➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[Kiki]

Oh no! Tbh it was probably a humane end for the crooked runt. Knock on wood I haven’t lost any to the dogs. My female frenchie has a lot of game, and she’s chased bunnies and come back with tail fluff in her mouth haha. Too bad she can’t climb trees, the squirrels here are pretty brazen. I had a chick jump from my lap into my big bully’s mouth while he was yawning, and he spit it out unharmed. He was more surprised than the chick I think.

Excuse me...have I seen pics of this frenchie dummy?

 

[anvia]

Hi all,
I hope it’s ok to join in? Prepping the Hatcher today for 45 coturnix which have been in a “new to us” incubator for 15 days. Lovely new incubator has given me the willies throughout the entire incubation time as the temperature fluctuates quite a lot and I’m a bit concerned it’s averaged out around 37.... so a little on the cold side.
Looking forwards to welcoming lots of tiny qualies in a few days time!

Loving grandma! Did she have any special qualities that got her the job? Traditionally our quail babies have been most inventive in finding extraordinary ways to shorten their time on earth. Does grandma help in educating them in the art of survival?

 

[Nabiki]

Hi all,
I hope it’s ok to join in? Prepping the Hatcher today for 45 coturnix which have been in a “new to us” incubator for 15 days. Lovely new incubator has given me the willies throughout the entire incubation time as the temperature fluctuates quite a lot and I’m a bit concerned it’s averaged out around 37.... so a little on the cold side.
Looking forwards to welcoming lots of tiny qualies in a few days time!

Loving grandma! Did she have any special qualities that got her the job? Traditionally our quail babies have been most inventive in finding extraordinary ways to shorten their time on earth. Does grandma help in educating them in the art of survival?

Welcome to the thread! Everyone who is hatching is welcome.

Do you have calibrated thermometers inside the incubator? One of the first lessons to learn is to never trust the readings on your incubator.

Grandma got her job because she's my oldest hen, and one day after rain, she got a huge glob of mud stuck to her toes. I brought her inside and got the glob off, and was thinking about retiring her to freezer camp because she really wasn't laying much anymore. Then the power went out. I had 4 day old chicks in the brooder. On a whim, I put her in and watched her closely to see how she'd react. She was a good grandma, so now her retirement is to live with chicks indoors for the rest of her life.

 

[anvia]

Welcome to the thread! Everyone who is hatching is welcome.

Do you have calibrated thermometers inside the incubator? One of the first lessons to learn is to never trust the readings on your incubator.

Grandma got her job because she's my oldest hen, and one day after rain, she got a huge glob of mud stuck to her toes. I brought her inside and got the glob off, and was thinking about retiring her to freezer camp because she really wasn't laying much anymore. Then the power went out. I had 4 day old chicks in the brooder. On a whim, I put her in and watched her closely to see how she'd react. She was a good grandma, so now her retirement is to live with chicks indoors for the rest of her life.

Oh yes - many many thermometers! I think the main issue has been how much the external temperature has fluctuated in the room it’s been in? - I finally got it to stabilise at 37.5 across most of the thermometers about two days ago & then realised they are nearly finished.... it’s very much a test hatch for the incubator, using posted eggs from a unknown breeder....

Lucky grandma!! I think I’ll go & interview some of our ladies tomorrow... seems like a great idea to get them socialised and have someone in with the babies.... I’m not sure our ladies are particularly maternal or massively sensible either though!

 

[Nabiki]

Oh yes - many many thermometers! I think the main issue has been how much the external temperature has fluctuated in the room it’s been in? - I finally got it to stabilise at 37.5 across most of the thermometers about two days ago & then realised they are nearly finished.... it’s very much a test hatch for the incubator, using posted eggs from a unknown breeder....

Lucky grandma!! I think I’ll go & interview some of our ladies tomorrow... seems like a great idea to get them socialised and have someone in with the babies.... I’m not sure our ladies are particularly maternal or massively sensible either though!

Watch them really closely. I didn't expect Grandma to do so well, to be honest. A lot of adult hens will peck or injure the chicks.

 

[anvia]

Watch them really closely. I didn't expect Grandma to do so well, to be honest. A lot of adult hens will peck or injure the chicks.

Yup - I completely understand..... I’m so very very impressed you have grandma!
We do seem to lose a significant amount of otherwise healthy quail post hatch simply due to a complete lack of survival instincts? I’m not convinced it’s survival of the fittest - just pure luck. Everything seems to be a hazard to a baby quail! If we have a potential grandma amongst our girls I’d like to see if she can be identified... even just bringing one inside to chat to the lockdown eggs? It’s something I’ve never even considered before, we have a few who are very tame, used to being handle fir various reasons and wouldn’t object to being pampered indoors for a few days even if it didn’t come to anything.... I always think babies do far better being raised by their own species..... I mean well & I do my best but I’m not a quail.....
if only I knew the quail language - a phrasebook would be most helpful!
I’m thinking.....
this cat is not your friend
do not attempt to bathe in this teeny tiny drop of water
do not insert head /leg/ toe here
One quail only inside this feeder

But there are many many more....

 

[anvia]

Well that’s the the hatcher disinfected & plugged in with eleventy billion thermometers and hygrometers all taking readings in different spots..... We use an ancient Brinsea hatchmaker to hatch quail.... it’s the closest I can get to a padded safe room - it’s still air, no moving parts, lovely big reservoirs with a good surface area & the cats still haven’t yet found a big enough tin opener to break into it.... The biggest downside is it has terrible visibility, but the plus side of that is that it reduces the temptation to assist.

May I ask what are everyone’s thoughts on humidity for quail in lockdown? I’m never sure I’m getting it right! I’d be very grateful to learn what works for everyone else?

 

[Nabiki]

I'm always telling my roommate that the phrase "birdbrain" exists for a reason.

 

[Kiki]

Well that’s the the hatcher disinfected & plugged in with eleventy billion thermometers and hygrometers all taking readings in different spots..... We use an ancient Brinsea hatchmaker to hatch quail.... it’s the closest I can get to a padded safe room - it’s still air, no moving parts, lovely big reservoirs with a good surface area & the cats still haven’t yet found a big enough tin opener to break into it.... The biggest downside is it has terrible visibility, but the plus side of that is that it reduces the temptation to assist.

May I ask what are everyone’s thoughts on humidity for quail in lockdown? I’m never sure I’m getting it right! I’d be very grateful to learn what works for everyone else?

45-50 is good...for me.

 

[Kiki]

Also...I don't raise humidity until I see an external pip. It works for me.