Bobs hatching soon, any tips?

[BaJa]

Hi, got 40 bobwhite quail eggs in the incubator, and they'll hatch Monday. tips about brooder space, feed, bedding, and any other thing like that are very much appreciated.

 

[Alaskan]

They are WAY faster than chickens.

As soon as they are dry and fluffed they will want food and water.

I like using lots of the flat glass pebbles in the bottom of a chick waterer. I think a quail waterer might be safe..not sure though, be very careful.

The buggers are FAST and pop up like popcorn. It is difficult to move them from the incubator to the brooder without loosing one...keep your eyes peeled.

 

[BaJa]

thanks. so far, 9 hatched. they're running around the brooder eating and drinking. 2 are still in the bator, they only hatched 1/2 hr ago. lots of others have pipped. unfortunately, one started zipping, he was almost ready to come out, and now he stopped(10 hours ago) and is still just as far and not moving. think he died.

 

[Alaskan]

thanks. so far, 9 hatched. they're running around the brooder eating and drinking. 2 are still in the bator, they only hatched 1/2 hr ago. lots of others have pipped. unfortunately, one started zipping, he was almost ready to come out, and now he stopped(10 hours ago) and is still just as far and not moving. think he died.

Yeah... I would take hm out and assist if he is still alive.

 

[BaJa]

another died while zipping. however, I now have 14 running around. pretty bad hatch rate (33%). some might still hatch though, a bunch have pipped and its only day 22. (23 is normal)
maybe they died too, would it be because I took the other chicks out? that only took a few seconds and after 5 min the humidity was good again. they were bumping around knocking hatching eggs upside down (maybe the reason those two died)

 

[Alaskan]

No idea.

So many factors in hatching.

I don't think a quick removal would have caused any to die.

 

[Nyla]

I've hatched plenty of bobwhites. Opening the incubator to take others out doesn't effect the ones zipping unless you hold it open for a while and there is a draft. The draft is what gets them. Also some chicks just naturally die after zipping. I've had quite a few do this.
I have snowflakes , northern, Georgia giants, Tennessee reds, Mexican speckled, and pure whites.
Sorry some have died! At least you hatched some!

 

[BaJa]

do you sell any? I had two northern bobwhites with a speck of white on their breast, and for some odd reason I got 3/16 chicks were pure white. I only have one white left and it mated with a regular one, and I figured I would have at least some whites. Not the case

 

[BaJa]

I hatched 14 chicks now. some are five days old, and not one has died in the brooder! and my one male bobwhite went broody and is sitting on about 20 eggs. he's sitting on them for days already

 

[stricklandquail]

We've just completed our hatch for the year, we got a 75% hatch rate with ours. Typically, our method hasn't deviated very much in years: 21 days in the rotation incubator, 100 degrees at 45-55% humidity, followed by 3 days in the setting incubator at 100 degrees at 55-65% humidity. Let the birds dry out in the incubator, transfer to the brooder (We use all GQF products, by the way), keep the brooder at 100 degrees for the first week, then drop 5 degrees a week and stop at 90 degrees. We have a vitamin mix we put in the water jar, we fill the feeder with starter feed.