Hatching Button Quail

[lilwildrabbit]

Ok so as I understand this it's 99 degrees f and what's the humidity setting need to be before and after lockup? I'm thinking about some myself had a pair years ago

 

[Petuniapig]

you can also buy Jodi's book from her at her web site :
www.brackenridgeranch.com

It is a great thing to have and read.

It will take anywhere from 16-21 days after the first 24 hour period to hatch. Lock down, no more turning, is day 13 after the first 24 hours.
What I mean by the first 24 hours is this:
if you place the eggs in the incubator on Monday the 1st at 9am then day one is AFTER Tuesday the 2nd at 9am. so on the calendar, day 13 would actually be the 14th of the month. hope this makes sense. and good luck it is addicting to have these little guys!

I went by this and just went in to remove turner and lockdown, its day 13. 2 had hatched already and 1 got smashed by the turner.....8(

 

[Ulaidian]

Yeah.. not sure about the hatching times, as mine actually hatched before the JapCos, and they went in together. Sorry to read about the wee one, have you the other in the brooder with a sock?

 

[oldhen2345]

Mine are just hatching. It has Today is day 18. I thought I had lost them. In my incubator, temp was 37.7 C and the humidity stayed around 70%. At lockdown, I raised the humidity to around85%. Right now, I have 12 hatchlings and a couple pipping out. So cute to hear them peeping from the shell. Question is, when do I start to try to get them to eat - tapping on the food has already made them come running, but didn't peck the food. Do I put their tiny beaks in the waterer to let them know how to drink - like chicken chicks? When do I do that? When do I become concerned they are not eating? Sorry- just panicking.

 

[DK newbie]

My buttons do all the work themselves, so my brooding experience is very limited, but I would guess if you just sprinkle a little feed where they are laying they will likely peck at it every now and then from curiosity, and then catch on.
With regards to water - do you have marbles in it? Apparently the chicks will often chose to peck at shiny things. There are also people on here that put floating things - I think it might have been little pieces of grass or hay - on top of the water to make the chicks peck at it.
I probably wouldn't be too worried until they are 24 hours old, though I'd prever to have seen them eat and drink before that.

 

[oldhen2345]

My buttons do all the work themselves, so my brooding experience is very limited, but I would guess if you just sprinkle a little feed where they are laying they will likely peck at it every now and then from curiosity, and then catch on.
With regards to water - do you have marbles in it? Apparently the chicks will often chose to peck at shiny things. There are also people on here that put floating things - I think it might have been little pieces of grass or hay - on top of the water to make the chicks peck at it.
I probably wouldn't be too worried until they are 24 hours old, though I'd prever to have seen them eat and drink before that.

Some are starting to peck around the food- I just sprinkled it over the floor- after the first clean up, I will put it in a jar lid. A few have started drinking. Yes, I put flat marbles and some river rock in the waterer. I guess they will teach the others. Whew... New babies are nerve wracking- but adorable. Thanks for the reassurance.

 

[DK newbie]

You are welcome
They are so tiny! It's hard to believe. I recently purchased 8 day-old barnevelder chicken chicks - they were almost as big as adult buttons when I got them! It's incredible it's even possible to be as tiny as a button chick.

 

[Sara L]

I have hatched coturnix and button quail together; coturnix take 18 days and buttons take 17 days for me. To prevent a staggered hatch I start the coturnix and add the buttons a day later. I have had great success with shipped button eggs so I hope your incubation goes smoothly too. I usually don't add water until lockdown, then try to get humidity to about 75%. Be careful letting button eggs go longer than 20 days while you wait for late hatchers, the only eggs I've ever had explode were button eggs, now I candle a lot more or open the eggs if they are later than I expect.

 

[oldhen2345]

OK so now the little buttons are wheeling around the brooder like crazy- all seem healthy, eating and drinking. I still have a few eggs that have not hatched- I am going to watch them for a day or two more. I have one that pipped yesterday afternoon, but by bedtime had not hatched. I got up this morning expecting a chick- but no- I didn't even hear cheeping or see the little beak go in and out of the hole it made. This afternoon, I figured it must have died, so I took it out of the brooder so it wouldn't explode in there. Well, I was checking it out before I pitched it and lo and behold, the tiny thing moved. I gently peeled the membrane off and it is sure alive. The balance is all off- it keeps falling on it's back and waving it's legs like crazy. It's neck keeps bending in the fetal position. I gave it a sip of water from my finger which it took- I figure the egg sac must be all absorbed by now. Is there hope for this little one? What do I do about it's falling on it's back all the time?

 

[DK newbie]

If they don't hatch on their own, it's usually because something is wrong with them. I wouldn't expect it to survive, but every now and then miracles do happen.