Is there anything wrong with adding a small tray of water and some food when you set Button Quail eg

[CondoCountryBoy]

I am hatching for the first time and a generous member gave me about 40 Button Quail eggs to get me started. I am due to set the eggs on Saturday. I have been told Button Quail need water faster than the other Quail breeds and should be taken out of the incubator within 6 hours. My concern is that I work and with my luck the birds will start to pip right after I leave for the day. I was thinking of adding a small tray water, filled with marbles, in with the eggs when I set them and maybe even a paper towel with some fine food sprinkled on it. I will turn the temperature down a little from 37.5 when I set the eggs and was thinking if there was a water source in the incubator with the chicks they would be able to survive a few hours longer, at least until I get home that evening. Any thoughts?

 

[lomine]

Six hours seems like a pretty short amount of time but I've never hatched button quail. I just did a quick search and I found a few links that said between 12 and 24 hours. Plus even if they start to pip right after you leave for work it is still going to take them a while to zip and hatch.

I would not risk putting any water in the incubator, even with marbles. Newly hatched chicks are extremely uncoordinated. They will flop around the incubator for the first hours with very little control of their bodies and they get tired very quickly. I think they would very easily drown if they happen to flop into the water dish.

 

[DK newbie]

Logically speaking, if a chick hatches just before sunset it would be pretty darn inconvenient if it couldn't survive the night without water as it's mother is not going to take it to water at night. I strongly doubt evolution would allow that to happen. So I'd say at least 12 hours - otherwise the chicks need to be able to tell the difference between day and night so they don't hatch around sunset. Which could of cause be the case, I just haven't heard of it.

 

[JaeG]

Once they externally pip it usually takes most of the day for them to break free. So unless they had started pipping the night before and were unzipping the next morning you should be ok to leave them until you get home. Hopefully they'll play ball because the high humidity of the incubator isn't an ideal place for food. I've only hatched them once and my female did most of the work, abandoning them when they pipped! So I had to hatch them under a heat lamp which was fun!

Good luck with your hatch.

 

[CondoCountryBoy]

I guess I will just hope for the best. I do know that I cannot open the incubator once I see the sign of a pip, that will "shrink wrap" the poor little guys. I will just have to hurry home from work next week

 

[stricklandquail]

My expertise is in bobwhite and coturnix. We typically let our chicks stay in the incubator overnight and take them out in the morning. The main thing is to make sure the chicks are dry when you take them out.

 

[yellowherb]

I am hatching for the first time and a generous member gave me about 40 Button Quail eggs to get me started. I am due to set the eggs on Saturday. I have been told Button Quail need water faster than the other Quail breeds and should be taken out of the incubator within 6 hours. My concern is that I work and with my luck the birds will start to pip right after I leave for the day. I was thinking of adding a small tray water, filled with marbles, in with the eggs when I set them and maybe even a paper towel with some fine food sprinkled on it. I will turn the temperature down a little from 37.5 when I set the eggs and was thinking if there was a water source in the incubator with the chicks they would be able to survive a few hours longer, at least until I get home that evening. Any thoughts?

Hi! You haven't set those eggs yet? You may have to come get some fresher ones haha!
All the buttons gpop1 and I have hatched normally pip and zip late at night, around 1am. I'm not sure if they time it that way or not. I've set quail eggs at all hours of the day. G's really protective of his little buttons and he worries about them non stop. In reality they can probably do 12hours without drinking. They will find a way to drown themselves even in a tiny bowl or lid with marbles.

Buttons are not like chickens and other quail in my experience. When they do a external pip they do not waste much time before zipping. I have seen some take 6 hours but when we hatch they normally go off like popcorn. Normal timing from pip to zipping is probably closer to 2 hours or less on our buttons.

Tell your wife Hello from me and G

 

[CondoCountryBoy]

Hi! You haven't set those eggs yet? You may have to come get some fresher ones haha!
All the buttons gpop1 and I have hatched normally pip and zip late at night, around 1am. I'm not sure if they time it that way or not. I've set quail eggs at all hours of the day. G's really protective of his little buttons and he worries about them non stop. In reality they can probably do 12hours without drinking. They will find a way to drown themselves even in a tiny bowl or lid with marbles.

Buttons are not like chickens and other quail in my experience. When they do a external pip they do not waste much time before zipping. I have seen some take 6 hours but when we hatch they normally go off like popcorn. Normal timing from pip to zipping is probably closer to 2 hours or less on our buttons.

Tell your wife Hello from me and G

Hey! Thanks for the reply and thanks again for the generous egg donation to first timers. We picked them up the Sunday before last so this coming Saturday should be day 13. I was going to set them then. I was running warm for the first 3 days, but was able to calibrate after I got a thermometer. It has been a stable 37.5 since then. I am not sure if that will accelerate the process or not. We have everything set up for the chicks, brooding box with lamp, feeder, waterer, and finely ground feed along with regular feed for later. We are probably going to be over protective parents! I am concerned about working Monday and Tuesday, but Fatima should be here to care of them if they start popping out. She can move them to the brooder if necessary. I will make sure everything is set this weekend, with brooder pre warmed for the chicks. Fatima fell in love with your white Sultan. It reminded her of a pet white chicken she had as a child. I will probably have to get one of those next. We better start looking at properties with large yards. I have a feeling our birds will grow out of our small condo!

 

[yellowherb]

Hey! Thanks for the reply and thanks again for the generous egg donation to first timers. We picked them up the Sunday before last so this coming Saturday should be day 13. I was going to set them then. I was running warm for the first 3 days, but was able to calibrate after I got a thermometer. It has been a stable 37.5 since then. I am not sure if that will accelerate the process or not. We have everything set up for the chicks, brooding box with lamp, feeder, waterer, and finely ground feed along with regular feed for later. We are probably going to be over protective parents! I am concerned about working Monday and Tuesday, but Fatima should be here to care of them if they start popping out. She can move them to the brooder if necessary. I will make sure everything is set this weekend, with brooder pre warmed for the chicks. Fatima fell in love with your white Sultan. It reminded her of a pet white chicken she had as a child. I will probably have to get one of those next. We better start looking at properties with large yards. I have a feeling our birds will grow out of our small condo!

Haha! I knew you would need a bigger yard when Fatima picked up the sultans and cuddled with them. I'll always have those when you are ready for a few chickens!

 

[CondoCountryBoy]

do you hatch Sultans? It might be fun to hatch a few eggs and take our chances on getting a rooster. I am sure Sultan Roosters crow as loud as any other chicken