when to intervien? OMG almost lost him! Had to step in!!

[JJMR794]

Silly Question, But Do You Have All The Water Troughs In Your 'bator Filled? If So Take A Clean Dish Sponge And Soak It With Warm Water And Place It In There To Up Humidity. What 'bator Are You Using And Is It Still Or Forced Air--- Lemme Tell Ya Forced Air Is The Bomb For High Incubation Rates But They Will Shrink Wrap Slow Pippers Fast!

 

[Sillystunt]

Genisis, fan , turner and all!
I am totally bummed! I had to cull the quail with the feet problems. Turned down hill. It was so beautiful, blonde with black dots. I held it all day, rubbed it, snuggled and keep it warm in it's last hours. My friend had to cull it, i just didn't have the heart! RIP

 

[Akane]

I've popped lots of quail out after the hatch was finished. The problem for me usually is that the humidity gets so high when the main group starts hatching that I'll drown them all if I don't keep it on the low end at other times. The stragglers then get stuck. However it's never very many. I might have 1 or 2 get stuck after 50+ hatch. I'd drown far more by upping the humidity to try to get those few out so at the end of the hatch when I'm removing chicks I quickly knock the ends off any zipped eggs that aren't laying open in case there is a stuck chick. Majority survive just fine after I pop the end off the egg and dump them out. If they are zipped it's very very unlikely there is any blood left in the membrane. The main risk to helping a zipped chick are that it may not have absorbed the yolk completely which could result in infection or the remaining yolk rupturing and bleeding to death if removed from the egg and killing the rest that haven't hatched through opening the incubator. I haven't found many dead ones like that but if left too long they usually end up with problems that lead to their death even if it's a week or 2 later. Badly curled toes and legs or necks that won't straighten is usually what happens. The toes are often survivable but the last 2 I've never had one make it if it sits long enough to get that bad.

It helps to start with the vent plugs in the bator with humidity at about what you want it, pull the vent plugs when they start to hatch (I also cut 2 holes in the side of my hova lid which I can cover or open), and then cover the vent plugs back up when the hatch slows and the humidity begins to go back down. Every time a chick hatches the humidity will go back up a little to a lot and every lull between hatching chicks it will go down some. Also helps to have some paper towels and warm water on hand. If the humidity does a sudden dip then soak a paper towel and toss it in. Instant large humidity boost.