Quail (and poultry) newbie

[Anonymous]

Hello

I am the proud owner of a single coturnix quail, who was the only survivor from the dozen eggs I tried to hatch.
Of the 12: 8 showed veins when candled, 4 developed into chicks, 2 hatched and 1 survived. So not a great success but I learned some lessons along the way and my next batch of eggs is on its way so I can try again

I will no doubt be asking newbie questions that google can't help me with so apologies in advance for that! I have never kept poultry before and want to try and do a good job. Fingers crossed I will get lots of lovely eggs at some point

lils

 

[Marigold]

Hi Lils, and a big welcome, especially to the Quail section! I'm just starting with quail, too, and hoping to do some hatching next Spring, so shall be very interested in your progress. I wonder what you'll do differently next time? I have read that there can be problems with candling quail eggs - because they're so tiny it's easy to overheat them. I think many breeders just don't bother as the embryo is so difficult to see through the patterned shell and trying to work out what's going on increases the exposure time. Could this have happened to yours, do you think?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Marigold, thanks for the welcome!

I candled the eggs with an led torch so they wouldn't get too hot, but I think that's about the only thing I did right! Right at the start the thermometer sensor dropped out of the incubator and I didn't notice, so I kept cranking the thermostat up worrying that it was so cold in there, by the time I noticed it had got up to almost 42'c.... I also didn't have any way of turning the eggs without taking the lid off the incubator 3 times a day so the temp was far from steady. This time I am devising something with coat hanger wire and plastic rectangles to push the eggs along side to side with the incubator still closed. Fingers crossed for next time!

 

[Tim]

Hi lils, a warm welcome from me too.

I don't keep Quail now but used to keep Chinese Painted when I was a teenager. The babies were like little bumble bees - very sweet!

See you around the forum.

Tim