King Quail clutch size

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JacPro
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Hi all 👋🏻

We have some king quail and they have just hatched their first clutch. The hen laid 14 eggs however only 4 actually hatched. How long should I leave the other eggs there and also is this ratio of laid/hatching normal?
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Alf63
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It has been a while since I have had King Quail but once chicks hatch and they start moving around the hen doesn't continue incubating.

A number of eggs would have effected the hatching. The first eggs laid may have been becoming stale/old by the time she started sitting and with that many eggs the hen probably could not cover them all completely.
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finchbreeder
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I have King Quail - they do all sorts of weird things. They may lay over a long period of time then gather the eggs, or they may lay over a short period of time and gather the eggs. This will effect the % that hatch. They may lay a large number or a small number of eggs. The smaller quantities have higher % hatches. Hatching % also seem to be effected by the weather. I find anything that does not hatch in the 1st 24 hrs is not going to. Give them regular greens now the chicks have hatched, if you were not already doing so. Make sure you put a small water bowl the chicks can reach, so they do not drown in the regular bowl, as this is a common problem with quail chicks. Enjoy.
LML
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JacPro
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Thank you!

She laid one egg out in the open and then the other 13 together in a small nest. I did expect her to lay all over and then gather them together.

We also oddly have 2 males and a female in the aviary - this is not what we thought we had. They all get along and all look after the babies so I am not even sure who the dad is!

They are beautiful babies. So cute
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finchbreeder
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2 Males and 1 Female and no murder is unusual. I have been keeping a trio of sister wives with a male for several years now, and all babysit. But find if I do not remove the chicks once the gender is obvious they start attacking them regardless of the gender. The latest batch of chicks are just starting to be harrased - so time to move out.
Some are tidyer layers than others. My Silvers funnily enough spread their eggs less than the Cinnimons - sure to be coincidence.
LML
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Brisbane_Finches_333
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JacPro wrote: 27 Sep 2022, 21:21 Thank you!

She laid one egg out in the open and then the other 13 together in a small nest. I did expect her to lay all over and then gather them together.

We also oddly have 2 males and a female in the aviary - this is not what we thought we had. They all get along and all look after the babies so I am not even sure who the dad is!

They are beautiful babies. So cute
I've had King Quails for the best part of 3 years, they'll lay eggs all over the aviary year-round, but will lay them in a proper nest when they're serious about breeding. Mine will also lay around 15 eggs in a nest but only hatch 4 or 5.

Thanks,
Aidan
Aidan [] Junior Moderator [] Breeder of Native and Foreign Finches
Queensland Finch Society Member
2019 ABK Magazine Young Birdkeeper Winner
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finchbreeder
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One of my girls just hatched 5 out of 7 eggs 4 days ago. Sad part - the other 2 eggs had chips in them - I helped them out - but they did not make it.
LML
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