How late is too late?

[xxSonja]

How late is too late to take my button quails 8 eggs to incubate myself? this should be day 4 or 5 of incubation but i havent seen Mrs Quail (or Mr either) sitting on the eggs for the last day or two. Is it too late to incubate them myself?
Mrs Quail started out very broody, but seems to have given up!

ive seen a couple of eggs rolled out of the nest and then next time i look theyve been rolled back into the nest again, so has she given up or not!? so frustrating, as shes usually a very good broody.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

It's not too late. I would incubate them myself. This early in incubation it should not make a huge difference. It might be borderline so I'd do it now though and not push my luck and wind up waiting too long for sure. Just my opinion

 

[smallbluejellybean]

Hi Sonja,
All my quails went off sitting the other day in the heat. They started to play football with them. Luckily I looked through all my pets stuff and found enough things to make my own incubator. I salvaged 20 and popped them in. I have been turning them 3-4 times a day, but at least they are at stable temperature now. I was told by a local bird breeder you can keep quail eggs up to 2 weeks before starting incubation, but I do not think he took into consideration the heat waves we have been having - so if any hatch will be a miracle, but worth trying.
Good luck with yours too.
Let me know if they hatch, will you?

 

[xxSonja]

Well i gathered up a bunch of stuff to build an 'emergency' incubator, foam box, light, a bit of wire, some tubs for water, glass for a window, and had a bit of a look around for ideas on how to make the darn thing, and when i realised i didnt have a thermometer, or a fan, or any clue what i was doing i sort of decided i would just not hatch out this lot of eggs, and reasoned with myself that ive got my four lil 3weekers to look after anyway, and i could always make sure i was more prepared for this next time ...
So cutting a longer story short..
I decided to removed the scattered eggs from all over the cage, but when i looked in the cage all the eggs had been rolled back into the nest and on looking a little harder i counted 9 eggs! thats one extra from what i counted earlier today! and the nest has been tidied up a bit(deeper indent, eggs all clustered together) so it looks like shes changed her mind again and IS going to sit on her eggs! Thank God For That!! I really really want more lil babies!

On another note if there was five days between eggs, and Mrs Quail had already started sitting, does that mean they will hatch five days apart? or will the older eggs wait the extra days, or the younger will hatch early? or any other scenario?

 

[smallbluejellybean]

Sonja, I would like to know that too. My eggs were layed 3 at a time each day.
I was told my temperature is ok at 99.4 horray!!!. Sonja I made mine like this (CHECK THIS-so easy) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igfnDBYowggou
The only difference is I used a small square reptile/scorpion tank. I use sponges around the dish to stop it moving and hitting the sides or the themometre. It also maintains the humidity better. I covered it with thick towels, except the front so I can take readings.
Your lucky that yours went back sitting. Mine just wanted to have a football game.

P.S. - Would now love to get a proper incubator one day, but Christmas comming the funds are just not there. Maybe next year I will either make one myself with fans, turner or buy one. They can be so handy, when you really need one.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
YES THEY WILL HATCH ONCE THEY HAVE REACHED MATURITY--- SO IF EGGS 1, 2, AND 3 WERE UNDER MS QUAIL BEFORE 4,5, AND 6 WERE LAID THEN THEY WILL HATCH WHEN THE TIME IS UP! AND EGGS 4,5,AND 6 WILL DO LIKEWISE OVER EGGS 7, 8 AND 9.... USUALLY IN MOST BIRD SPECES, THE HEN WILL LAY A CLUTCH OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, THEN COMMENCE TO "SITTING THEM ONCE SHE'S LAID HER EGGS SO THEY ARE ALL INCUBATED AT ONCE AND HATCH IN UNISON.