There isn’t much that can compare to the joy of watching a Button Quail
Chick hatch. Being the smallest quail in the world, they are about the
size of a Bumble bee when they first hatch, and about as active. Just
as soon as they emerge from the egg and dry off, they are ready to
explore their world, and they do it with much enthusiasm! They are
charming, adorable and delightful!
Button Quail hatch in only 16 days, but give them an extra day or so if
they do not hatch right on their due date.. many things can contribute
to delayed hatches such as humidity and the temperature of the
incubator.
While you can hatch them in any type of incubator we recommend using a
forced air (with a fan) rather than a still air (no fan). The forced
air incubators give a much more even heat, and since the eggs are so
small, they just seem to do better in that type.
If using a forced air incubator, it is best to maintain a temperature
of 97.5 F to 99.5 F . Do not allow your temperature to go over 99.9 F.
The humidity should range between 50% and 60%. (Wet bulb reading of 86
F.) If your incubator has an automatic turner it will automatically
rotate your eggs every 3 to 4 hours. If it does not you will have to
rotate the eggs by hand at least 3 times a day. The easiest way to do
this is to gently place the palm of your hand on top of the eggs and
carefully roll them at least 180 degrees (1/2 turn). Be sure to do this
as quickly as possible so that the eggs do not take a chill during the
process.
The reason egg rotation is so important is that at the start of
incubation the embryo (called a germ at this stage) appears in a small
white spot (called the germinal disc) on the upper side of the yolk.
Because the area of yolk that is in contact with the germinal disc is a
bit lighter in weight than the rest of the yolk, it tends to float
upward each time the egg is rotated. The embryo takes it nutrients
from the yolk. Each time the egg is rotated, the embryo is exposed to a
new portion of the yolk and thus it has a continual supply of
nutrients. Failure to turn the eggs deprives the embryo of necessary
nutrients and can cause serious malnutrition, weak chicks and even early
embryonic death.
On the 13th day. Stop your turner. If you have a separate hatcher,
transfer your eggs to the hatcher on the 13th day. If you do not have a
separate hatcher, stop rolling the eggs by hand...at any point the eggs
should be laying on their side.
Until now the embryo has been laying across the middle of the egg, but
at this stage it has become to large for that position, and must slowly
rotate it’s body until it is laying lengthwise in the egg, with its head
in the larger end and the tail in the narrower one.
Your chicks should hatch on the 16th day, but don’t be in a rush.. give
them an extra few days as hatching time can fluctuate slightly due to
varied incubator conditions and change in ambient air conditions etc.
There isn’t much that can compare to the joy of watching a Button Quail
Chick hatch. Being the smallest quail in the world, they are about the
size of a Bumble bee when they first hatch, and about as active. Just
as soon as they emerge from the egg and dry off, they are ready to
explore their world, and they do it with much enthusiasm! They are
charming, adorable and delightful!
Button Quail hatch in only 16 days, but give them an extra day or so if
they do not hatch right on their due date.. many things can contribute
to delayed hatches such as humidity and the temperature of the
incubator.