Need help with quail hatch

[meriruka]

A neighbor gave my some Bobwhite quail eggs. I've read Bobwhites take 23-24 days to hatch. I'm on day 16, so I candled them. Almost all of the eggs are completely dark, they really don't look a week away from hatch, they look like only a few days until hatch.
So, never having seen a quail egg to begin with , are these Bobwhite eggs? Do they really need 23 days or is it 18 days like other types of quail?

 

[shelleyd2008]

They look like bobwhites, and should take 23-24 days. I hatched a few bobwhites this spring. I don't remember how they looked on candling, but I did have them pip on about day 20 or 21. They still waited till day 23 to hatch though.

 

[JJMR794]

Yep Thems Bob Eggs.....

They May Take Up To 25 Days To Hatch. 23 Being About Average, But Some Speces Of Bobs Take A Lil Longer. When They Hatch, They'll Hatch!!!! I Mean 95% Of All Hatchlings Will Literally Pop Out Of The Egg Like Jumping Beans And Be Peeping And Scurrrying Around Like Mad. Like Gamebird Popcorn In The Microwave. I Often Have Batches Of 100+ Hatch In 45 Min From Starting Pip To Last 1's Feet Hitting The Hardware Cloth On The Hatcher Floor. Its Amazing To Watch And They'll Be The Cutest Lil Fuzz Balls---- But Dont Be Fooled They're Lightning Fast And Always In Four Wheel Drive Mode! So Be Careful When You Go To Handle Them. Any That Dont Hatch Initially May Produce An Occaisional Late Bloomer But These Are Kind Of Uncommon---- Its Usually All At Once With Bobs. Oh And They Are Lil Spaz Cases!

They May Need A Lil Help Learning To Eat--- Throw A Couple Shiney Dimes Or Nickles On Top Of The Food For Them--- Helps Attract Their Attention To It, Also Scatter Some Lightly Around The Floor Of Your Brooder.

You'll Find They Are A Little More Cold Sensitive Than Coturnix.... And They Drowned Very Easily During The 1st Week Of Life So Be Ready For That--- Quail Watering Font Works Best, But Any Water Font Will Work Just Fill The Tray With Glass Marbles So They Cant Fall In. And Keep The Water Font Away From Your Heat Source For Them.

They Usually Need Heat Longer Than Coturnix. And If Your Planning On Using Them As Breeder Stock I Recommend Pinioning Them At About 3-4 Wks Of Age--- This Is More Permanent Than Clipping And Helps To Tame Them Quite A Bit As Well. It'll Help You Retain Your Breeding Stock.

Good Luck With The Lil Boogers And Enjoy! They're Great Lil Birds!

 

[meriruka]

Thanks for the advice!
I am on day 20, so tonight I will stop the turner & boost the humidity.
Pretty excited, but I have no idea what to do with these when they grow up.......(the eggs were an unexpected gift) I thought about keeping 6 and turning the rest loose on the property, but I don't know if they will survive, I kinda doubt it.
Any one have luck with 'setting them free'?

 

[shelleyd2008]

It's illegal in most places to release them without a permit. Many places they are illegal to own without a permit. So you might want to check into that before setting them free. You'll need a flight cage for them, and to make sure you don't mess with them very much, too keep them wild and make sure they can fly like they should.

 

[meriruka]

I should have thought of that. I know it's legal to own them here, but not sure about release........