Quail

[GilpinGuy]

First chick just hatched!



So cool!

[Ah Pook]

First chick just hatched!



So cool!

Ahhh, how cute.



When is the harvest?

[thedave1164]

Sweet, let us know how many hatch

[GilpinGuy]

Well, the hatch didn't go so well. Out of 50 eggs I had 9 hatch and 6 died shortly thereafter. While tragic, I have 3 awesome little birds doing great.


I know what went wrong here. While in a panic during the hatch, I got on the quail forum of backyardchickens.com and frantically asked for advice on why my chicks were dying. Many incubators come with a built in thermometer and hygrometer. The overwhelming advice I got was that the built in thermos and hygros on incubators are trash and to never rely on them. A secondary is necessary to ensure proper temp and humidity, which is critical for a successful hatch.

I noticed that I couldn't get my incubator quite up to the proper humidity during "lockdown", which is the last 3 days before they are supposed to hatch. The humidity is supposed to be bumped up for those last 3 days. I simply couldn't get it up high enough, according to the shitty hygrometer. In fact, I suspect that the humidity was WAY too high. The chicks were hatching and basically drowning in the super humid air. The temperature was probably way off too.

Typically, you would let newly hatched chicks stay in the incubator for up to a day to dry off. The quail forum folks advised me to immediately remove any chicks from the incubator and get them under a heat lamp in the brooder. 3 out of 4 of those chicks survived so that was good advice. These 3 survivors are gonna be bad ass birds after all they went through!

Of course I'm not giving up. This was a great learning experience and hey, it was my first time. I ordered a quality thermo/hygro that should arrive next week. We get 15 eggs a day on average, so I'm already setting the best aside for the next run. If all goes according to plan I should have a new batch incubating by the end of next week.

Also, the watering system I set up is working awesome. No leaks (yet) and the birds got used to the watering cups quickly. Now I only have to fill the tank about once a week. And there is a lot less of a mess from them splashing water around.

[GilpinGuy]

Round 2!

I have 47 eggs set in the incubator with a good thermo/hygro this time. It looks like the hygrometer that came with the incubator is WAY the F off, as I suspected. The thermometer is close but it's nice to have a second opinion. Wish me luck on the new hatch. 15 days or so and I hope to have a bunch of babies.

Oh yeah, the 3 that survived the first hatch are kicking ass. They grow so fast it's amazing. They feathered out enough that I moved them from our 2nd bathroom to the main bird house outside. The wife is pleased with this.

[Irving]

Thanks for the updates, good luck on next batch.

[thedave1164]

Hoping for healthy chicks!

[GilpinGuy]

Thanks for the updates, good luck on next batch.

Sorry if I'm posting too much about this. It's my latest obsession.

If anyone is interested, have a "Quail Tracker" spreadsheet (link below) that shows eggs collected per day, month, etc. and expenses. Expenses are a bit weird right now - I have to clean it up a little. Since I started tracking from mid-October to December 31st, I collected 1100 eggs from 18 hens...in 2.5 months! These birds are friggin amazing.

Quail Tracker 2015

Quail Tracker 2016

Around Christmas I cooked a few birds. Yummy!

[Ah Pook]

Just remember to share the love.

BTW the eggs kicked ass.

[Irving]

I wasn't being sarcastic at all, I'm genuinely interested in this whole progression. The more info the better.