When to help a quail chick

[PinkFlamingoFrm]

This is my first time incubating anything... Im incubating button quail. I tried my best with humidity, but found out that my humidity was too high. I was trying to remove the water from my incubator to lower the humidity, it climbed up to 75%. Yesterday was day 16, I didnt see any pips so I took the lid off and was taking out the eggs to remove the water. I picked up one and it looked like it had a spider crack on it, so I looked closer and it looked like the lil tip of a beak. I didnt take time to look at it any closer, because I didnt want to hurt it & put the 2 eggs I had taken out back and closed the lid. The humidity is still high, and that chick hasnt made any progress. Im not 100% sure if it was a pip or not because I honestly dont know what Im looking for. The egg hasnt moved though, at what point should I help it?

 

[Razadia]

Since buttons take 16 days to hatch it sounds like your temps may have been running a tad low. I could be wrong, but I've read that humidity should be at 50-60%. If you have a syringe and a piece of tube to attach to it (or something similar that doesn't require you to open the bator) you could take water out that way.

I wouldn't worry about helping right now. At this point you could do more harm than good.

 

[PinkFlamingoFrm]

Since buttons take 16 days to hatch it sounds like your temps may have been running a tad low. I could be wrong, but I've read that humidity should be at 50-60%. If you have a syringe and a piece of tube to attach to it (or something similar that doesn't require you to open the bator) you could take water out that way.

I wouldn't worry about helping right now. At this point you could do more harm than good.

my temperature stayed pretty steady between 99-100 the whole time. I saw it dropped down to like 98 the other day, but that was the lowest I saw. Im just getting anxious, Its day 17 and I still have no chicks .. Im trying to keep myself away from the incubator.. but its hard!
I dont really have a way to pull water out that way, but I have to run to pick up chicks for someone from a hatchery today, maybe they will have something I can use.

 

[Razadia]

Quote: Just give them some time. They're only a day late. I know what you mean about staying away from the bator. I've been hatching for a few years now and I still hover over it when it's time to hatch.
I hope they have something you can use. It'll make things a lot easier.