What happens if you open an egg if it is still alive?

[Sethc]

I made a rookie mistake and assumed my quail died in the eggs because it was a day or day1/2 after they were supposed to hatch (I was wrong on the dates I still had a day till the hatch) and I opened one of the eggs where the air sac is and I found out the quail was alive. So I put it back in the incubator expecting it to die then everything started to shrink wrap around him then I pulled the stuff off him and he came out of the egg but he is completely yellow instead of black and yellow or completely black. Why is he that color? Please help.

 

[WillowChick]

Is he breathing?

 

[Sethc]

He's breathing and looks relatively healthy a little weaker than the others still has some egg membrane on his wing a foot that is curled up instead of out and flat like it should be.

 

[Sethc]

This is a picture of the quail the stuff on the wing is the membrane I was talking about. Do you think it will naturally come off or do I need to take it off.

 

[SeptemberQuail]

Genetics might have caused him/her to be a different colour, the chick might turn out to be a white one. I don't think its the fact that he hatched out too early that caused his different colouration to the rest. Yellow chicks are normal in quail.

I'd keep an eye on him, if the curled foot doesn't fix itself after a day or so (It should normally), I'd look into making little shoes for him with band-aids to straighten his toes (Its hard to get it on them, they're too fidgety and small. I thought I had to do it straight away for my chick, but turns out the chick with the curled feet had straightened into normal flat feet the next day.); do it early before his bones start to set.
Make sure he eats and drinks enough as well.

I'm sorry, I have no advice for the wing problem, but all I can say for next time you incubate, is that it can take up to another four days (I think that was it) for an egg to hatch past the due date.

Good luck with the little guy.

 

[Sethc]

Thank you SeptemberQuail you mentioned genetics that's a strong possibility because later that same day another completely yellow chick hatched and there both still doing fine. You said use the shoes early before his bones start to set could you tell me when the bones start to set.

 

[SeptemberQuail]

That's great to hear that they're alright. Seems like you have a bit of a variety in quail chicks!

I honestly do not know when the bones actually start to harden, but I remember reading somewhere that it could be when they're around 1 - 2 weeks old (that may have been for chickens though). Quail age quite quickly, by 6 weeks they'll already be adults and laying eggs themselves, so I suggest doing it within the first week if the curled feet don't fix themselves.

This website has some ideas for a foot splint:
(Scroll to the bottom)
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKRaisingChicks.html

The band-aid method is a little tricky as the band-aid itself is sticky and the chicks hate being handled, its even harder because they're even smaller than chicken chicks.