Please Help Me!! I keep hatching quail late and wth curled toes!

[Wolf-Kim]

I have the incubator running at between 99-100 degrees. Turning the eggs regularly. I have two thermometers, both are Accurites with the 10' wire probe.

My previous batch had several chicks wit the same issue. They pip their egg shell, but never make it all the way out without help(2-3 days after hatch day). But they hatch with horribly curled toes.

I had two quail hatch this time, and both have curled toes. One is able to scramble around on his "knuckles", but the other one can only lay on it's side and kick. They are other wise healthy and lively chicks, but with those toes curled it's a devastating cripple.

What is the deal? This is aggravating me!!!! To be so happy to watch them hatch, but then watch them struggle and eventually die due to curled toes.

-Kim

 

[Akane]

If it's a still air higher temps and either way higher humidity. I always hatch my quail slightly higher temp and humidity than my chickesn anyway. I hatch my chickens at 102F in a still air. For quail I run 45-50% humidity and then 65-70% during hatch in a still air. In a forced air I'd probably lean towards the higher of those.

 

[selinagil]

I don't know what's going wrong but you can fix those curled toes. Plenty of people on here fix them with band-aids, I sorta thought it was crazy until this week. I hatched a chick with one curled foot, and I put the band-aids on his foot for 48 hours and now he's getting around just fine. Maybe someone knows why they are hatching like that.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

The lowest the bator will dip temp wise is 99.7 but the highest it will bounce is 101.3.

It is a forced air incubator.

I guess I will have to try higher humidity. I have another hatch due in about a week or so.

-Kim