Hello and help on Quail eggs - how long should we wait?

[Hatchingfun]

Hello everyone, I'm hoping you can help me with my Quail eggs.

Our very first go at incubating Harlequin Quail, everything I read that they hatch at 15-17 days. Yesterday was day 17 and one little chick hatched Late last night I could hear tapping and the odd wiggle but then today (day 18)silence, so I attempted the float test. One egg was a dud, 8 floated about 15% out of the water but were completely stationary. 2 floated and wiggled slightly.

I thought Quail normally hatched together, how many days overdue would you leave these eggs before calling it quits? I'd hate the one chick we did get to be on his/her own. We have other Quail but they're older and larger.

 

[lehouseofdog]

I had this happen to me, it won't hurt to wait. I waited on my last hatch and only one out of 10-15 eggs hatched so I picked up a couple of chicks on Craigslist to keep him company. He hatched late, I think day 18 and I waited the others out until day 22

 

[Binki]

I have hatched coturnix quail and had one hatch early both times on day 16, majority in day 17, then some on day 18 - I kept the remaining eggs in until day 20 and nothing popped but I'll keep doing it

I also don't test/candle any of my eggs, I put them in breathable plastic trays (like horizontal pencil holders?) when they come out of the turner so if there's any mess it will be in the paper towel lined containers and not in my incubator - haven't had a problem so far and really helps with the chick poop cleaning

This sections the eggs/chicks and keeping the containers with slats/holes in them spaced apart keeps the heat and humidity flowing just fine

 

[Binki]

Like these they still sometimes hop out if they get on an egg as a boost so I'm looking into taller ones

 

[Hatchingfun]

Thanks for the replies

I'll give them until the weekend then but... Two more have just hatched!! 48 hours after the last one and overdue but yey! If no more hatch here's hoping I've got two girls and a boy One came out of an egg that wobbled during the float test, still waiting to see if the other wobbler hatches.

 

[Binki]

Oh congrats!!! yes here's hoping

 

[Everlong]

Whats the water test?

 

[Hatchingfun]

It's where you pop overdue eggs into warm water and depending on what they do you get an idea if an egg is viable, a dud or has a live chick. There's a really good post somewhere on these forums that details how Exactly to do it and how to interpret the results

 

[mistymmg]

How did it go?? Any hatchlings??