King quails) commonly lay eggs year-round and may or may not sit on them. If they haven't built a nest it means they're not planning to ever sit on them. The best thing to do is to chuck them. Next time the quails lay eggs they'll properly build a nest and become broody. Remember, females are brown all over.

Putting multiple males in the same habitat is unsafe for the birds. The males will fight to show dominance and impress the females.

Your quail will have to be at least 6 weeks old to be ready to sex.

Domestic birds eating their own eggs is a common but frustrating issue. You can read wikiHow's article on how to stop chickens from eating their own eggs as it involves tricks for getting a quail to stop eating their eggs.

Sparse laying cycles are completely normal and nothing to stress over! Some hens only lay 1-2 eggs a week, if any at all! She's either getting used to her laying cycle since she just starting laying eggs, or this is her normal cycle. If you would like more eggs, then try adding another hen to the flock or increasing the calcium content through crushed egg/oyster shells.

This is normal, but he should stop very quickly. If he doesn't, apply a temporary wall to separate them until both are calmed.

Leave the eggs in there, as they may just be late. There's nothing to do but be patient.

Males are very territorial and do not like being housed together due to dominance over hens in the flock. A normal flock consists of only one male. The best thing you can do is to separate the males of the flock. If this isn't an option, you can try introducing them to a larger area and/or adding more hens to the flock. Typically, fights break out over dominance and territory. So the more space and females, the more likely they are going to get along. Also, don't forget to add huts or hiding spots for the less dominant male to retreat to during a violent encounter.

Mating doesn't have a toll on whether your hen lays eggs or not. Some quail simply don't lay eggs very well. Give her time and make sure she is getting enough calcium and lives in a stress-free environment. You can also check out the wikiHow article on how to get quail to lay eggs.

There is most likely a pecking order involved, which is normal behavior. Don't worry about it.

You can remove them soon as possible. If you're not intending to incubate the eggs, you won't need a male around - she will still continue to lay eggs with or without one.

An hour after birth, place food in their brooder. Dip their beaks in the food so that they know where it is. The same goes for water.

No. This is called inbreeding and should never be done. The result of inbreeding will be that your quail chicks may end up having many problems, especially weak immune systems. If you want to breed your quails, you need to find a non-related pair.

Yes. Grind the chick starter up so that the baby quails are capable of eating it properly.

Coturnix quail or button quail. These two or the highest in demand. Coturnix quail are egg/meat breeds, while button quail are aviary birds.

If your quails are related (mother and son, brother and sister) your chicks are likely to have poor genetics and possible birth defects because of this.

Your male is evidently trying to show his dominance to the females. Unfortunately, he can take this too far on two females. You can try adding more hens to the flock to lessen the stress from the other two, or keep him separate. Changing behavioral patterns is close to impossible with dominant quails.

It depends on the type of quail, but the average amount is 12 eggs.

Swap the male over with another one and see how they do. It might just be the hen, as unless she's laying eggs and sitting on them, there isn't really a way to tell if she's broody. Another thing is collecting her eggs and incubating them.