Baby quail hatching! help!

[Cassandra18]

Okay so the long wait is finally coming to an end, today is the day my baby quail will hatch, I went in to check on him at 9:30am and noticed there was a pip in the shell! I haven't touched it ( although it is tempting!) I am a little worried because it has been nearly 9 hours since I noticed the pip and nothing has changed.. Is this normal?? I don't actually have a proper incubator so theres no lid, i have them in a spare room, i have a humidifier and the humidity is at the right percent and when i look closely i can see something move inside it every once in awhile. Haven't heard any peeping, but I can see him breathing My question is does it usually take this long? Is my little guy going to be okay?

 

[JaeG]

Our quail hatched in the middle of the night between 11pm and 4am but had pipped that morning or midday at the latest I think, so yes, it can take awhile. As long as the humidity is high just leave them alone. When they are ready they will make a zipper line around the middle of the egg and hatch. Mine didn't make much noise until they had actually hatched. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

 

[kingmt]

It may take a while.

 

[TwoCrows]

Yes they are fine. After pipping occurs, they can sit like this for 24+ hours. Do not be tempted to bust them out of the shell. They are busy detaching from inside of the egg and absorbing the last of the yolk sac. Busting them out too early can kill them.

So just keep your humidity up, do not open the lid of the incubator and wait! I hope you get some chicks hatching soon!!

 

[Cassandra18]

He's finally out, we decided to help him out. (We waited about 26 hours and nothing changed) The membrane was too thick and he also pipped on the wrong end so after many stressful hours he's finally out, he's not making any noise but he is kicking his feet a bit and moving his wings. But for the most part he is just resting.

 

[TwoCrows]

Get him under some dry heat and keep him under heat of about 100 degrees for now. Sometimes chicks that pip at the wrong end don't make it. But with some extra TLC, this one might make it. When he does start to become alert and active, make SURE to dip his beak in some water and you might offer up some warmed chopped hard boiled eggs to get him started on life.

Good luck with this baby!

 

[SliderShooter]

I'm sorry to say this but the chick does not look good. I would leave it in the incubator until it dries. In my experience, if you have to help the chick out of the shell it doesn't make it. Low temps will cause late hatch and weak chicks.

 

[Halloweengirl13]

I had to help 4 out of six of my last hatch out of the shell and they were button quail so tiny tiny, a couple weren't completly absorbed and they all survived except the idiot who hopped into the cup I had water in to up the humidity. I covered the wire in the incubator with paper towels so they wouldn't rupture the yolk, three were pipped in the wrong spot.these were from shipped eggs.

 

[313759]

I have never had the problem of them pipping in the wrong spot... and I have hatched turkeys, chickens, ducks, geese, and quail

 

[Halloweengirl13]

Mine were from the air cells being wonky from shipping, the two pipped right below the edge of it and the other was trying to come out the pointy end of the egg. I have hatched mostly ducks quail and chickens and a couple geese.I always have at least one duckling try to come out of the wrong end per batch of eggs, so far all but one have survived and that one had a really huge messed up extreme crest.