Expert: ProudParronting (Jenn) - 4/3/2008

Question
I have pair of Quakers that laid 2 Eggs. They do not want to sit on the Eggs. I Wanted to keep the babies. Can I let my Lovebirds (Who is sitting on Eggs right now) to sit on the Quaker's Eggs. ? What will happen next?

Answer
Hi John,

There's possibly a reason your Quakers won't/don't want to sit on the eggs other than inexperience?  Are the eggs even fertile?  If the eggs have not been brooded at all for 48 hours or so, theres a good chance that if fertile, the chicks will not survive.  They need to be kept at a certain temperature within a day or so of laying.  You should be able to candle the eggs around 7 - 10 days after laying to see if their fertile.

In any case, I would not recommend putting them in with your lovebirds.  It's highly likely that the lovebird hen would NOT accept these eggs and even if she did, it may put her own eggs at risk if she cannot brood them all together.  Plus, when/if the eggs hatched, she may reject the quaker chicks immediately, or even her own or both.  If she doesn't reject anyone and seems to accept them all, that's a LOT of work for her.  Quaker chicks are bigger and demand more food than her own chicks and it may just be too much for her.  

Having said all that, it all could work out ok - there are just many risks involved, "what if's".  It's a hit or miss situation.  It's certainly your decision to try it, but personally, I would not take the risk.  If your quaker pair are just inexperienced, they'll likely lay again and eventually instincts will kick in and they'll do what they need to do.  This is especially true if they are young.

Another alternative would be to buy a incubator you could incubate the eggs in, as well as a brooder for the chicks when they hatch.  Of course this will mean handfeeding the babies yourself which is an incredible amount of work.  If you decide to go this route and have never done it before, be sure you do ALL your homework for every step from incubation to weaning chicks - as there is so much to know and so many issues that can pop up.

I hope this helps and wish you the best.