Just candled our 12 day shipping quail eggs

[Shannon Robinson50]

So this is what we decided. We left all 43 live and moving developing chicks from shipment 1 in the large brinsea. We labeled the second shipment according to variety. We placed all but 7 of the new ones in the large brinsea. The remaining 7 will go into the small brinsea until wednesday when we will lock down the big brinsea. At that time we will move as many hatching eggs into the small brinsea without the turner. It should hold 15-18, maybe 20. Then we will place the final 7 into the big brinsea. The rails containing the first shipment will be removed, nonslip flooring installed and humidity increased for days 16, 17, and 18. Eggs remaining from shipment one will be placed on floor of big brinsea and it will remain closed till hatch is over. Then they will be removed the humidity will be reduced to 40-45% for the next week or so till the second lock down.
oh, to make things even more interesting, the second eggs are way bigger. Only 12 rather 15 fit in each rail. Fingers crossed and wish us luck. Geronimo

 

[Shannon Robinson50]

Also, I apologize to KikI. I’m sorry if I was rude. My daughter melted down and I went into mama bear mode.

 

[Shannon Robinson50]

So we ended up with 41 hatched. One had a bad foot that didn’t repair with the “snowshoe” then damaged its knee from the strain of trying to walk on a partially paralyzed foo. She can’t walk at all, so is happily being a pet in a finch cage in our daughters room. 19 went to a friends who bought the eggs with us. 5 had genetic/ albinism issues and were culled. Still 36 birds after 12 days in a polar storm isn’t bad.

 

[Shannon Robinson50]

Oh yes. The second set of eggs have hatched too. After no turning, then turning, then not turning( we didn’t set the turner/lid properly after candling) then turning again, humidity too high then too low( see above turning reason,) then going into lockdown.dreading that we had killed them all with such a rigermaroll. waiting till day 18.

We saw nothing. No movement no pipping. Nothing. So we waited again. Not quite as hopeful. By mid afternoon I was a nervous wreck. Should I have listened and set the eggs in the borrowed incubator after all? Then I got a text from our son. ” are the eggs supposed to wiggle?”
we rushed home. I refused to leave the incubators. The ssc were in the ovation and the mini held the snowies for hatching so we would know what they looked like As chicks. first one...then 3, then 7 then 11...14..
over the next several hours most of the ssc hatched out. the snowies just sat there. Nothing. Possibly some small wiggles. Maybe we were just being hopeful. Then a pip. Then another pip. Then the race was on. Which would hatch first? We called out encouragingly to them. Then another, and another. Final count? 10 from the snowies and 43 from the ssc for a total of 53 hatched from 60 eggs.


isn’t it wonderful? Two brooder in my room with a grand total of 70 chicks all twittering away.
double hatching is just too much. Too stressful. The worst part? I looked at the empty eggs and asked my husband if we should hatch some more.