I really need some advice!

[sabrinaTmartens]

I have 8 chinese painted quail eggs in my incubator. They came from a quail hen who had too many eggs to sit on, so i put 5 in the incubator, and a few days later the other 3 because she left them go cold during the night.

They have been in the incubator for 8 days now( not including today), and the hen sat on them for definetly over a week as well. at first i thought they only needed a couple of days to hatch, but appearantly they needed more time.

Three days ago i candled them and they were all black with a round air pocket on the round end, they looked ready to hatch, but still no pips.

Yesterday i thought they were al dead so i water candled them quickly, but they all definetly moved in the water.

How long after the egg appears black( and you can't see through it anymore), should they start to pip?

I am becoming so worried
I think they might nog hatch at all

Could someone please give me some advice maybe? Thanks!

 

[dc3085]

Usually by day 7-8 the egg will be dark but buttons don't hatch until day 16.

First thing is stop messing with them. I know how exciting it is and hundred of hatches later you will still want to candle and float test etc. but you learn along the way the less you handle them the better. Not saying you did anything wrong or anything I wouldn't have, this is how you learn to be a good hatcher, by playing around with it.

Next thing I'd do is run the humidity up to about 60-65% and leave it there until they either hatch or don't. If you are hand turning them continue to do so for at least 3-4 more days then lockdown the bator. If they hatch in the mean time it really is no big deal that you'll have been turning them.

If you notice any pipped eggs DO NOT open the door again until you have a chick(s) that have been hatched for 6-12 hours. Coturnix and the bigger quail we leave in the bator for 24 hours before removing buttons can't tolerate that so 6-12 hours after hatch when they are mostly dry go ahead and pull them out.

 

[GrandmaBird]

The button chicks need to be moved as soon as they dry or within and hour or so. They need water and food sooner then most chicks. I waited until I had 2-3 dry and fluffy, then quickly grabbed them and put them into the brooder. be fast as they can really hop about! I would give those eggs a few extra days as it sounds like the hen was not sitting tightly so it might take them up to 20-21 days at most and good luck.

 

[sabrinaTmartens]

I very quickly candled another egg just now and i saw the little baby pecking it's way through either the membraan or the shell ( i saw it's beak moving in the air pocket) and i heard a peep and a little bit of pecking as well for the very first time!

I haven't been messing with the incubator too much at all since it's been on lockdown( which it has been since 6 days, because i thought they were ready.... Now i know better ofcourse!)

I have kept a constant temperature and the humidity has always been between 55 and 65%.

It is definetly a learning proces, but i enjoy it so much!

I am so happy! Hopefully when i wake up tomorrow i will see at least one pip!

Maybe i was just worrying for nothing after all! Thank for your advice!

 

[Sill]

I put food and water in my hatcher so the chicks have food and water while waiting for their siblings to hatch. That way I'm not constantly opening it up to take chicks out until almost all are hatched. It makes a mess of the hatcher but hey it's washable and it gives the chicks a good head start.

 

[GrandmaBird]

Sill that sounds like a good idea but how do you keep them from jumping all over and out of the incubator when time to transfer them to the brooder? I had trouble keeping 3 at once I cant imagine 9 or more! I almost lost one onto the floor from the table and I am sure he would have been hurt. anyway I like the idea of food and water in the incubator except for the jumping out and the food would get wet and the water would be hot. humm....now it doesn't sound like such a good idea. lol

 

[sabrinaTmartens]

Friday evening the first two eggs pipped, and later 3 more followed. 24 hours later i was getting worried because nothing else was happening. One egg had a hole but after 4 hours still wasn't making any progress.

Then all of the sudden, one of the other eggs started zipping, and was out of the egg within 10 minutes! Absolutely incredible to see, the second, third and fourth egg followed in under 2 hours, and when i woke up there were two more tiny fluffy balls!

2 egg still haven't hatched, so i will just wait patiently.

They are almost ready to go into the brooder! Thanks for your advice!

 

[Sill]

Sill that sounds like a good idea but how do you keep them from jumping all over and out of the incubator when time to transfer them to the brooder? I had trouble keeping 3 at once I cant imagine 9 or more! I almost lost one onto the floor from the table and I am sure he would have been hurt. anyway I like the idea of food and water in the incubator except for the jumping out and the food would get wet and the water would be hot. humm....now it doesn't sound like such a good idea. lol

Work very quickly! Make sure if you have dogs or other critters that find quail tasty to have them banished from the area before you open the incubator. It also prudent to have someone to help, if nothing else than to make sure none escape from a side that you are not watching.