Hen gave up :(

[Sians quails]

So I'm having a bit of a sad day today as last night my little CPQ hen got off her 9 eggs after 5 days of sitting on them and didn't get back. I was really excited to have little bumble bee chicks.

So my question is (as I'm new to all this) what do I do now? Do I leave them in there until the 16th day and then remove them? Or do I take them out now? I think I read somewhere to leave them in there.

 

[TwoCrows]

Did she get back on the eggs? It is probably best to incubate them yourself. Quail can be unreliable at setting on eggs full term.

 

[Sians quails]

i think it might be too late.,.. she got off them about 24 hours ago.
i read somewhere to leave them in there for the time that they are supposed to incubate. can anyone help me on this?
thanks

 

[spikennipper]

If they are only 5 days into incubation and they have been allowed to go cold over 24 hours they are unlikely to be alive still, leaving them in there for 16 days not being incubated would not make any difference they would need to be incubated in order to hatch, if she hasn't gone back by now chances are she will never go back, I'm sorry but you are probably going to have to start again with fresh eggs and perhaps incubate them yourself.

 

[GrandmaBird]

I tried that, leaving them in there so they dont lay as many between sitting and its hog wash...mine just pushed the ones I left in out of the nest and incubated her new ones. I know this because I marked the ones I left in with a black "X". These little birds are smarter then ya think. lol
so just toss those and let her do her thing.
good luck

 

[Sians quails]

Yes they die if the hen doesn't get back on within about 3 hours I think it is.. so 24 is well gone
I'd really prefer for her to incubate her own eggs.. it would be so amazing to watch and its the way mother nature intended. I'll give her a few more goes at sitting on eggs before i take any off her for the incubator.

Thanks Grandmabird! I did mark these ones and she has pushed one away. So I'll bury them with the Coturnix ones that never hatched from my incubator. And I'll start again... well she will.

It's funny though.. the boy stopped his all night long crowing as soon as she got off.. what would happen if I separated them after she starts sitting?

Another thing (not sure if it is a coincidence) I got them some meal worms and she never got back on her eggs the same time she had her first one. Maybe I will only give worms to them when laying and not sitting.

 

[GrandmaBird]

Do not try to separate them as the male will call all the time and upset her and then she will not sit at all. He must not be able to see her at night, mine sleep right next to each other so maybe he was calling to find her? these little guys are a blast about the time you think you have them figured out they pull a switch on you! And about the meal worms, did you buy them at the pet store? if so some of them are fed with vitamins and such for lizards and will not be good in the long run for the buttons. If you really want to fed them worms go to a bait and tackle shop and see if they have non medicated ones or raise you own. I hear they just make the hens fat anyway but that up to 5 per week of small ones is okay just not every week. Mine love the boiled egg shell and all ground with a bit of cornmeal and also broccoli, dandelion leaves and blossoms and the like.