Quail hatch

[Moa32]

I bought 36 cortunix quail eggs 16 days ago, I was able to set 32 (few cracked on the way home) out of the 32 I had 27 at lockdown. I was really concerned because I was having trouble with temp drops at night throughout the entire incubation and my humidity was near non existent no matter what I did. I locked down on day 14 because it looked like I was going to have a few early hatches. Day 15 I had 2 hatch which lifted and stabilised the humidity, I woke up on day 16 I had 20 quail in total, still 7 eggs left all have pips. The quail in the bator are going off their heads.

So my question is when should I remove the ones who have hatched?

I don't want to disturb the humidity for the remainder who from what I can see all have pips . I'm concerned the first two hatches would be getting hungry but my humidity was such an issue during incubation and first part of lockdown it seems a big risk to take them out.

 

[paneubert]

If you are fast, it is going to be worth taking them out. Can you really not raise the humidity with a wet towel or sponge or something? It is all about surface area that is wet. Not just about quantity of water. I imagine a soaking wet kitchen sponge or wet washcloth is going to spike the humidity. If the quail hatching did, so should a sponge/towel. Right?

 

[firestomp]

If you are fast, it is going to be worth taking them out. Can you really not raise the humidity with a wet towel or sponge or something? It is all about surface area that is wet. Not just about quantity of water. I imagine a soaking wet kitchen sponge or wet washcloth is going to spike the humidity. If the quail hatching did, so should a sponge/towel. Right?

I agree, with you, it is very important to get them out and to a brooder with feed and water. I use a ninja and break the chick starter down down to a cornmeal grit, and add pea gravel to the waterer so no drowning happens.

 

[Moa32]

I have ended up with 25 quail and 2 quitters , 1 pipped in the wrong spot and I cannot figure out what happened to the other. I removed the earliest of hatches first and left a couple as the others hatched I removed the others and left new hatches. It is actually the best hatch I have ever had.

I've been doing chicken eggs and occasionally quail for years. I've never had this sort of humidity prob before but this is a new bator. Other than the humidity issue (I think it's the location I have the bator) I'm pretty impressed with it all the surviving quail are very strong and healthy and we're very thirsty when I got them out. I have a dish with pebbles in it to stop drowning, I do that with my jap bantam chicks too after I lost a couple from drowning.