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[Cluckington palace]

All my quail hatched on Tuesday and Wednesday and today we decided to turn the incubator off. We managed to drop an egg and it was alive, it was partially covered in blood. It seems to be getting a little stronger but I’m not sure what to do.

 

[muddy75]

It’s moving around a little

All you can do is just leave it in the incubator and monitor. I usually wait at least 48 hours after last hatch before final candle-check. Incubators can have cold and hot spots attributing to wide variations in hatch times. There is a high probability that this guy may not make it, but same is true if you had let the incubator keep running and he was that delayed. Good luck!

 

[Nabiki]

In my experience, chicks that came from eggs that were damaged shortly before hatch don't grow as fast and may have problems. It may not grow like the other chicks.

Good luck, and I hope it makes it.

 

[Huntmaster]

I even experience hatchlings that are late or last hatching tend to be weaker and have more of a chance of other issues such as splay leg / failure to thrive. The earlier hatched usually are the healthiest and strongest of the bunch.

 

[TesoroSena]

It looks perfectly normal! Th e chick is just getting used to not being cramped, and the blood is perfectly fine for now. Make sure that chick is warm and has ample humidity until it dries out and is walking.

 

[Nabiki]

That makes sense it’s made it over night but it still can’t balance properly and one of its legs won’t move and is more swollen around the knee joint

I'm sorry to hear that. This one may need to be culled.

 

[Cluckington palace]

It looks perfectly normal! Th e chick is just getting used to not being cramped, and the blood is perfectly fine for now. Make sure that chick is warm and has ample humidity until it dries out and is walking.

Thank you in new to keeping quail does that foot look ok

 

[Cluckington palace]

I think so, any particular reason to ask?

It just looks tightly held together and I’ve never hatched chicks using and incubator I have always used a hen

 

[Cluckington palace]

If that foot doesn't correct itself within the next few hours, you will need to correct it using some bandaid or tape. Be sure to watch out for splay leg as well. How's the weak chick doing so far?

Is wriggling around and keeps flipping itself over and I’m hearing the occasional cheep. I’m just hoping that it makes it until morning

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I’m not sure I was crouched on the floor clearing out the incubator as non showed any signs of life and it fell onto the floor and it came out and I thought it was dead at first until it started to move

That must have been a heart-stopping moment, and a careful first breath of air (yours) after the fall, eh? I've smelt a bad egg before and it ain't pretty!