Quail hatch. Follow along.

[Mallards and Quail]

Today is day 6 in the brooder for the first batch, day 20 in the incubator for the second batch and day 13 in the incubator for the third batch. Everything is going great. There is not much to update on besides the cuteness of the quail.

 

[Mallards and Quail]

Today is day 7 in the brooder for the first batch, day 21 in the incubator for the second batch, and day 14 in the incubator for the third batch. Everything is going good. Humidty and temp are perfect. Can't wait for these ones to hatch. The quail in the brooder are doing good. The guy with the eye problem is better, we put some visene on his eye and it cleared up the next morning.

 

[kabuky]

HI - hope all is well! I increase the humidity to 65% when I lock down. A few seconds of air is fine - remember the hen has to get off the eggs to eat! And I don't turn the eggs after locking down - the chicks need to be able to orientate themselves.

 

[kabuky]

they are using the heating plate it is at 95.5 right now should I put it up so it isn't as hot?

One of the things I do is tilt the heater plate slightly. That way, the ones who are cold can still get to the direct heat but others can just keep warm if they chose. I just raise two of the legs on one side up a a half inch or so.

You are obviously doing everything right! I have never had a 100% rate with shipped eggs!

 

[kabuky]

Hey everyone! I noticed that one of my chics was squinting one eye and leaving the other open. Any ideas on what is going on? He is the only one. ill try to take a picture.

I've had a baby get shavings into its eye. I just used regular eye drops to get it out and it was fine.
I also use water VERY similar to yours but use one specifically made for quail. The one you have is for chicken chicks - not a big deal as you have taken care of it with the shells. The quail version is narrower (where they drink) so they can't crawl into it.

 

[kabuky]

Here is pictures of each individual bird. ( there is only 11 pictures because the 12th baby wouldn't stay still for the camera lol)

Perfection!! for the name of the group. Or Newbies. Have fun with them!

One friend (who bought some eggs from me via ebay) had one chick quail grow into quite the pet. He lived for 5 years along with the cats/dogs etc that he still has. "Woodstock" would eat out of their hand, follow them about the house, line up with the rest of the animals for treats, cuddle with them - an amazing pet!!

 

[Mallards and Quail]

@kabuky thank you for all of the tips. Yes I used visene and it helped his eye. I also tilt my heater plate like you mentioned. I would increase the humidity higher but 55 percent is about the highest I can go since I am working with split hatches. Also, I never mentioned it but, there is 9 eggs left in batch 2 and 12 eggs left in batch 3. Thank you for the name suggestions as well!!

 

[Mallards and Quail]

Hi all! Today is day 8 in the brooder for the first batch. Day 22 in the incubator for the second, and day 15 for the third batch. Everything is going great. No pips yet but I don't expect to see any till day 23 (tmr). Thank you all for following along.

 

[Mallards and Quail]

Hi all! So 2 eggs just pipped. The problem is they are on the ponity side of the egg. I know this happens sometimes but I've never had it happen to me. What do I do? @Nabiki @007Sean

 

[Nabiki]

Hi all! So 2 eggs just pipped. The problem is they are on the ponity side of the egg. I know this happens sometimes but I've never had it happen to me. What do I do? @Nabiki @007Sean

Odds are good that they will need assistance. Unfortunately, most chicks that need assistance have other problems and will either not make it or need to be culled. About 25% of the ones that I assist have been good, healthy chicks.

Watch them closely. If they don't make any progress in the next 12 hours or so, you can then choose to assist or not. If you choose to assist, gently start removing the shell around the pip and look for veins in the membrane. If you don't see any, you can start tearing the membrane, but stop if you see any blood and put it back in the incubator.

Again, if you choose to assist, you may have to cull the chick anyways. There are plenty of people here who won't assist for that reason.