➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[Matieus27]

My little bug unexpectedly passed away tonight. I found her this morning, lying dead in her hay . I think she passed away due to her poor genetics. I know that I did everything I could to help her grow. She was thriving and happy. She had a short but good life and lots of friends. Rest in peace little bug.

I’m sorry.

 

[Fenrisulfr]

My little bug unexpectedly passed away tonight. I found her this morning, lying dead in her hay . I think she passed away due to her poor genetics. I know that I did everything I could to help her grow. She was thriving and happy. She had a short but good life and lots of friends. Rest in peace little bug.

Oh no ... I am so sorry. I didn't thought, that this happens now, so late. I thought she made it through

Feel hugged

 

[Matieus27]

Well these have moved to the brooder one left in the incubator because it hatched this morning and there are still some pipped and trying to start zipping

 

[CindyinSD]

I haven't felt the chick yet, I haven't wanted to open the incubator because there are other eggs pipped and I've heard that you're supposed to leave it shut, if possible while eggs are hatching. I can definitely tell the two chicks apart, the first one is lighter colored and the second is really dark and a little bigger. The first one also still has part of it's umbilical cord still hanging on... I don't know if that's normal or if she just popped out of her egg so fast she wasn't quite ready. Like I said, it's my first time so I have no idea what's "normal".

You can take them out. Have a box ready and work methodically.

• Be careful reseating your incubator's lid. If there's a turning arm, it could break an egg if it hits one.
• Make sure the lid is on properly. Those plastic ones can trick you.

I open my incubator whenever I feel the need and I've never had a shrink-wrapped chick. (Though I'll be surprised if I never do have; it happens.) The books scare the heck out of you, I know, but those appear to be "cautionary tales"—"putting a fence around the law" sort of things to keep you from getting within a hundred miles of the danger.

I've seen pics here of people letting the an egg hatch in the palm of their hand. Don't get too cavalier unless you're willing to take the risk, but don't allow the fear-sellers to keep you from doing what's needed. Remember, chickens hatch eggs all the time. It's not as touchy as some would lead you to believe.

 

[Pyxis]

Hopefully she does not scalp the male, before he can mate with her.
And are you sure, that you want to breed these aggressive genes?

Normally I wouldn't breed her, but since she's my only homozygous Fee hen, I'm just gonna have to hope she doesn't pass it on.

She didn't go after the male. I put him in, he bred with her a couple times immediately, and then I took him out. I'll probably just out him in once a day like that.

 

[Pandaisy]

Oh no ... I am so sorry. I didn't thought, that this happens now, so late. I thought she made it through

Feel hugged

Yes I really didn't expect her to die, she even laid an egg. But you never know what was going on inside. What makes it easier is the fact that she probably passed away in her sleep, calm and peaceful. She looked like she was chilling in her hay and so I burried her like that.

 

[FloorCandy]

I haven't felt the chick yet, I haven't wanted to open the incubator because there are other eggs pipped and I've heard that you're supposed to leave it shut, if possible while eggs are hatching. I can definitely tell the two chicks apart, the first one is lighter colored and the second is really dark and a little bigger. The first one also still has part of it's umbilical cord still hanging on... I don't know if that's normal or if she just popped out of her egg so fast she wasn't quite ready. Like I said, it's my first time so I have no idea what's "normal".

You can leave them for up to 24 hours in the incubator. The cord will dry and fall off on its own. Occasionally it will stick to the feathers around the rear or underside when it dries and not fall off, you can check that when you remove to the brooder. If you end up needing to open it and remove chicks before the others finish, you should add a paper towel with a splash of water, you can use a straw like a pipette to do it. The biggest concern is causing the pipped eggs to shrink wrap, where air gets thru because of the pip, dries out the membrane, which shrinks and gardens around the chick, making it unable to hatch on its own.

 

[Pippin quail]

You can take them out. Have a box ready and work methodically.

• Be careful reseating your incubator's lid. If there's a turning arm, it could break an egg if it hits one.
• Make sure the lid is on properly. Those plastic ones can trick you.

I open my incubator whenever I feel the need and I've never had a shrink-wrapped chick. (Though I'll be surprised if I never do have; it happens.) The books scare the heck out of you, I know, but those appear to be "cautionary tales"—"putting a fence around the law" sort of things to keep you from getting within a hundred miles of the danger.

I've seen pics here of people letting the an egg hatch in the palm of their hand. Don't get too cavalier unless you're willing to take the risk, but don't allow the fear-sellers to keep you from doing what's needed. Remember, chickens hatch eggs all the time. It's not as touchy as some would lead you to believe.

Thanks for the advice. I have moved 5 chicks to the brooder this morning. The 4 newer ones are all really fluffy and hanging out together under a heating pad. The first little chick still looks almost bald/still wet or sticky and still has her umbilical stump. None of the other ones seemed to have that when they hatched, at least not that big or noticable of one. And poor Popcorn is just hanging out by herself in another warm area... She doesn't look great but I'm hoping she'll pull through.

 

[Sara L]

Ugh, one of my Falb Fee hens (and of course it's the literal only hen that's homozygous for Fee) is a huge bully. I had her separated from the males with her sister that got attacked, but she reopened her sister's head wound. I thought she only did that because birds peck at wounds. So she got taken out and put on her own. Today, I tried to put her in with her with the new hens in a pen and she immediately went after one of them and bloodied up her nose.

So now she's on her own and she's going to stay that way. She's started laying, so I'm going to toss a male in with her so she gets mated, get eggs hatched, and then probably eat her, honestly.

You could just keep her separate and pop the male in for breeding sessions and remove him afterwards. Maybe keep her at least long enough to get two adult sets of daughters to make sure you can continue the breeding plan you want before you cull her. Hopefully the male is chill and the chicks will get his personality instead.

 

[Pippin quail]

Here's Popcorn. She was my first one to hatch yesterday and she still looks new. One of my other hatches for comparison... Much fluffier.