quails piping weird

[noideawhatimdoing]

I am incubating quails and they just piped a couple of hours ago(one even seems to have started zipping) but the thing is that they have broken the shell but not the membrane underneath. is that normal? should I be worried? should I help? how long can a chick live without air after it internally pips? please help.

 

[Alaskan]

I am incubating quails and they just piped a couple of hours ago(one even seems to have started zipping) but the thing is that they have broken the shell but not the membrane underneath. is that normal? should I be worried? should I help? how long can a chick live without air after it internally pips? please help.

They are getting some air... but yeah... the membrane should have popped.

I would get hot water in a cup, a little bit of paper towel and a clean toothpick...

Open incubator, with the toothpick pop little holes in the membrane...

Put the hot water in the water wells, and or wet the paper towel and put that in the incubator and close it back up. The hot water will bring the humidity right back up.

I would then wait about 4 hours after they zipped ... then carefully follow all of those "assisted hatch" rules and help out any that haven't gotten out IF it has been at least 4 hours since they zipped...

And yes, 4 hours is stupid fast ... but these are quail.... and I have found that they do not "hold" in their shells as long as chicken chicks.

 

[noideawhatimdoing]

They are getting some air... but yeah... the membrane should have popped.

I would get hot water in a cup, a little bit of paper towel and a clean toothpick...

Open incubator, with the toothpick pop little holes in the membrane...

Put the hot water in the water wells, and or wet the paper towel and put that in the incubator and close it back up. The hot water will bring the humidity right back up.

I would then wait about 4 hours after they zipped ... then carefully follow all of those "assisted hatch" rules and help out any that haven't gotten out IF it has been at least 4 hours since they zipped...

And yes, 4 hours is stupid fast ... but these are quail.... and I have found that they do not "hold" in their shells as long as chicken chicks.

the haven't zipped yet only piped

 

[Alaskan]

Wait until they are at least slightly unzipped.

 

[noideawhatimdoing]

until I use the toothpick method?

 

[Alaskan]

Yep... until using the toothpick...

Unless the membrane starts to yellow..

If it turns yellowish you know it had dried out and toughened up.

 

[Alaskan]

If they just sit with the one pip... not sure how long I would wait to pop a hole........

 

[noideawhatimdoing]

ok thank you

 

[noideawhatimdoing]

the chicks are also staying very quiet. should I be worried?

 

[Alaskan]

the chicks are also staying very quiet. should I be worried?

Uhm....


Yes.... I would panic..

Read through a couple of the assisted hatch articles and then help them out.