Incubating Button Quail Eggs!

[ButtonHoarder]

I'm going to try hatching button quail in a month or two, and have a few questions before I start.

#1 What is the best number of eggs to incubate? I am mostly doing this for the experience and to keep a pair or two. And I also don't really have anyone in my area who wants any, but I don't want to do to few and get a bad hatch rate.

#2 Should I order some as well? I have 5 females but I only get like 2-3 eggs a week so by the time I have enough they might be not as fertile I don't really know how that works.

#3 Is it possible to sex them when they are still chicks?

#4 And what do I do with extra males? I know that culling is an option but I would really like to avoid that if possible

I'll probably think of more later.

 

[JadeFarms]

So they have a 50% hatch rate most of the time. Depends on age and how fertile the eggs are. Shipping eggs will really lower the hatch rate. They might not even hatch at all, so that’s a waste of money. It’s best to get them local. You can sell extra males.

 

[ButtonHoarder]

So they have a 50% hatch rate most of the time. Depends on age and how fertile the eggs are. Shipping eggs will really lower the hatch rate. They might not even hatch at all, so that’s a waste of money. It’s best to get them local. You can sell extra males.

Thanks I would get them local but nobody really has button quail around me and it's sad but nobody in my area wants the extra males I'm trying to sell now, which is kinda hard to believe, because who wouldn't want them?
Other than me I guess but I have too many for my females

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Thanks I would get them local but nobody really has button quail around me and it's sad but nobody in my area wants the extra males I'm trying to sell now, which is kinda hard to believe, because who wouldn't want them?
Other than me I guess but I have too many for my females

The problem I've found with button quail is that you can't really keep batchlor pads from what I've hears, and they're rather useless apart from pets. Their eggs are too small to really eat and they're too small to be worth processing

 

[Misfits Farm 92]

Out of eggs from my own birds I've managed to hatch 10 out of 12 and 21 out of 35. I'm lucky though I can hatch eggs in November and still sell all the chicks. Also I've found that if I give the button quail enough space and don't add or remove any then I can keep all of them together. My quail might just be weird though.

 

[ButtonBag]

So they have a 50% hatch rate most of the time. Depends on age and how fertile the eggs are. Shipping eggs will really lower the hatch rate. They might not even hatch at all, so that’s a waste of money. It’s best to get them local. You can sell extra males.

I ordered 7 on eBay hoping for a ~50% hatch rate as they were shipped eggs, and 6 hatched

 

[ButtonHoarder]

Out of eggs from my own birds I've managed to hatch 10 out of 12 and 21 out of 35. I'm lucky though I can hatch eggs in November and still sell all the chicks. Also I've found that if I give the button quail enough space and don't add or remove any then I can keep all of them together. My quail might just be weird though.

I keep mine in pairs and I only have enough room for 2 more pairs, so I would like to hatch not too many because nobody around wants any

 

[ButtonHoarder]

So I'm really at a loss of how many to incubate

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Would you post pics of your birds and some eggs in the palm of your hand for those of us who are not familiar with these birds? Thanks.

 

[Nabiki]

So I'm really at a loss of how many to incubate

I would incubate twice as many eggs as you want birds. Odds are good that some won't hatch. With twice as many, you'll probably have to find homes for some, but you'll end up with the number you want.