Had to cull forthe first time today:(

[amandacv86]

Got these free button quail eggs from the guy I bought my male from. He offered me eggs at that time so I called him when I decided to hatch. He just took me out to his aviary and told me to leave half a dozen or so. I got them on Monday the 21st. Set them that Wednesday. They started hatching the next Tuesday. 10 have hatched since then and only 5 are alive. The first three suffered because I was too much of a wuss to cull them. I couldn't let the last two suffer like the other three. I decided to do the CO2 chamber method with baking soda and vinegar and they were gone within a few seconds.

I'm super worried about the last 87(or so) chicks that haven't hatched yet.I don't want them to have the same fate.I have the incubator lined with shelf liner and at100 degrees. It's a Styrofoam incubator so it does fluctuate a little. I leave them in to dry then put them in the brooder also set at 100 deg in the hottest area, also lined with shelf liner. I think it's because they sat at room temp for about 36 hours before I incubated them while they were developing. Also, the fact that I'm turning them til tomorrow probably isn't helping. I know most of the eggs are on time so I can't just stop turning.

Any advice? TY

 

[ChickMan22]

Acadiana aviaries?

 

[flg8r]

What is your humidity at and why did you have to cull the first ones? I don't have a lot of experience but turning shouldn't be a huge problem. The temperature change might be but I would think the embryos would have just died.

 

[amandacv86]

I didn't worry about the humidity too much at first too much because they weren't supposed to be hatching. Trying to keep it around 60-80% now since they started. Yeah he has a heat lamp and I wonder if they started incubating under it. I had to help 3 out of their shell, one is still alive and I have no clue which one it is, lol. The other two would have made it if they didn't have foot problems.

Sorry I guess in my frustration I forgot to tell what's wrong with the chicks. They're hatching with splay leg and curled toes/legs so they can't stand upright, so I taped their toes and made stands for them with food and water where they can reach. It doesn't help a all and they just slowly deteriorate. I don't think any of them ate or drank either.

ChickMan22- Who is Acadiana aviaries?

 

[GrandmaBird]

the button chicks need food and water within an hour or so of hatching, not like chickens or most other birds they do not have a reserve of yolk. be sure you get them into a dry warm brooder as soon as they dry off and place the food around the floor of the brooder for a few days to be sure they are all finding it in the dish as well. lace small rocks or other items in the water dish so the chicks do not fall in and get a chill, it will kill them faster then you think.
good luck they are very addicting!

 

[amandacv86]

The two that were left the longest, from night til morning, are healthy. It's a large old ice chest so I have 2 waters(with rocks) and 3 lids with food. Chick starter is sprinkled on the shelf liner and I also have the auto feeder I'll be using when they get a little older.

Three more have hatched since then and they're healthy.

I'm sad this button quail project lost me a friend. If it wasn't this it would have been something else, though. She was loaning me her incubator in exchange for half of the button chicks. They started hatching early. She said we should split them as they hatch and I said I'd rather wait til they all hatch. So basically I'm a horrible person and I wanted control and she threatened to bring the police to my house if I don't agree to give her half of the chicks now or give her her incubator and half of the remaining eggs.

I ended up buying an incubator with money I didn't really have(was going to use the money from the buttons to buy one), and putting hers on her porch. This is the fourth time she's twisted my intentions in her head and no matter how much I try to reason with her and correct it she doesn't listen.

Sorry for my mini rant!

 

[amandacv86]

5 more hatched today! Woohoo! I've been checking on them all day and as soon as I leave for an hour and a half they hatch. Go figure! lol

I'm sitting on my hands over here!

 

[flg8r]

I'm glad you're getting some that are healthy. Sorry about the friend, sometimes it's better just to walk away. Anyone who would want to move such tiny fragile chicks and/or eggs is being selfish.

 

[amandacv86]

Thanks! I felt like the whole thing just snowballed for no reason and I totally lost control of the situation. It was like she was trying to pick a fight, I was trying to defend myself and she was making be out to be the bad guy. She got hostile with me before I even got a chance to reply (I was going to bed and had my hands wrapped in Crisco and old socks because my hands were really dry) when it all started. I'm glad it's all over because she's done this 3 times before so I was waiting for it. I kept a level head the whole time except for the time I told her she was crazy

. I had my husband and another good friend read the beginning and they both agree.

I just wanted her to wait til Wednesday like we planned. I was a bit overwhelmed with the sick chicks and I'm hand feeding 6 Cockatiels. When it comes between my house being clean and taken care of or my animals, I choose the animals. She couldn't just wait until the originally planned date even though she's never allowed me inside her house.

I'm up to 29 buttons(lost 6 so would have been 35) out of 97 eggs and 20 coturnix out of 65. I'm going to leave the incubator on for a few more days. A whole batch of eggs I bought still haven't hatched. They were in my homemade incubator for the first few days and I was having trouble regulating it so I hope they're just late.