please I need help with my quail eggs in the hatcher!

[stormylady]

I have 29 eggs in the hatcher, they were all doing well in the 1588 genesis till i put them in there, Little Giant incubator. I thought that I killed them because I couldn't get the temp right after i put the eggs in, It was doing fine with the temp while I was adjusting and then i put the eggs in and it went wacko on me (Anyway my fault im sure) but they were suppose to hatch today. I have seen no signs of it happening no pips no nothing. So i took some out and candled them , Some of the chicks are still alive yet I see veining, Am I suppose to see veining? so what do I do. do i turn them by hand or just leave them alone. The temp went up a couple of times to like 120* once and did a 118* a couple of times I don't think for very long.then goes down to like 97* then back up to 100* anyway I thought that they were dead, but some are still alive in there. So what do i do!? I want to save them if i can.
Thanks so much in advance, Sandy

 

[Akane]

First if the temp is correct before adding eggs to the bator (and it should be because you should have had it running long enough to adjust it before you needed it) then do not adjust it after adding the eggs. The eggs will slow down the change in temp so the bator will take longer to stabilize at first and less time after the eggs are the same temp as what you want the bator. The difference should be less when moving eggs from a bator to a hatcher than adding cold eggs to a bator but there will still be a lag. If it was the right temp before adding eggs it will eventually be the right temp again. Fiddling with the knob will only result in the temp eventually being off after it reaches the point it would have and keeps going or fails to reach what it would have cause you turned it down.

Second quail are not always obvious like chickens and they don't always hatch on a specific day. Sometimes you'll see no sign of life and then 10mins later you'll have a dozen quail chicks. Every now and then I have some that just start a day late. Even one hatch that I had the temp higher than normal and the chicken eggs incubated with them in a cooler area of the bator hatched a day early. Every quail in that hatch popped out a day late when if anything they should have been early. Quail will hatch when they feel like it.

You should see veins. If there actually aren't any (not just that you can't see them) and they haven't hatched they are dead. They will often still be absorbing the veins and yolk even after they pip. That's one reason helping is dangerous. If you try to break them out early you are going to break vessels and cause them to bleed to death.

You should not open the bator or remove eggs to candle or turn. Every time you do the membrane dries out for awhile and if a chick happens to be trying to break the membrane it will get stuck and die. Chicks that have already pipped can also be dried to the inside of the shell and unable to move to finish breaking the shell.

 

[stormylady]

Ok so i won't touch them again, right? just leave it alone. got it. I just thought I killed them and was checking but then saw the viens in there and wiggling around and thought maybe i put them in the hatcher at the wrong time and they weren't fully developed and then the temp flux . So how long should I wait, till IM sure that they wont hatch. this is day 24 for them.
Whewww! this is soooo stressful for me! Thankyou for answering my call for help! Very relieved to hear I should see the veining! You've been very helpful.

 

[Akane]

What kind of quail are they? Different quail hatch on different days. It can be anything from 16-25days depending what species we're talking about. Even then there's usually a 3 day possible range instead of 1 certain day like for chickens.

 

[stormylady]

Bobwhite quail.

 

[Akane]

Bobwhite can take 24days and not be late. Some sites say 21-23 and others say 23-24 so they still might be on time.

 

[stormylady]

Good deal! so if they don't come today, but I did see live chicks in there so just leave them alone till when? day 27 or 28 since you said they could be a couple of days late? Thanks again Sandy

 

[stormylady]

Ok I saw like 10 pips this morning and I heard little peeps. there might be more pips that I can't see. Some of the eggs are rocking.
Sandy
I can't stop staring in there about every 10 mins. or so. IM afraid to get excited yet.

 

[mcmch91]

Let us know how it goes?

My DH was dragging his feet about "more" chickens. Then he discovered that he could hatch quail in the same set up I used for chickens. The next batch in the 'bator is half his. I am learning as I follow your struggle.

Keep asking questions. There is always somebody else who wants to know too!

 

[dave_Cash69]

yes; keep us updated