What Do I Do if a Quail Laid an Egg on My Patio?
Several different species of quail are found in North America. These include the widespread bobwhite as well as the Gambel's quail and the California quail. Quails are small, gray ground-nesting birds closely related to pheasants. Because their range often borders residential areas, quails occasionally enter gardens. Some households also keep them as pets or for their eggs. There is a small chance a quail will lay an egg on your patio, and if one does, you have several options. Does this Spark an idea?
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Egg on Bare Ground
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Quails normally lay their eggs in shallow ground nests, where the parents incubate them. An egg rolling around a patio is probably abandoned and the parents won't, and possibly can't, incubate it to hatching. You could carefully remove the egg and put in into an incubator, bearing in mind you will need to care for the quail chick when it hatches. Alternatively, cook and eat the egg. Quail eggs are a delicacy, and although you won't get a big meal out of one egg, it would make a tasty little snack. Obviously, both strategies apply only to fresh eggs. An unincubated egg that has been rolling around for days won't hatch and certainly is not edible. Put it on your compost heap instead.
Egg in a Planter
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If the parents have made a depression in a planter and are looking after the eggs, it is best to leave them to it. Be careful not to disturb the quails. Take photographs for a fun photo journal, since quails nesting on your patio is not an everyday occurrence. Watch for the eggs hatching, and be prepared to lift the chicks down from the planter if there is a very high rim. Sometimes chicks can't get out themselves. If the chicks are running around the planter but apparently can't get out despite trying and the parents are panicking, consider helping. A soft aquarium net and a cardboard box would come in handy.
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Nuisance Quails
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If you don't like quails in your garden, perhaps because they are pecking at plants, then determine whether they are wild or domestic. If domestic, contact their owners, who probably live nearby, and ask them to remove the quails and the eggs. If they are wild, consider letting the eggs hatch and protecting vulnerable seedlings with fine wire mesh.
Escaped Pet Quail
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What you do next depends on whether the quail had begun nesting before escaping. If she had, put the egg into her nest. However, if she laid eggs in random places outside, she probably hasn't started a nest in her accommodation. In this situation, put the egg in with the eggs of another female, dispose of it or incubate it. A quail may not start incubating an egg outside the place she remembers laying it.
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References
- Photo Credit Feathered nest with quail eggs image by NatUlrich from Fotolia.com
