HELP!! - Just hatched GG Quail

[Beckey2054]

We are new quail parents and new to raising quail and just had some GG Quail hatch today..

One that hatched super early and fast (took him less than 30 mins from pip to out of egg) and one that hatched, took hours, and still has some of its yolk attached but seems to be doing fine..
(i was super worried why it hatched with some of its yolk not absorbed... Hope it lives..

)
We still have30 eggs with several that look like they started to pip a little (just one little hole) but have not gone further...

.

the question is this.. The first chick is all over the place, pecking on anything it can.. It is now about 8 hours old. WHEN should I give it something to eat.. I have read that they really don't need any food or water for 24 hours, but he is seriously looking like he is trying to find food.. Should I give him a little and see what happens? I don't want him to be hungry, but I don't want to hurt him by feeding to soon either.. And the same with the water situation... I know to have a shallow bowl with marbles or something in it to keep from drowning.. but should I worry about giving it to him yet..

Thankx everyone for your help.. Much appreciate it.

 

[gamebirdsonly]

As soon as I take mine out of the incubator. their usually 8 to 12 hours old. I always dip their beaks and they have access to food some will start right up pecking at food others take a few hours

 

[Beckey2054]

so we just left the little guy alone til this morning.. By this morning we had another hatchling that was running around.. YAY

They are so active and cute..Want to climb into the there with them and play .. LOL..

Now that the one that hatched with the partially unabsorbed yolk is a few hours old we notice she has curled toes (at least on one foot) and so she cannot stand up like the others.. I have read about putting a "boot" on them.. but not sure how to go about it with such a teeny tiny baby chick.. Afraid ill hurt her more than help..

Or will the toes uncurl on their own?? I know many would say just to leave it to nature, but we just can't do that.. especially as we are taking the "nature" out of the equation by using an incubator to begin with.. So hubby and I want to do whatever we can to help the little bugger survive.. but we are clueless as to what to do.. (hate feeling like that)

I am also concerned about the other eggs.. We still have 29 unhatched eggs..and we are at day 25.. Several made a little "pip" in their egg but never progressed.. One of them pipped a hole in the egg.. didn't do the "zipper" thing the others did.. and now has not done anything else.. The hole is about the size of a pencil eraser.. we noticed it when one of the other chicks moved the egg and so once we saw the hole it has been about 12 hours and we cannot tell if the little peep is alive or not ..We did see some movement last night (the membrane was moving..we can't see the chick).. but now we can't see anything.. I want to help it but am afraid we will hurt it ... but afraid to wait and let it die..

How long should we wait before we try to help the one that has started the hole.. and should we try to help the ones that we see a little pip mark but not a real hole?? OMG Being a first time peep parent is STRESSFUL!! I do not think we slept all night wondering what to do..
Thankx to all you out there with your advise.. I love this forum and have learned so much. But now that eggs are actually hatching we seem to have more and more questions..

Hopefully the other eggs will just start hatching out today by themselves so I don't have to think about this anymore.. *crossing fingers*

 

[ParadiseQuail]

Congrats!

I hope you get some more successful hatching.

 

[Beckey2054]

All said and done we ended up with 18 survivors

.. YAY.. So dang cute.. We ended up helping several of the chicks out of their eggs they were "stuck"

.. I think my hygrometer maybe off as I had the humidity at 70% they shouldn't have been sticking to their eggs..

Poor things. The poor little baby that hatched with part of the yolk still attached did not make it.

She lived for nearly 30 hours before going to sleep and not waking up.. My daughter had to have a mini funeral for her.. (

kids.. )

Now the joy of watching the little fluffy butts run around .. then suddenly stop .. drop. .and go to sleep.. lol.. I have never had an animal do that and it is hilarious! I have photos of babies that just stop, lay down, stretch out and sleep like the dead.. Makes me giggle every time I see them do it.. (although if I had not known they do that it may have scared me spitless the first time they did it..lol)

I have already got them drinking out of a nipple style water bottle.. Do really well for 2 day old chicks.. I have the regular basin watering system, but hate how it smells so awful after only a couple hours.. The gasses build up in the reservoir I think. So once I know all of them can use the nipple drinker, out that other thing goes.. Anyone else ever notice that they do that? (the reservoir smell that is)

Now off to new adventures.. We have ordered even more eggs.. This time Coturnix. We want a variety of quail for egg laying and for eating too.. Have heard that Cots are easier to handle.. but we love our Bobs so we will keep some of them around.. We love to listen to them make their noises and call to each other. Makes our poor Jack Russell go nuts trying to figure out who is whistling for her every 5 minutes.. She jumps up and goes running every time they start.. lol.. poor dog may just loose it if they keep it up all night, every night, like they have been.. Good thing for me that the noise they make I like and can sleep right through it.. Or if I do wake up.. it just makes me giggle..

 

[thepyrofish]

I keep a jug of no-rinse sanitizer with my jug if water in the garage, it's something I use for brewing/wine making. I give the waterer a wipe, a rinse then let it dry while I feed and do whatever for a few minutes tending to the birds before filling it back up.

Keeps it smelling fresh and clean, even in the brooder where the heat lamp warms everything up.