Button Quail

[BroodyMama1]

hello! A month or so ago I did my very first hatch with Conturix quails. Got a pretty decent hatch rate. Just got some button quail and it is now day 17 (locked down on day 15). Do they have the same amount of days to hatch as Conturix? Shorter/longer? Wasn’t able to candle them since they are so small.

 

[nchls school]

hello! A month or so ago I did my very first hatch with Conturix quails. Got a pretty decent hatch rate. Just got some button quail and it is now day 17 (locked down on day 15). Do they have the same amount of days to hatch as Conturix? Shorter/longer? Wasn’t able to candle them since they are so small.

Shorter-they should be hatching now; today on day 17.

 

[BroodyMama1]

Shorter-they should be hatching now; today on day 17.

Hmm. I havnt seen any movement and they don’t wiggle to my whistles like the other eggs did. Maybe I’m a day off from counting.

 

[MGG]

Hmm. I havnt seen any movement and they don’t wiggle to my whistles like the other eggs did. Maybe I’m a day off from counting.

Did you count the day you set them as day 0? The day after you set the eggs is day 1.

 

[BroodyMama1]

Did you count the day you set them as day 0? The day after you set the eggs is day 1.

Yes. I counted the next day as day 1

 

[JaeG]

You could candle them to see if any have pipped internally - just keep the eggs in the same position as they are lying in the incubator when you do. They do tend to wait until the majority are ready before hatching as they like to hatch together. In a natural setting the chicks will hatch late afternoon and by the next morning and hen has abandoned the nest and is searching out food and water for her chicks, so it doesn't pay to be a slow-poke.

Being smaller they are affected by temperature swings more than larger eggs, taking less time to heat up or cool down. They can take a little longer if the temperatures have been on the low side and even naturally hatched Buttons can take 18-ish days to hatch if it is early spring or late autumn (and the adults are housed outdoors).

 

[BroodyMama1]

I placed them in the incubator on the 4th.

 

[BroodyMama1]

3 just hatched overnight!