Quail Project Week Four: Hatching Quail Chicks

Week four: The Moment of Truth

The beginning of this week was very exciting - and frightening! 

Yes - they hatched! 

You might have noticed I don't know where to begin...

I'll start on the day they were meant to hatch...

There was not sign of hatching all morning. I was beginning to suspect that they weren't going to hatch at all... That Nutmeg and I had done something seriously wrong... but what? Then, at about ten to four, I checked under nutmeg to see how they were doing: and there it was, an egg with a tiny chip in the side, and I could hear quiet peeping noises! They were going to hatch! Nutmeg was 'growling' at me now, so I gently took my hand away. And waited. A little later on the eggs were at the same stage. I could only see four that had the little chips in. I then left them be until eight at night. 

WARNING: Next bit of the story might be a bit upsetting to some readers.

At this point I was getting a little worried about them. I actually lifted Nutmeg off the nest this time (before I had only got her to stand up so I could see a few of the eggs). And am I glad I lifted her off! 

I counted the eggs again and again. But there were only nine eggs. There should  have been ten. Maybe one had hatched? Excited and nervous, I checked through the hay and the box: no sign of either egg nor chick. So then, anxious and worried, I felt Nutmeg's crop with much trepidation. And felt as guilty as it is possible to feel. 

I have no idea what really happened, as I was not present at the time: had she just crushed it, and not realised what it was? Or had it started to hatch and then she ate it? I'm not sure, but I still feel guilty, and there was no chance I was risking it again. I had to remove her. 

The Texas A&M and the normal Coturnix
resting and drying off..
Credit: birdbrain99 (author)

In a panic, I discovered the four eggs with the chips in that I had noticed first (I could tell them apart because of their different sizes and colours) had really started to hatch. I needed a different heat source, quick!! In the end, a 40 watt light bulb clipped to the side of the box and a heat pad kept it warm enough. But Nutmeg was still wandering freely around the room, growling at me. She tried twice to get back into the box onto  the nest. Once the light bulb was rigged up, I picked her up and ran up to the chicken run with her, and dumped into  the run, much to the shock of the other hens! They obviously recognised her, and for the few seconds I stayed to check she was going to be OK there were a couple of small pecks and then everything was back to normal, as if she had never left! I hurtled back down to the eggs. One of the chicks was already nearly out, and another one on its way. The first to hatch was a standard brown Coturnix, the second was an entirely yellow chick: a Texas A & M.

Sadly, I got no good quality videos of them hatching.

The first two hatched at about 8:30 pm. I waited up to check that they were going to be OK and if the others were going to hatch. I had no idea at the time that I was going to be up until 2:30 am...

I waited and watched as the two chicks dried off, calling to each other constantly. Then, at 10:30 pm, I could hear peeping from the other two eggs. They finally hatched. They were both Golden Italians, but one was tiny. I was sure it wasn't going to make it, but it has, so far. I could feel movement from another of the eggs, but it never hatched.

The first two to hatch sleeping
Credit: birdbrain99 (author)

Quail Project: Week Two & Three! Caring for Quail Eggs

Week Two

So the eggs arrived this week! They have been under Nutmeg for a week now and she was happy to accept them. When hatching quail under a broody it is always a good idea to have another option ready, in case the hen does not accept the eggs. However, this is unlikely if you know your hen well and she is very broody and a good mother. I know Nutmeg is a good broody because most of last summer she was trying to sit on eggs in some way or another! I do not know, however, how good she is as a mother. She has had no experience with chicks before so I hope it works out. It's a chance poultry keepers have to take when using an inexperienced broody and mother.

The quail eggs arrived through the post!
Credit: birdbrain99 (the author)

Caring for Quail Eggs

Caring for quail eggs is very simple and the hen does most of the work!

If you have received your eggs through the post (I did) it is good if you were able to see pictures of the breeder's runs or birds first. Once the eggs arrive, you must be home to receive them. Leave them to 'settle' for 24 hours before incubating them (or in this case putting them under your bantam.)
They should be left to settle 'pointy ends down'.

