First hatching

[Dan Clark]

I just hatched my first batch of birds one of the chicks is lighter in color then the others does that mean anything or is it just a fluke of coloring? Basically it has lighter brown colored fluff the others are black

plus can I start picking them up and touching them to get them used to people So they will not freak out when I come to cage?

and can someone recommend a hydrometer for future hatches? This batch did really well out of 9 eggs 8 hatched and that one had a hair crack in it that you could not see till you candled. So it never had a chance.

 

[Dan Clark]

 

[MadamPoofyBrow]

What breed are they? It's probably just a color fluke, that happens a lot.
Yes, they can be handled immediately; good luck!
I am unsure about hydrometers, hopefully someone will weigh in.

 

[Kale the Quail]

I usually pick them up to move them out of the incubator after they're decently dried, be careful not to drop them. They're really... fidgety? squirmy? I never had chickens, so not sure if chicken chicks are like that.
Do you have a picture of your lighter one?
If you've already moved them into the brooder you can pick them up, just try to keep them under the heat lamp or keep them warm.
my hydrometer doesn't really work either...
Edit: 8 out of 9! wow!

 

[Dan Clark]

their contournix quail I touched them to move them but not since wanted to make a point to touch them a few time a day so they recognize my voice and are ok with me picking them up to move them. The ones I bought freakout when I have to pick them up and run away.

 

[Mhays]

I just had my first hatch today, too! We bred them specifically to get color variations, so ours are all over the map

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10216388850905130

 

[FloorCandy]

We have an Italian roo who is stunning, but an a-hole (he got loose this morning and we had to chase him around the block, my other roo and birds generally hang out and wait to be picked up.) This hatch was in part to preserve his pretty genetics...lol. Looks like we might have a couple tuxedos from our tuxedo hen, too...gonna be quite the mix!

Anyone who tries to fly out gets a very short wing clip, and the next try they fly like a rock haha.

 

[FloorCandy]

what is the difference between the two?

The pharaohs are the regular wild type normal color quail. The Egyptians are a lighter color but same pattern.

 

[FloorCandy]

so it’s just the feathercoloring same temperament?

The temperament of the bird is not related to coloring from anything I’ve ever seen or heard. The temperament will probably be most affected by how much you hold them and interact with them at a young age. As far as mating and hormones, to get better temperaments most people will cull aggressive birds and breed more docile birds.

 

[Dan Clark]

Good to know hope I don’t have 8 roosters then