Hatch Time

Back in November we ordered and received some eggs from MyShire Farm.  I've written about MyShire before, but let me just mention again how much we appreciate Zack and Jenna Greene.  The quail who hatched out of these eggs are our primary breeding group now of 19 females and 4 males.  A usual day gives us 18 eggs from this group and the fertility rate is excellent.


 

We set eggs in two different incubators last month and unfortunately made some rookie mistakes (We know to check and make sure the turner is on.  We know their little legs cannot handle bare plastic floor).  Still, we have 38 healthy babies from those hatches and they are thriving in their condo.

We heard from someone they used the quail rails (a device you put the eggs in and it turns them for you) in their Brinsea incubator and had a good hatch with a lot more eggs than just using the chicken rails, so we invested in some.  

A little over two weeks ago we set NINETY-TWO eggs in our Brinsea with the new quail rails.  

The hatch started over the weekend and we now have SIXTY-FIVE new babies!  As I am writing their is another one trying to decide if it wants to come out into the big world or not.  Two eggs are clearly not fertile (and to be honest I may have accidentally tucked in a couple from the non-breeder set when I was gathering eggs), and the rest were fertile but did not make it to hatch.  That is a 70% hatch rate, 72% if this last one hatches.  All the chicks are healthy.  Not a single one has died in the first few days.

Where are they?  Well, the weather has decided to get a little non-beachy on us this week with lows expected in the upper 30s Thursday night.  Therefore, once again, they are in a big plastic storage bin in Cletus' work room until Friday.  


 

We go in twice each day (and we may have to bump that to three times a day before Friday!) with a clean bin lined with clean towels and move them over because right now they eat, drink, and poop.  A LOT.  They also sing to us throughout the day (and night.  Send coffee!).  

 


The yellow is a heater to keep them warm 

 

Yes, they really are that tiny!

The cats can hardly wait for Friday!

PLEASE make those noisy birds go away!!

Later today we will clean out the incubator and start another 100 or so eggs.  

Got quail?

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