I legit need help with these eggs, please. Coturnix.

[Riane]

I had 3 shrink wraps, I waited too long to assist and only 1 was alive still. It’s a hard call to make.

Do you know how to handle an egg that hasn't pipped internally yet? I am down to do what I can to hatch them, but I really want to do it right.

 

[FloorCandy]

Do you know how to handle an egg that hasn't pipped internally yet? I am down to do what I can to hatch them, but I really want to do it right.

Celadon eggs are easier to candle, honestly I could barely see anything in the couple spotted eggs I got, but they hatched anyway lol.
I just ended up breaking the top part and breaking away little bits of shell until he wiggled out. I would break some, let it rest and wiggle, when it settled, break away some more. The wiggling free is what seems to break the connection with the membrane and prevent too much bleeding, so they need to work themselves free slowly at their strength and pace.

 

[Riane]

Celadon eggs are easier to candle, honestly I could barely see anything in the couple spotted eggs I got, but they hatched anyway lol.
I just ended up breaking the top part and breaking away little bits of shell until he wiggled out. I would break some, let it rest and wiggle, when it settled, break away some more. The wiggling free is what seems to break the connection with the membrane and prevent too much bleeding, so they need to work themselves free slowly at their strength and pace.

Alright, I'll try seeing if I can do that with at least one of them. The eggs are huge, but the babies don't seem to be. The air cells are probably about 1/4th the egg. All I can really see is the air cell and the big black mass that is the baby. I could actually feel them moving when I was holding them. But they've been trying for four days now.

 

[Riane]

So sad. I opened them up but they weren't good. One of the babies had part of the head so deformed that a chunk was basically missing. Another one had a very detached air cell and the bird was fully formed, but incredibly small. I don't think it had the strength. Both were dead and the rest of the eggs (4) weren't even fertilized.

I'm so bummed. I had ordered 12 eggs, 3 were broken on arrival, four of those infertile. Of the five that were fertile, three hatched. Just totally crushed. It's pretty impossible to source these birds in my area and I waited 3 years to find a breeder and order eggs. I just really hope of my three babies, I have one boy and one girl, and I can raise my own babies from them.

 

[FloorCandy]

I ordered my eggs off of eBay and had a mediocre experience. I ordered 24 eggs and received 36. The eggs had been lost in the mail for 6 days, and I put them in the incubator on day 9 from being layed. I ended up hatching 21, I had 3 shrink wraps and only 1 lived. Of my 21, 2 died early, one was pretty seriously handicapped since hatch. Of my 19 I ended up with 10 male and 9 female. you might want to check out eBay, and just plan on at least 50% not hatching, and order extras.

 

[hew]

Sorry about your unfortunate experience. I am also a newbie raising quails and wanted suggest a few things I have learnt having done 4 hatches so far. Since you seems to have controlled all the variables with the incubation, I'd say the issue is with the breeder you are using. She seems to be having issues with fertility and genetics. I'd look online immediately for a new batch of eggs from a reputable breeder who's NPIP certified if possible. Myshire, James Marie or ebay are good resources. Even if you get 1 male and 2 females from your current hatch you are going to have issues with the male. You really need 5 or more females per male.

Order more eggs than you need chicks. As FloorCandy stated above, plan for a 50% hatch rate and most likely that will give you 1/2 males to 1/2 females. I think that if you have to help the hatching process then consider that might be a weakly quail with poor genetics. Also, consider that once you open the incubator during lockdown your hatch rate will drop significantly thereafter. So I'd plan for that and don't open the incubator until about 1/2 the eggs are hatched or 2 to 3 days have passed since the eggs started hatching.

 

[Riane]

Thanks guys. The person I bought them from is wonderful, she has beautiful healthy and happy birds and I was her first experience shipping eggs. It was a learning experience for us both, but honestly they were packaged well. Someone had stepped on the package during shipping and there was a footprint on the box, so I was impressed only three of the twelve eggs were damaged.

She is sending me another set of 12, and she's planning to add extra protection around them.

The three babies that have hatched are doing great though! They're very sweet, cuddly things. They already have their pin feathers on their wings.