Help! Chinese Painted Quail pipped but not hatching

[Bethemma]

I have 11 chinese painted quail eggs in an incubator. Temp 37.5. This is day 17. Yesterday (day 16), one of the eggs pipped but since then there has been no visible further progress. Haven't heard any of them cheeping but if I play a recording of chicks peeping several of the eggs, including the pipped one, start to rock so I know they are alive in there. I have read conflicting info on the incubation period of chinese painted quail. I am happy to leave them another few days in case they hatch late but I'm worried that the one that pipped might die (dry out/become too exhausted). It has been over 24hrs since it pipped. I was wondering if it might be possible to try and help it, although obviously this is risky. If so when would I do this? Any advice much appreciated!

 

[DK newbie]

I have no incubator, but my buttons hatch their own chicks and as far as I know they have never done this in less than 18 days so I wouldn't worry at all. Well, maybe about the pipped one, but it might know what it's doing. You could try removing a little more shell, but that would probably increase the risk of it drying out, so I would probably just leave it. It might just be waiting for the others to hatch - at least coturnix chicks can actually do this, they listen to each other and time their hatch accordingly. This is probably why the eggs are responding to the recordings - they think they need to hurry up because they are behind schedule and their siblings have hatched already.

 

[Bethemma]

I have no incubator, but my buttons hatch their own chicks and as far as I know they have never done this in less than 18 days so I wouldn't worry at all. Well, maybe about the pipped one, but it might know what it's doing. You could try removing a little more shell, but that would probably increase the risk of it drying out, so I would probably just leave it. It might just be waiting for the others to hatch - at least coturnix chicks can actually do this, they listen to each other and time their hatch accordingly. This is probably why the eggs are responding to the recordings - they think they need to hurry up because they are behind schedule and their siblings have hatched already.

Thanks very much, this is really helpful. Fingers crossed the rest of the eggs start hatching tomorrow then.

 

[Teun Korver]

Thanks very much, this is really helpful. Fingers crossed the rest of the eggs start hatching tomorrow then.

Have same experience. Day 18 only one pipped since 8hrs ago?

 

[JaeG]

I've had the odd quail go 36-48 hours and it's really important to leave them as they are still absorbing the yolk and residual blood from the veins in the membrane. As long as the membrane (if you can see it) doesn't look very yellow or brown it should be alright. It's possibly waiting for the others to be ready. Buttons like to hatch as a group because in a natural situation the parents will let the chicks rest overnight (they hatch in the afternoon), then it's off they all go, so if you hatch too late you'll get left behind. I've jumped in too early before only to find the chick is not ready to hatch, so just be patient (really difficult when you are dying to see them, I know).

 

[Teun Korver]

Thanx JaeG, thought I was an old expert at 72yrs, after hatching at 16 days all 21 jumbo chicks of 21 eggs, 10 years ago in selfmade still incubator. Now with fan made incubator, 2 months ago, only got 3 chicks, from 60 Jumbo eggs at 18, 20 and 23rd day with multiple outages in South Africa and discovering cold corners!

Now with redesigned incubator have 16 Chinese quail eggs on 19th day with 1 pipped for a day already?

 

[Momto6kiddos]

I have no incubator, but my buttons hatch their own chicks and as far as I know they have never done this in less than 18 days so I wouldn't worry at all. Well, maybe about the pipped one, but it might know what it's doing. You could try removing a little more shell, but that would probably increase the risk of it drying out, so I would probably just leave it. It might just be waiting for the others to hatch - at least coturnix chicks can actually do this, they listen to each other and time their hatch accordingly. This is probably why the eggs are responding to the recordings - they think they need to hurry up because they are behind schedule and their siblings have hatched already.

I didn't know cotournix do this but it makes so much sense now. My hatch 3 weeks ago was my first. One hatched and nothing else happened. Then the first that hatched started cheeping and calling. All of a sudden multiple eggs started rocking and within 5 minutes I had 7 eggs pipped! The first to hatch was a bit of a bully because as the others hatched, she would try to drag them around by their toes! Almost all of the eggs hatched within 3 hours of the first. I went to sleep because it was like 4am and 2 more hatched while I was sleeping. The others quit.