***SEPTEMBER HATCH-A-LONG come join in***

[callducklover20]

Madcap61 those ring things are lids off the small jar size of Yankee candles-I like to use those for water and food for the little bantams for the first few days since they are so tiny and its a great way to reuse something I already have, then I switch over to the standard quail size water fountains
the darker chick turned out is a silkie

some how that egg moved over to the middle of the D'uccle eggs lol-thought it was a strange color then I noticed the black skin-didnt think any of the 6 silkie eggs I had in there made it but I was so happy to find out I have a blue splash? silkie

MsFluffyPuffy you need an auto turner-best money I ever spent since I can now leave for the day or overnight and not worry

 

[Lesalynn]

Congrats, icemanchicken. I'm on my third batch right now.....I love how they pip and zip immediately, popping right on out of the shell. I take it this is your first time?? If so, just a little bit of advice...wish I'd have known the first time, I would not have lost so many. In my first batch most of them hatched out...I had 40 something of them. Well, I didn't know they could not take ANY kind of draft, period. I kept losing 6-7 a nite. They were piling up on one another during the nite to stay warmer. The bottom ones died. My last 2 batches are done significantly better. I keep the light directly on tip of the cage, in one corner. That way they can get under the light when cold, and out from under it when warmer. But what I think has really helped me to keep them alive when they are so young is using windbreaks around the cage. All I did was take cardboard flats and jam them around the inside bottom tray of my cage going all the way around it. Keeps all drafts off the babies, and haven't lost any due to piling since. Good luck with the rest of your hatch, the quail are really neat to raise.

Everyone, keep the pics coming. I'll have some of my own sometime today. So far, out of the 45 Coturnix eggs, I have 32 out. One was weaker than usual, and it died within the first few hours, but the other 31 are looking good!~!

 

[Lesalynn]

Okay, I ran outside and got a few pics of my newest hatchees. Enjoy:

icemanchicken: here are some pics of the inside of the cage where I keep my newborn chicks until they start feathering out. These strips of cardboard have really made a big difference for them. They are outside my back door, on my porch. The temp dropped pretty low last nite, and I didn't lose not even one chick. I keep a 60 watt light in a deflector hanging from the top of the cage. If the temps were 98 and above, the light would be laying on the top of the cage.

 

[Morag]

One of my babies got out of the brooder last night and obviously couldn't get back in, I found it dead this morning. It must have died of the cold, it was freezing here last night, frosty this morning. I'm so sad, I feel like it was my fault, I'd left a little blanket in the box for them to cuddle against, it must have climbed up and got over the side. I checked them at 11.30 and they were all fine.

 

[outback hatcher]

just went on lock down with RIR and Welsummer:

 

[cthrash1]

Quote:
Good hatching vibes to you!!!

 

[Imagesoart]

It's day 21ish. I only have one that has pipped yesterday. It is a BCM and it is still trying to hatch. But nothing else so far.

My question is, how long should I wait to get rid of the eggs? and How do I take care of a single chick? My friend has a broody hen, could we sneak the chick under her at night? Has anyone done that with success?

 

[txmel]

Quote:
i have a single chick from my hatch as well we are keeping her (?) in a fish tank in the office room/second living room where we spend a lot of time. i get her out several times a day and hold her talk to her and my kids get her out as well. we have four dogs that are also in that area so she has the motion and activity all around her that she can watch and run back and forth in her tank. she is a serama so i have a feeling she will be in there, quite comfortable, for awhile. I have more eggs in the incubator so hopefully in 2 to 3 weeks she will have some company but the ones hopefully hatch are standard size so not to sure how that will work out in the long run. i have never tried placing a lone chick under a broody so can help at all with that, sorry.

 

[Madcap621]

Quote:
OK, so I understand button quail are the size of a bumble bee [or lg kernel of popcorn

] when they hatch. How large are newly hatched coturnix chicks? Will someone taking pictures put something [a quarter?] down for size reference, please?

 

[Madcap621]

Quote:
You're doing everything well. I would put a fluffy "Mama" [stuffed animal] in her brooder [about halfway under light so half is very warm & half less so] so she has a snuggle mate.