Bobs have popped but are not hatching

[Jdunba]

Well, at about 130 this morning my chicks hatched. Very cool! All look good. Now I need to get them to adulthood!

 

[TwoCrows]

Well, at about 130 this morning my chicks hatched. Very cool! All look good. Now I need to get them to adulthood!

Yay!!!!

Congrats on the new chicks! Let us know if you need help with anything!

 

[Jdunba]

Thanks. They are in the brooder. All moving around and they started to feed. I do have a couple of questions. First., one has two curled feet, another has one. The third is normal. What did I do wrong in incubating? Or is a vitamin issue and what do I give? Will it correct? Also, can I give them things like tomatoe or other veggies that they can peck at? I did put in some bark and sprinkled feed in that. They forage there and in the feeder. I showed them the water but I don't think they have used it yet. Sorry for the data dump. Once I get these three to semi adulthood I want to try more eggs. Just want to get it right...thanks for the help!

 

[TwoCrows]

Oh don't worry about all the questions! We were all new at one point and asked all the same questions.

First, dip everybody's beak in the water as soon as you read this. Being hydrated is very important to preventing pasty butt. And the number one cause of this is eating before they drink and being dehydrated. After you dip the beak, set the bird down right in front of the water so they know what just happened and can drink more if they need it.

Curled toes can be from too high of heat during incubation, your humidity might also have been too low during the cycle, if they lingered in the egg too long before hatching their toes can curl or this could be hereditary. So just watch your temp and humidity next time and make sure to start with good eggs from good breeders. There isn't much you can do for tiny quail. Sometimes they straighten out as they grow, sometimes not.

Let them grow up a bit before you offer things to eat yet. Not only do they need to eat their gamebird food, but they need to learn what IS food and what is not. If you offer up things right now, they will start to eat everything, even things that are not edible like poop, bedding, etc...Once they are a few weeks old, you can start to offer up chopped veggies, chopped fruits, alfalfa leaves and sprouts, etc...Don't feed any meal worms until they are 6 weeks of age. Bobs are notorious for going after their mates toes and meal worms look just like them! So you don't want to get this started so early in life. You can offer up hard boiled eggs, warmed and chopped right now. Egg is really good for poultry and has all the building blocks of life in them. Just a tiny bit each day. Hand feed them too. This will friendly them up and give them a nice treat. Don't leave any around in the brooder as it can spoil under the heat and go rancid.

Use a Red or Infra Red heat lamp with Bobs. They get too excited with white lighting and have been known to kill each other if they are cramped and aren't sleeping. Red allows for a natural sleeping pattern. Give them 1/2 square foot per chick right now in the brooder. This is VERY important. Bobs will kill each other, even at this tender young age if they feel at all cramped. 1 square foot by 3 weeks of age. And if at any time they start to get aggressive in the brooder, lower your heat by a few degrees to chill them out. Keep your heat off to one side, food and water on the other so they have to leave the heat to get to the goods. All this stuff is important to keep them civil. Bobs can be quite aggressive toward each other if they are not kept just right.

Lower your heat by 5 degrees for 5 to 6 weeks. You won't be able to sex them until about 12 weeks of age. They will not be ready to breed or lay until next spring.

Enjoy!

 

[Jdunba]

Thanks for all this advice! Bobs are complex work! I dipped the beaks after reading the first paragraph. Noted on all other thinks. The eggs are from "backyard birds' so genetics could be at play. Could also be my incubating. I tried to ensure I followed all directions but things could have been off. Next time! Thanks again!