surrogate mom?

Toad

Toad

Active member
Please try not to judge me for the randomness/stupidity of this question...:D

Can a chicken hatch pheasant or quail eggs? We have a hen that is broody and she isn't taking NO for an answer, even though we have no rooster... As soon as one of the gals lays an egg, she sits on it and squawks and pecks the hell out of me when I take it away. Then she sits on an empty nest until one of them lays an egg again, and then she moves over and sits on that nest.

I was thinking about getting some fertilized pheasant or quail eggs and seeing if she could hatch them. I think it would be fun for my daughters to see. Also, I'm sure it would give 'Rosie' a feeling of satisfaction and inner peace to hatch a clutch of eggs.:rolleyes:

Is it possible for a chicken to hatch them? Has anybody ever done this or heard of this working? I don't really need any more chickens, or I would just get some fertilized chicken eggs.
 
I've been told by a farmer friend that he'd pick up pheasant eggs after cutting hay (hen's were killed) and put them under his hen chickens. He never had any luck.:confused:

Please give it a try and keep us posted. Obviously FC has heard of it working:thumbsup:

Good luck.

P.S.-- you can go to ebay and purchase a few fertile eggs from a variety of pheasant breeds. :)
 
Back in the 50's I belonged to FFA and we would get eggs from the Wi DNR. At the time we had some half wild Banty chickens that I would set the eggs under. I would get as many as 100 eggs and had real good luck. Anyone who has had bantys knows you do not mess with a hen that has chicks and is half wild and has the run of the farm.
 
Yes chickens and pheasants incubate a 99 degrees. I've done it and it works fine, better then an incubator.
However, The newly hatched pheasants WILL NOT BOND with the chicken mother and will simply wonder off and die from exposure. You will need to put the newly hatched pheasant chicks under a light.

Pheas4 the reason the farmer had no luck is, Those pheasant eggs from a nest he found in his hayfield then put under the setting hen had been incubated, Once a egg has been incubated [at 99 degrees] chilling the egg will kill it.
To long a period of time from the hen pheasant to the chicken.
 
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