Pipping

[Fungus]

wow...where to begin....a few short weeks ago, I was looking for quail or quail eggs on craiglist. I was lucky enough to run in to one of the fine members here form Ohio, who sold me 4 birds instaed....3 hens and a roo.....cotournix.

17 days ago, I put 15 eggs into my bator and followed the instructions I found here.....today, I have pipping.....I guess that's what you call it when the chicks start to break out of their shells and make noise. I have several with pieces of shell flaking off, and rolling around a bit.

I'm hoping that at least 5 of the 15 will hatch for me.....oh this is gonna be hard.....I was looking every 30 minutes yesterday, but was out today for a bit, but now that I know they are on their way out it's gonna be so hard not to go in and watch.......


here's hoping for a successful hatch......got 12 more eggs waiting to go in, but will probably wait a day or so to gather a few more to go in with them.

 

[citalk2much]

Best of luck on your hatch

 

[Fungus]

citalk2much...thanks!

Anybody have any idea how long it should take them to get out of the shells once they start trying to get out? My fingernails are gone, and I'm about ready to start on my toenails....lol

 

[monarc23]

LOL no worries they should be out soon if your humidity is good

I'd start on your toenails in the mean time I know how hard it is for the first few hatches... soon you'll be an ole pro at it and you'll just open up the bator and go AWWH babies!

LOL

 

[Fungus]

Ok...I learned 1 big lesson over night.....

DO NOT put your incubator in your bedroom........LOL

the chick that started the pipping was of course the first to break out...boy was he, and is he still very loud! Louder than I had expected...needless to say, I've been up since about 2 AM this morning....LOL

I got the first one in the brooder, he seemed to dry out fairly quick.

I've got 10 more hatched for a total of 11 out of 15 so far....

ground up the starter food and have it in my brooder on a little tupperware type plastic container lid. I've got my quail watering base in there as well. I've tried to get the little guy to drink, but he seems bent on finding his relatives.....I guess he'll quiet down some when I get the others in the brooder too???...

and did I mention they look so cute!

 

[spook]

DO NOT put your incubator in your bedroom........LOL

Um, where else would you put an incubator! heeeheee, mine is in my bedroom too! This day 18 for me, I'm as excited as a bride on her wedding day!!!!!!

Hope my clutch turns out like yours!​

 

[Fungus]

Spook......it's ok as long as they aren't pipping at 5pm......not sure what time the first one came out. I really heard him(or her) making noise at 2am......at 4 there were 8 or 9 out....

I was expecting something to happen on day 16...guess I should have paid more attention to Niki's posts.....day 17-18 seems more like it!

2 in the brooder now...seems to have quieted #1 down a bit, now that he has some company......

 

[Fungus]

Welll....Crap!

I had to take off for a while today and when I came home about half my little Cotournix chicks were soaking wet when I came back. I have a quail waterer in the brooder, and they somehow appeared to have drianed it and soaked their bedding I have them on.

I put some dry bedding in, and took a hair dryer on low to help dry the little guys back off...they still look so pitiful, but seem to have stopped shivering...which I know can't be good.....

what does everyone else use in the brooders to water the young chicks? I'm now kind of afraid to put that darn thing back in there, not know ing how they drained it....maybe some kind of lid with marbles in it?

Thanks for any help in advance!

 

[monarc23]

My incubator is in my bedroom its really not bad at all, untilyou have a LOUD mouth. LOL. I can hatch out a hundred chicks and as long as none haave a huge set of lungs on them I barely notice i have a hatch until i open the bator and see a bunch of fluff

I use the normal quail waterers that you buy at tractor supply stores, plastic jar shape that you flip upside down and the water lugs out into the tiny trough. As long as you use the true quail waterer you really do not need to put marbles in it. Now if you use the chick sized one you do because they'll basically swim in it and chill.

But if you're concerned just make sure that no bedding is being kicked into the waterer because if it is if the bedding is in the waterer AND touchin the dry bedding it will drain slowly until it's drained completely.

You can use brand new fabric stuffing, or even paper towels in a waterer so that the chicks dont get soaked. I did that my first few batches now I dont use anything. The chicks really only need to be baby sat the first day of hatching when they are a lil slow to common sense. Other than that they get the picture.

 

[Fungus]

Niki....Thanks! I have the quail waterer from the local TSC store. It is the one made for quail and is a lot smaller than the other one they had. I'm betting the bedding "wicked" the water like you said...there was some bedding that seems to have been kicked in there by the chicks.....

hopefully they will all recover and all will be well. The other 4 eggs in the incubator look like they are going to crack open soon too from looking at them.....I am seeinf the eggs moving a bit, so hopefully round 2 will be just as good......


the ones that got wet were flat out soaked...hopefully they will recover.........