Leave your quail eggs to settle for 24 hours after they arrive.
Credit: birdbrain99 (the author)

If your hen is sitting on another infertile egg or something similar, this will need to be removed. Take it out while she is sitting on the nest, but without her noticing. Then give her the eggs. She may not take them straight away, so you might want to actually place them under her first, and then keep an eye on her. After a little while test to see if she has taken to them by placing one slightly out the nest. If she is very interested in it, or if she 'growls' when she sees you with it then she probably has taken to them. I call this the 'bonding stage' because she is 'bonding' with the eggs, and when she has she will roll the egg back underneath her and care for the eggs as if they are her own.

The nest should be quite deep, to prevent the small eggs from rolling out the nest.

Hatching quail eggs using an incubator

Quail eggs take 16 to 17 days to hatch, if the temperature and humidity is correct and the eggs are turned.

If you want to use an incubator, the temperature should be 37.5 degrees Celsius (99.5 Degrees Fahrenheit). The humidity should be between 50% to 60%, but this can be risen to 70% on the day of hatching.

The eggs should be turned at least 3 to 5 times a day until day 14, when they should be left. When turning, be careful with the eggs as they are very delicate, but be quick so that you can close the lid of the incubator again, to stop it from cooling. You will not need to turn the eggs if incubating under a broody hen as she will do this for you.

Week Three

There is not much to say for this week; Nutmeg is being taken off the nest every two days so she can dust bathe and stretch her legs. She is not taken off for more than 10 to 15 minutes a day, and I cover the eggs with a little hay when she's off to keep the heat in until she returns. 

I do have some bad news: two of the eggs have been crushed by her so far (one at the end of week two and one at the beginning of week three). Awful, I know, but I'm glad it wasn't later in their development when there were fully formed chicks inside. The second one she crushed she then ate... but at least she had a good meal that day...

Quail project: Week One!

A few weeks ago I decided to try something new for me: to raise quail under a broody hen! I decided to write a weekly report of the project, and post it on the blog if it worked out. I suppose you could say this is a new turning point for the blog: from now on it will be about quail also (although still mostly about chickens)! There are going to be at least 7 weeks in total, and I will be publishing a post a week so you can follow the project! Here is the report from week one:

Week One

So Nutmeg has gone broody again (see the post about broodies)!

I finally decided to hatch something... but it couldn't be chickens because I haven't got the space for cockerels.. or more hens for that matter (I currently have 6).

Quail?

I have been wanting to keep quail for years, I just never got round to it. I think they would be great birds for the garden, costing less to keep than chickens but laying nearly as many eggs (although the eggs are considerably smaller!). I did some research and discovered it really was possible to hatch Coturnix Quail under a bantam hen. After a lot of research, planning and thought, I decided to go for it!

The only species of quail I know you can hatch under bantam hens are Coturnix or Japanese Quail. These quail have been selectively bred into many different colours. These colours include:

• Standard (the wild, brown colour)
• Red Coturnix 
• Black Tuxedo
• Red Tuxedo
• Tibetan
• Texas A & M
• English
• Golden
• Italian

Settling my broody

Quail should not be kept in the same pen as chickens because quail are so small and delicate, so Nutmeg could not hatch and raise them in the normal coop. I decided to move her to a separate place where the quail could be safe from the other hens. In the end, I decided to use a cardboard box inside! I wasn't sure if she would take to this, so I gave her a week to settle in, and to check she was happy with it before ordering the eggs. It's now the end of the week and she is more broody than ever before! The eggs are meant to arrive tomorrow. Her broody box contains a thick layer of equinola bedding, and in one corner a big pile of hay, where she has made her nest. She is currently sitting on four infertile chicken eggs, and these will be changed when the quail eggs arrive. If you've got your hen outside I do not recommend using hay because this can get damp and can harbour dangerous fungi and bacteria. However, because she is indoors and it is dry, hay is fine.

Nutmeg sitting on her nest.
Credit: birdbrain99 (author)

It's extra important at this time to be sure she has no lice or mites. A good dusting of a suitable mite powder should do the trick, but also sprinkle some in the dust bath so she will do it herself.  Mites and lice can tell when a hen has gone into broody condition, and they will prepare so that they are ready to infest the chicks when they hatch. Mites on a chick can be fatal, so really make sure the mother has absolutely no mites or lice!

Nutmeg in her broody box.
Credit: birdbrain99 (author)

Advice on how to care for quail eggs is different from how to care for chicken eggs, so I will write about that next week. The advice about caring for chicken eggs on the posts about broody hens and eggs may not be relevant to quail eggs.