That Quail Place Forum
Raising Gamebirds => Incubation => Topic started by: MochaChai on July 18, 2004, 10:55:34 PM
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today our Courtnix Quail started to hatch. We had a total of 12 eggs. 1 hatched perfectly in 30minutes and was walking around in about a half hour (this was at 11) at around 6:15, another egg was moving, but an hour and a half later, we decided it couldn't make it out on it's own, the humidity was way too low, and the membrane in the egg was very dry. So, we stuck our hand in and used tweasers to cut open the shell and membrane. A chick came out. It looked ok, except it's head was stuck bend down, in the position it was in while in egg. A few minutes later, the 1st chick came over and pecked it's leg and pulled, making the toe bleed. about 3 minutes later, the 1st chick (now named Peet) came over and pecked and pulled on the 2nd chick's neck. That wasn't good. Then they left eachother alone (the 2nd not looking very good), and then Peet came over and pecked the other one's eye. No damage seen by us. We decided it was obviously time to move Peet to the brooder. So we did. The other bird still isn't ok, but it's peeping back and forth to Peet (who is a few feet away in brooder) They exchange peeps, one peeps, then the other. Is that a good thing? Anyways, here's some pics of when peet was coming out, i don't have any pics of the 2nd.
http://homepage.mac.com/redwoodranch/pics/2.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/redwoodranch/pics/1.JPG
make sure to capitalize JPG when putting in adress box :D
and another thing is, if the other one doesn't live, is it ok to put it with a chick (chicken)that's 1 week old?, i was thinking to use a breed like Orphingtons, because they're broody.
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I wouldn't put the quail in with the chicken myself, it may work some of the time, but not all of the time. I've also found that if you keep the lighting down to a minimum, especially while they are still in the incubator or hatcher then the pecking at each other will never get started. When mine have hatched and are still in the hatcher, they get next to no light until I move them to the brooder, unless I'm checking on them. I raise Bobs and those rascals will peck at each other the moment they are born it seems, but if they can't see each other than they won't peck. I also use a two foot baseboard heater in my brooder, therefore, I don't have to have a light to keep them warm. I do have a 60watt bulb on a dimmer so I can keep the light to a minimum and I turn it off at night. The less light while brooding the better in my opinion. I have never had a pecking problem. Also, don't open the incubator/hatcher no more than absolutely nessesary during the hatching process, you will create great reductions/fluctuations in the humidity if you do.
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yeah, last night at 3, another quail hatched (i think tuxedo)later on at 6am, another tuxedo started to hatch. The second it stuck it's head out of the shell, it got repeadetly pecked. We had to reach our hand and put a strawberry basket over it so it can hatch in peace. Now we have 4 quail, and they all have to be seperated, the 1st picks on the 2nd, the 2nd picks on the 3rd, and the 4th gets picked on by all of them, poor bird. How do i get them to get along? With age, will they get along once they have a secure pecking order?
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I used two tips I got from this forum. I put a mirror in the brooder. They pick at that sometimes. Also I used a black marker to put dots (about the size of the top of an eraser) on the wall of the brooder. The dots are about an inch to two inches from the bottom of the brooder. They peck at those as well. Haven't seen them peck each other since.
Openseason