Is This a Pip?

[maxride14]

Yes pics would be helpful and definitely stones or marbles in waterers......quail think they are scuba divers and love to drown themselves!!!! I have even experienced it with 2-3 week old coturnix!

I've got these smooth black river stones that are meant to be in aquariums, but I think they'll work.

 

[Quailobsessed]

Right now the heating pad is on a tank with a leopard gecko.. once the quails hatch I have an empty tank that I'm moving the lizard to so I can use the tank with the heating pad. But I have everything ready to put in the tank once they're hatched. The paper bag has 1.5lbs of game crumble. I don't have substrate placed down yet, but that's because I'm waiting to switch out the tanks. The lid is wire. I was planning on using this red light but I'll scratch that if it's a bad idea.
View attachment 2126582

Nice. For substrate, paper towel is recommended for the first few days.

 

[maxride14]

Nice. For substrate, paper towel is recommended for the first few days.

I was planning on paper towel, but will the dishcloth be okay if I'm using the heating pad for warmth instead of the light? I already measured the temp on the dishcloth with the heating pad on and it definitely gets warmer than needed. I have to fold it a couple times so it stays around 100. As long as they can't hurt themselves with it then hopefully it's okay.

 

[Scubamama]

Hi, I tried to get the best pics I could. The eggs are due to hatch and I've never hatched quails before, so I was wondering if this is what a pip should look like? I haven't noticed it before today, but I've been keeping an eye on this egg since I think I've seen it shake a couple times before. It's hard to tell and the incubator glass is double-paned so I can't be certain. I circled the area in red. When I look at it from the side it looks like it has a slight edge, but I figured I'd ask someone experienced. Thank you!
View attachment 2126309View attachment 2126308

Yes indeed. Enjoy!!!

 

[mdees88]

Nothing wrong with using heat lamps, they're all I use. I would turn it on and let it run for an hour then check the temp BOTH under the light and at the opposite end of the brooder.

You want to get the Temps right before the chick's go in so you don't have to check on them all night. You want a pretty good temp difference between the two ends of the brooder, like 100f and 80f if possible. Don't worry if it's a little too hot directly under the light (like 105F) as long as the cooler end is significantly cooler they will position themselves where they are most comfortable. I've even had it 110F under the light and stay perfectly comfortable by sleeping at the edge of the light. Too hot is way better than too cold as long as you have enough room in your brooder for them to escape the heat.

I prefer the light over your heat pad for a couple reasons. First if the dishcloth is folded too much they'll be cold. If they squish it down some from walking on it they might get too hot. But the biggest reason is they have to be on top of it to be warm. So the temp of the heating pad needs to be perfect. If it's too hot or too cold the chicks end up too hot or too cold.

This is the benefit of the heat lamp. As long as it's as hot as they need or hotter they will position themselves closer or further away from it where they're comfortable.

You will definitely want some kind of substrate over the glass floor. I use fine pine shavings and it works perfectly. I've seen people use paper towels, towels, and shelf liners over newspaper and they work too.

Most people recommend grinding their food up but you do not need to do that. I used to do that but for the past 400ish quail I've never done it and they have zero problem eating the crumbles as day old chicks.

I always highly recommend getting a quail waterer. They have narrow troughs that the quail can't get inside. Not only can they not drown in it but they cannot stand or poop in it either which makes them more sanitary than chick waterers or bowls with marbles in them.

 

[Quailobsessed]

I was planning on paper towel, but will the dishcloth be okay if I'm using the heating pad for warmth instead of the light? I already measured the temp on the dishcloth with the heating pad on and it definitely gets warmer than needed. I have to fold it a couple times so it stays around 100. As long as they can't hurt themselves with it then hopefully it's okay.

I think a heat lamp is better than a heat pad. Do you have a heat lamp?

 

[maadroj]

I think the concern with the heat lamp is that the glass terrarium will get too hot. Have you tested it to see what temperature it gets directly below the lamp and at the other end? If it's too hot, see if you can adjust the temp somehow (thermostat that turns it on/off, moving lamp higher up, etc.). Alternatively, search for mama/heat pad caves and see if that might be an option with your pad. Good luck!

 

[maxride14]

Nothing wrong with using heat lamps, they're all I use. I would turn it on and let it run for an hour then check the temp BOTH under the light and at the opposite end of the brooder.

You want to get the Temps right before the chick's go in so you don't have to check on them all night. You want a pretty good temp difference between the two ends of the brooder, like 100f and 80f if possible. Don't worry if it's a little too hot directly under the light (like 105F) as long as the cooler end is significantly cooler they will position themselves where they are most comfortable. I've even had it 110F under the light and stay perfectly comfortable by sleeping at the edge of the light. Too hot is way better than too cold as long as you have enough room in your brooder for them to escape the heat.

I prefer the light over your heat pad for a couple reasons. First if the dishcloth is folded too much they'll be cold. If they squish it down some from walking on it they might get too hot. But the biggest reason is they have to be on top of it to be warm. So the temp of the heating pad needs to be perfect. If it's too hot or too cold the chicks end up too hot or too cold.

This is the benefit of the heat lamp. As long as it's as hot as they need or hotter they will position themselves closer or further away from it where they're comfortable.

You will definitely want some kind of substrate over the glass floor. I use fine pine shavings and it works perfectly. I've seen people use paper towels, towels, and shelf liners over newspaper and they work too.

Most people recommend grinding their food up but you do not need to do that. I used to do that but for the past 400ish quail I've never done it and they have zero problem eating the crumbles as day old chicks.

I always highly recommend getting a quail waterer. They have narrow troughs that the quail can't get inside. Not only can they not drown in it but they cannot stand or poop in it either which makes them more sanitary than chick waterers or bowls with marbles in them.

Ok, I put the heat lamp on the brooder so I'll check back in an hour and let you know. I'm not sure if it's going to be hot enough though since it's sitting on the wire lid. I don't know how else to hang it lower in the tank.

I think a heat lamp is better than a heat pad. Do you have a heat lamp?

Yep, I'm testing it now. I was hoping to avoid using it at night though because I heard that they're much more noisy if the light is on 24/7.

I think the concern with the heat lamp is that the glass terrarium will get too hot. Have you tested it to see what temperature it gets directly below the lamp and at the other end? If it's too hot, see if you can adjust the temp somehow (thermostat that turns it on/off, moving lamp higher up, etc.). Alternatively, search for mama/heat pad caves and see if that might be an option with your pad. Good luck!

The problem with that is that the heating pad is stuck to the bottom of the tank because it is adhesive. I don't think there's a way to cut it off. I've tested the temp with it before and it could get to 110 but 100 if I folded the cloth twice over it.

Also the egg seems to have made no progress from yesterday, so I'll be patient.

 

[yolkoroo]

@maxride14 - It looks like a pip from here too. I do think that quail hatch quicker than chickens, but please update. I am following as I am a few days away from hatching my own first-ever quail...I have a camera that records motion set in the window (so hoping small viewing window doesn't fog) and I have the camera streaming to my phone. It is making us all crazy, the wait that is, so finding out how long yours took to break out would be fantastic.

 

[maxride14]

Ok, the red lamp by itself is 90 degrees when on the wire. I put it on the tank with the heating pad and I turned it on (folding the cloth over the heating pad twice), so I'll check back in an hour again to see if that makes it hot enough. I also have a heat lamp with a white bulb, so it's much more bright but more hot. I'll check on that too in an hour. I'll check on that one too. In the meantime, here's what the egg looks like this morning. I think the dark spots in front of the shell on the paper towel are pieces of the egg but there doesn't seem to be too much progress around the pip besides a piece poking out more.