➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[Fenrisulfr]

Next batch .... 93 eggs setup.

Light Pharoh, Falb Fee, Recessive White, ... also a few Ce Splitters and a test of some Calico eggs (maybe they are not fertile, as roo and hen just set together).

Crossing fingers

 

[violajack]

On day 18 here. I've had 3 hatch on their own more than a day early, then nothing for 24 hours, so I started helping. So many eggs were obviously pipping out of the wrong part of the egg. I think my incubator was running high. I had two thermometers in there, one read low, one high, I figured the truth was in the middle, but probably not based on the early hatches. Then I didn't get the lid back on tight at lockdown so the temp was a bit low and humidity didn't come up as much as I thought it should. When I noticed why and got the lid all the way down a day later, the humidity spiked. The three I helped out this morning were struggling and peeping, obviously positioned wrongly and unable to turn. They're out and back in the incubator to dry off. One has some membrane crusted to it's leg that I'll have to deal with when I can get it back out. I didn't think there were any pips when I had to take the first batch out to move to the brooder, but I was apparently wrong. It's not a great first hatch, but I think I know what went wrong and how I can get a better hatch next time.

We just moved all the adult quail to a new, larger enclosure, so I don't expect to get good eggs again for a week or so though. More waiting while I dote on the chicks that did make it.

 

[violajack]

I decided to post-mortem and see what happened.

The first three out are all doing well in the brooder. (so adorable)

The 3 I helped out this morning are slowly getting their feet under them and flopping around the incubator, but they look stronger every time I check. I hope they get their legs under them and I can put them straight in the brooder. I got sav-a-chick. Should I get them out and try to get them to drink some before they can stand? Or let them stay in the brooder and keep working out until they get up?

Of the remaining eggs - 6 late quitters looked almost fully developed, but never pipped internally even. Is that likely from the temperature drop at lockdown (since I didn't get the lid seated just right)?

The others were infertile or didn't develop much. I'm most interested in figuring out what happened to the 6 late quitters to see if I can improve conditions next time.

 

[CindyinSD]

I decided to post-mortem and see what happened.

The first three out are all doing well in the brooder. (so adorable)

The 3 I helped out this morning are slowly getting their feet under them and flopping around the incubator, but they look stronger every time I check. I hope they get their legs under them and I can put them straight in the brooder. I got sav-a-chick. Should I get them out and try to get them to drink some before they can stand? Or let them stay in the brooder and keep working out until they get up?

Of the remaining eggs - 6 late quitters looked almost fully developed, but never pipped internally even. Is that likely from the temperature drop at lockdown (since I didn't get the lid seated just right)?

The others were infertile or didn't develop much. I'm most interested in figuring out what happened to the 6 late quitters to see if I can improve conditions next time.

Your late quitters may have cooled off too much, causing them to use up energy to stay warm that they couldn't afford to lose. Or they possibly were malpositioned, or... or... or... When you do an eggtopsy it's a good idea to photograph it thoroughly so the experts (among whom I do not number myself) can give you some ideas.

As for the littles trying to learn to stand, are their legs splayed outward, or are just like the others were before they got their legs under them?

IME, you can typically put chicks into the brooder under heat as soon as they hatch. They'll often fluff up faster that way, as the incubator environment can be very humid with all the hatching that's gone on in there. Putting floppers in hasn't posed a problem for me. I've never had the other chicks attack them.

If they're splay-legged, let us know and we'll help you splint/hobble/cup them so they can build up their strength to stand properly. You need grippy stuff (ideally the nubby rubbery shelf liner) in the incubator and, for a day or three, in the brooder as well. For some reason my paddle-footers have had more trouble with this than chicken chicks (esp geese). However from what I've read here, chicks that have been assisted also have more problems.

 

[violajack]

I figured they may need some more help since they didn't get to fight their way out of the egg. They started laying on their sides with legs kicked out, but now one has it's legs under it completely, and the other two have just one leg that kind of splays out, but they can pull it under them too. I tried holding them in my hand like a cup to feel how they moved and they may benefit from some cup time. I'm not sure how long I can keep them away from heat. They do seem comparably strong to the others, just not quite ready in a way.

The one that can get it's legs under it still has its toes curled though and is walking on the sides of its feet. I already did a shoe for the last of early hatchers because I moved it after just a few hours of drying time and it was still shakey with one leg still curled up. A few hours in the shoe and it seems fine now. Do I need to shoe the others, or just give them more time. Will cup therapy help the feet straighten out too?

 

[Kiki]

 

[Kiki]

Zack is giving away 60 eggs tomorrow. Keep an eye on his YouTube channel for the details on how to enter.

 

[Kiki]

Zack is giving away 60 eggs tomorrow. Keep an eye on his YouTube channel for the details on how to enter.

Don't worry...I'll remind you tomorrow as soon as he posts the video.

 

[violajack]

Moving them to the brooder worked out great so far! I go in every now and then to hold them so they can work their legs. I held them near the water and they all took lots of little drinks and flopped themselves over to the feed pile to eat a little. They keep looking stronger. They might do alright. 6 out of 17 (at least 3 of the 20 were not fertile) isn't great, but if those other 6 had made it, it would have been good. I'll have to be much more careful with lockdown next time. The lid on the Janoel is deceptively difficult. I even read about it before hand in reviews, that they can be hard to seat properly. And, sure enough, I missed it.

 

[Kiki]

I am crying tears laughing so hard.
Did anyone just hear what Zack said about me?


PEED!