Cold egg, hatch?

[Zenbirder]

My dog just found where a gambel's quail had been killed in the last few hours (probably coyote), and all eggs were destroyed except one. It was evident from one of the broken eggs that the chicks were due to hatch in a day or two. I got the last egg, and it was cool to the touch. I put it under a broody hen. Does anyone have an idea about the chances of it hatching?

 

[dc3085]

it might or might not. Be aware that quail have no immunity to poultry diseases which chickens often carry and are highly resistant to. Be sure not to put this quail if it hatches, with other quail or allow it access to wild quail.

Gambels require probiotics for digestion not long after hatch so if it hatches you will need to have some ProBios or something handy. Human probiotic pills work in a pinch.

 

[Zenbirder]

Thanks for that. I don't think the egg is going to hatch. The quail here regularly enter the chicken yard, so I am not sure any precautions would need to be taken? As for the probiotics, I know chickens love yoghurt. Would that be enough?

 

[dc3085]

The yogurt probably would. It would be best if you did something to keep the wild quail away from the chickens. A disease like coryza, MG, blackhead, or cocci could completely destroy a wild population. Chickens often carry these diseases their entire lives with out ever experiencing a problem but game birds don't have any immunity to them. It's kind of like playing russian roulette, you might win, but there was still a bullet in the gun.

 

[Zenbirder]

Thanks again. There is not any way to keep the quail away from the chickens, quail fly and I won't coop my chickens up so badly that I could cover their yard, I run around 50 chickens. I have only ever bought young chicks, on medicated feed or hatched my own. I have never brought in any grown birds, so I hope that would lessen the chances. The quail egg did not hatch. I have had chickens here now for 9 years, and the wild quail population is thriving. There are quite a lot of other people with chickens and quail interacting in the few miles around us. I really hope we do not have any problems.