last minute quitters question

[barnwife]

I have a question.

Lately I have tried hatching quail, both coturnix and buttons. I have about a 25% hatch rate, BUT 50% make it to within a day or so of hatching...and never pip, so they are FULLY FORMED and dead in the shell...seems like they are HUGE and may have trouble moving enough to pip perhaps? I do not have this problem with ducks or chicks...just the quail.

Do I need to help them pip a day earlier? I need your advice. Thanks!

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Have you asked Monarc? She is the quail queen. We hatch ours at the same settings for chicks. To be honest I never even noticed that they pip the shell, I have seen them pushing out of the shell and it looks more cracked, I always figured they just pushed their way out?

Steve in NC

 

[barnwife]

I think I am beginning to hate the LG... I have a few pm' from folks who said it's from variant temps in the lg ...I think I am going to be very very quick about getting rid of my Lg's once hubby gets me the sportsman in a few months (yay!).

I will ask monarc just in case there is something else I am doing wrong...otehr than using an LG.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

You can't go wrong with a sportsman, I just put a batch in ours to hatch, I did check them and they do have a small pip. I never noticed it before.

Steve

 

[Mahonri]

I'm thinking swings in temp or humidity.