# Incubating quail eggs. :D



## hermit crab kid (Jul 5, 2009)

Hello,

I am incubating quail eggs..... once again! :lol2: 
There are 12 eggs. All have been resting 12 hours with small end pointing down in room temperature before putting them in the incubator.

All are marked with ''X'' and ''O'' in order to know which side is which when turning them.

I shall keep a journal of their progress.

Here are some pics:

Here are some piccies of the packaging, eggs and incubator.


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## steven_law (Nov 1, 2009)

what temp are these at??


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## hermit crab kid (Jul 5, 2009)

Temp: 99.5F

Humidity: 40%


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## steven_law (Nov 1, 2009)

how often do these need turning?


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## hermit crab kid (Jul 5, 2009)

Min:3 times a day. They should be always turned an odd number of times, i.e : 3,7, 9 etc...


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

When hatching Quail eggs, do you get the same M/F ratio that you do with chickens, and do you get the same problems with adult/juvenile males fighting? I'd like to hatch some eggs myself, but I know the problem with chickens when you get too many males, and I don't like having to cull excess males.


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## Pimperella (Sep 26, 2006)

Graham said:


> When hatching Quail eggs, do you get the same M/F ratio that you do with chickens, and do you get the same problems with adult/juvenile males fighting? I'd like to hatch some eggs myself, but I know the problem with chickens when you get too many males, and I don't like having to cull excess males.


 
I've found I get a high rate of males hatched. But with Japanese quails they reach adult at 8 weeks. We are planning to eat our extra males. Tho it is hard when the little beggers get so tame (well mine do), Got 3 cocks and 1 hen from first hatch. Waiting to see what the next 8 chicks are before I make any choice. But I seem to have a lot of paler coloured ones so will make a mix of colours. They make great mini roasting birds.


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## klair328 (Nov 15, 2006)

i tried these last year and year before i could always get a few to hatch but it was keeping the lil ones alive tht proved to be a problem we tried them on chick crums and a bag of feed that was sent with the eggs for chicks but they still died we kept them inside at room temp with water in a indoor guinea pig cage and they still died was gutted


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

> They make great mini roasting birds.


I agree, I love roast quail, you really need several though!

I think I'll just buy some birds rather than incubate eggs, I find it too hard to cull unwanted ones when you've hatched them yourself and they're so tame and trusting, bit of a wuss I know!


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

klair328 said:


> i tried these last year and year before i could always get a few to hatch but it was keeping the lil ones alive tht proved to be a problem we tried them on chick crums and a bag of feed that was sent with the eggs for chicks but they still died we kept them inside at room temp with water in a indoor guinea pig cage and they still died was gutted


 

I think you need overhead heat to keep the chicks alive as they chill very easily


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

yep, you cant take a chick out of a toastie incy and expect it to live at room temp straight off

best thing in an emergency is a red fire-glow lightbulb suspended over the cage they`re in.
keeps them nice and toastie without hurting their eyes.

and dont forget the round stones in the water bowl so they dont drown themselves ( its they mission in life )

i`ve always got around 50/50 sex wise.
the whites and ranges are annoying as you cant sex them by feather colour.
and we eat the males too, or they start to scalp each other around the 10 week old mark, never roasted them though, how long do you cook them for?


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

Haven't cooked one for ages, about 25 mins IIRC? It's very quick anyway, one makes a good starter with salad, or two for a main dish.


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## Pimperella (Sep 26, 2006)

klair328 said:


> i tried these last year and year before i could always get a few to hatch but it was keeping the lil ones alive tht proved to be a problem we tried them on chick crums and a bag of feed that was sent with the eggs for chicks but they still died we kept them inside at room temp with water in a indoor guinea pig cage and they still died was gutted


 
They will have died of the cold. They come out of an incubator which was 37 to 38 degrees c. Then go to room temp at 18 degrees C, then they are gonna die, slowly. Ain't a quick death.

They HAVE to go into a brooder at 36 degrees C, reduced by a degree each couple of days, Until they reach room temp. 

Didn't you do ANY research at all?????? :bash:


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## klair328 (Nov 15, 2006)

they had a heat lamp above them? and yea they had pebbels in their water so they didnt drown and yeap i did  but i still had the whole 4 i hatched die


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## Pimperella (Sep 26, 2006)

pigglywiggly said:


> and we eat the males too, or they start to scalp each other around the 10 week old mark, never roasted them though, how long do you cook them for?





Graham said:


> Haven't cooked one for ages, about 25 mins IIRC? It's very quick anyway, one makes a good starter with salad, or two for a main dish.


Aye, about 30mins at 180C. Good Starts or If you have a couple with all the trimmings. My son can sit and eat 4 in one sitting! He's 7. But he's also a Giant lol (well, for his age. Everyone thinks he's 10/11 and last year one of mums at school thought he would have been in the 1st year at high school this school year lol she was shocked when I said He's only 7 in the holidays!)
Mad, I'm the one who is forced to do the culling here. Hubby point blank refuses unless it is ill and needs it. I hate doing it. But I like eating and eating well reared food. The kids are odd. They adore their pet birds. They both have their own breeding pens. But ones they know are going to be food, they love as much, still fuss, but are happy to eat it. In fact if we have had to buy free range organic poultry, they moan that it wasn't reared by us! Odd children. I know I would have freaked.


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## Pimperella (Sep 26, 2006)

klair328 said:


> they had a heat lamp above them? and yea they had pebbels in their water so they didnt drown and yeap i did  but i still had the whole 4 i hatched die


But in a guinea pig cage? was it the cage type ones? Cause drafts are enough to kill them at that age. 
I have mine in Vivs for the first stage. Heat mat on mat stat aswell as lamp. They are very delicate in brooder.

I have found that cutting a sponge to the shape of the bowl, so the chicks can run over the top of it, checking every hour (yes I am that dedicated) in the first week at least, prevents them getting wet at all, cause wet plus draft = dead.


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

i have mine drinking out of a rabbit water bottle by the time they`re 2 weeks old usually.
keeps the water clean and they cant drown themselves.

i use a glass fish tank or a zoozone for the first few weeks too.

still waiting for my old girls to come into lay, will def try roasted boys this summer, sounds good, we usually have them pan friend with rice and stir fried veggies, yum!


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## Denise aka Martini (May 27, 2009)

*Temp advice for baby cpq*

Hello all! Im new to this particular section, i vary rarely venture outta the shelled section, but ive now been given some cpq they are about 6 days old, im keeping them in a viv at moment, i have used one of my red heat bulbs i use for my tortoises, suspended., is this ok, or is it too bright for them? Am i ok using a 100 watt bulb or should i change it, if yes what to plz? Its up high enough not to be too hot obviously, but not too sure what the temp is supposed to be for them?
They are fascinating little creatures to watch.
Thanks for reading any advice would be great :2thumb:


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