Button Quail Lockdown

[milliesbuttons]

Scuse the first timer here but a few questions on day 14 as I prepare for button lockdown. TIA

Does it sounds right that temp was at 37.7c and now dropped it to 37.5c for lockdown & increased humidity?

How do I know if simply keeping the two chambers of the Brinsea Mini 2 Advance full is going to bring the humidity up to the exact desired level - without being too humid?

Only 2/7 eggs appear to have made it to this stage, whilst I definitely spotted movement in them all earlier last week, today 5 appear to have no movement and whilst there is development in the egg it’s no where near as obvious, and far lighter than two of them that are dark with large vessels and hopping around in there. Silly question but could the 5 being lighter (yet with obvious large air sac and light shadowing inside with mini vessels) be down to colour of the chick being lighter also? I don’t want to discard incase, but also don’t want to risk the last two if one explodes. Have left them in my other incubator and out of lockdown. Will decide on next steps in the morning.

So hoping we can see at least one pull through & hatch (another 20 odd eggs in the next batch) but this one is important for my daughters first agricultural day deadline. She’s so invested! As am I! Loving the process, albeit sad when they’re not all doing as well as eachother!

 

[Nabiki]

You should have a hygrometer in your incubator as well as a calibrated thermometer or three. Unfortunately, incubators lie about temperature and humidity.

You want the humidity to be around 70% for buttons at lockdown.

 

[milliesbuttons]

You should have a hygrometer in your incubator as well as a calibrated thermometer or three. Unfortunately, incubators lie about temperature and humidity.

You want the humidity to be around 70% for buttons at lockdown.

Thanks so much! Guessing it might be too late that we’re already 24 hours into lockdown not to mention having not had a hygrometer running during incubation. Eep. I’m sure the Brinsea manual didn’t mention this, maybe I missed it! A lot to learn.

On that thought, how do incubators handle needing to have the lid off (for very short periods) whilst turning and removing eggs to candle too? If you have to run them for 24 hours before setting then how long does it take them to get back up to speed with those interruptions. Thanks!

 

[Debbie292d]

Thanks so much! Guessing it might be too late that we’re already 24 hours into lockdown not to mention having not had a hygrometer running during incubation. Eep. I’m sure the Brinsea manual didn’t mention this, maybe I missed it! A lot to learn.

On that thought, how do incubators handle needing to have the lid off (for very short periods) whilst turning and removing eggs to candle too? If you have to run them for 24 hours before setting then how long does it take them to get back up to speed with those interruptions. Thanks!

I candle once after they've been in there a week and then right before lockdown. If you consider a hen would have gotten off her nest every day or two or three and for maybe around 15 minutes to half an hour, what we're doing is no worse.

Your Brinsea self turns the eggs, so you shouldn't need to open it to turn them. That feature should be shut off while in lockdown.

Good luck on your hatch!!

 

[milliesbuttons]

I candle once after they've been in there a week and then right before lockdown. If you consider a hen would have gotten off her nest every day or two or three and for maybe around 15 minutes to half an hour, what we're doing is no worse.

Your Brinsea self turns the eggs, so you shouldn't need to open it to turn them. That feature should be shut off while in lockdown.

Good luck on your hatch!!

Thank you! Good reassurance about the interruptions. We didn’t end up using auto turn for the buttons as half the batch of eggs were smaller than the rest and I’d read that the auto turner was better suited to Coturnix quail egg size. Have been using for the chicken eggs though and it’s a great piece of kit! Thanks for the luck. Excited (and hopeful!) for the next ten days of staggered hatching.

 

[Debbie292d]

Scuse the first timer here but a few questions on day 14 as I prepare for button lockdown. TIA

Does it sounds right that temp was at 37.7c and now dropped it to 37.5c for lockdown & increased humidity?

How do I know if simply keeping the two chambers of the Brinsea Mini 2 Advance full is going to bring the humidity up to the exact desired level - without being too humid?

Only 2/7 eggs appear to have made it to this stage, whilst I definitely spotted movement in them all earlier last week, today 5 appear to have no movement and whilst there is development in the egg it’s no where near as obvious, and far lighter than two of them that are dark with large vessels and hopping around in there. Silly question but could the 5 being lighter (yet with obvious large air sac and light shadowing inside with mini vessels) be down to colour of the chick being lighter also? I don’t want to discard incase, but also don’t want to risk the last two if one explodes. Have left them in my other incubator and out of lockdown. Will decide on next steps in the morning.

So hoping we can see at least one pull through & hatch (another 20 odd eggs in the next batch) but this one is important for my daughters first agricultural day deadline. She’s so invested! As am I! Loving the process, albeit sad when they’re not all doing as well as eachother!

I have two incubators, a NR360 and Brinsea 56EX. The first was off by 1.5 degrees F, and the Brinsea off by 1.0. I have two different thermometer/hygrometers; a Govee that can be checked with an app on my phone and another cheaper brand that came as a pair of them. I got them on Amazon. They come in handy for the brooder too.

 

[CliftonQuail]

I have two incubators, a NR360 and Brinsea 56EX. The first was off by 1.5 degrees F, and the Brinsea off by 1.0. I have two different thermometer/hygrometers; a Govee that can be checked with an app on my phone and another cheaper brand that came as a pair of them. I got them on Amazon. They come in handy for the brooder too.

After trying three less expensive incubators, I finally bought a Brinsea 56EX. I've done two hatches with the Brinsea. There was less than +/- .5 degree F variation between it and the 4 separate thermometer/hygrometers I had in it. Humidity readings didn't vary much between them either. I'm very happy with the Brinsea.

 

[milliesbuttons]

Realised I actually went into lockdown of day 13 eve with these two, will be day 17 tomo and no pip. Trying to be so patient. Next batch need the bator in 48 hours so hoping I wake up to some action. My eyes were even playing tricks on me thinking the eggs were moving tonight but no go so far. Toes crossed this eve.

 

[milliesbuttons]

End of day 17 and one of the button quail eggs just showed the external pip!! Woohoo, right before the incubator was accidentally nudged. Here’s hoping we haven’t disturbed the process.

 

[Nabiki]

That one is probably going to need assistance and might not make it. It's pipped at the wrong end of the egg.