Is there any hope?

[MomFoldingLaundry]

Humidity does matter.
Too high humidity throughout and the chicks will die.

I think the temp dropping to 90 shouldn't be an issue this late during the incubation but the Humidity that high will be an issue.

Yeah, high humidity is the bane of my existence here in Hawaii, and I’m really happy my new incubator (not used with this hatch) has humidity control.

My original incubator, which I’m using now, is like 60% humidity without ANY water inside.

But if it drops below 60, and I add even a tablespoon of wafter, the incubator gets to 99% humidity immediately. >.<

So frustrating.

 

[MomFoldingLaundry]

Male quail are usually smaller than the females.

Yeah, it may be a boy. They are just 8 weeks now, and no crowing or foam yet.

It doesnt *look* like a boy, though. No flashy chest coloring. But...we will see!

 

[MomFoldingLaundry]

THE CHICK IS OUT!!!!!!!

 

[Ursuline Chick]

THE CHICK IS OUT!!!!!!!

How is your chick? Congrats on a job well done

 

[MomFoldingLaundry]

A second egg has pipped!

these are the tough ones, who dont mind being born in a steam bath. (99% humidity. I’ve got a dehumidifier on, trying to get it down.)

The one benefit of chicks in hawaii being born in a steam bath is that when I open the lid, it’s not a big deal, because my house is ALSO a steam bath. #somuchhumidity

 

[MomFoldingLaundry]

How is your chick? Congrats on a job well done

The chick is feisty! Strong I guess it had already pipped, and I hadn’t actually dented it. Because now another is piped and it looks just like the first hole.

 

[MomFoldingLaundry]

Wanted to give an final update on this.

The 9th, and I believe final, chick is unzipping right now. Of 10 eggs, 9 hatched just fine. So the dip in temperature was not a huge deal.

that said, I don't believe my brooder was actually at 90 degrees. I think my thermometers were off due to high humidity. YEs, I set my incubator low, but I think I really only set it to like 95 degrees. Maybe 92. But I don't think it really got to 90.

Regardless, being off by as much as 5 degrees a day or two before hatching didn't seem to mess the chicks up.

IMO, I think they would have started cheeping inside their eggs if they were really bothered.

All's well that ends well.

 

[Nabiki]

I can see a good hatch if the temp dropped to 95 the day before hatch. 90 would have been a bit harder on them, but I expect you still would have hatched some.

I'm glad to hear that you have healthy chicks!

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

@MomFoldingLaundry , Sounds like you had a good hatch.

 

[FloorCandy]

Huh. I had a small one I helped out of the shell with my last hatch and he/she seems to be getting to almost normal size now. I have a feeling its a girl and she is just undersized.

I wonder if they lay smaller eggs. :/

I’ve had a few I helped, one laid on its side for 2 full days in the bator and I gave it water every 2 hours. Eventually it got up, it needed corrective shoes, in the end it was about 2 days behind size wise when I added it to the brooder, now as an adult she’s huge, but lays like every other day. I have another tiny assist I helped who is huge, lays huge eggs, normally every day.

In my snowie hatch I had one born normal, but who failed to thrive. She feathered very slowly and is far smaller than the others. She’s like 9 or 10 weeks now and is still tiny, not as small as the albino male hatch mate, but smaller than the albino female. She’s About 1/3 smaller than her normal hen hatch mates. She is otherwise totally fine. Feathered and happy. She lives inside because she took so long to feather, I won’t be able to put her out til spring, it’s too cold now for her to adjust I think.