I use the end of day 15 or beginning of day 16. It's not going to hurt the eggs if you are off a bit. My coturnix are jumbos and they tend to take a little longer to hatch, typically 17 into day 18 for stragglers.
When I got my first "jumbos" they where 6-9 ounces. I've bred them up in size and the jumbos I have now are 10-14+ ounces. There are some that get to 16+ ounces, usually hens. The eggs are bigger too, 12-17 grams, when I started they where only 9-12 grams. So if you want a bigger carcass for...
Cots have been domesticated for a very long time so are "tame" and tend not to be flighty. Much more pleasant to be around than other species of quail, especially if they will be housed in close proximity to people.
Please post pics of the button quail condos! They sound interesting.
Just get another bulb in there stat and keep incubating! A hen may need to get off the eggs for a while but will still go back and incubate. The eggs may be just fine. You won't know for sure until hatching day but don't give up on them!
So sorry this happened to you. When you decide to set more eggs make sure to time it so they are hatching on the weekend or when ever you are not at work so you can be home to monitor the incubator.
Robby responds best to phone calls. I believe he is pretty backed up with orders so you might have to wait a few months. But do get on his waiting list if you are wanting some!
I used to try to help the ones that were "stuck" or just couldn't get out by themselves but now I don't. There is a reason they cannot get out and they usually just suffer if you "help". Better to let nature take it's course.
Nine is a good size clutch to hatch! It's wonderful that she is also good at raising them. You should consider a video or two of her interacting with her chicks as I don't think there is such a record as domestic coturnix with their own chicks. The vocalizations and behaviors would be...
So sorry for everyone that lost birds to predators.
Tips for keeping birds safe
Use hardware cloth instead of chicken wire, its much stronger
Use wire with openings no larger than 1X1/2" to keep predators from pulling birds through the wire or birds from putting their heads through.
Where...
I have one cage where the girls all lay in their sand box. It makes collecting eggs easier since they are all in one place. It's OK as long as they don't break eggs when they try to dust bathe. If they do then restrict their sand box usage and only give it to them before they lay eggs in the...