[splash101]

I hatched some quails earlier in the week and left the unhatched eggs in the incubator for a few days for any late comers.
There was no sign of movement yesterday so i switched the incubator off. I've just gone to empty and clean it out and something caught my eye.
There was an egg almost hatched. 24 hours with no heat or humidity and yet it's managed to find its way out.
I've put the incubator back on to dry it out. Its out and moving about so we'll see how it gets on.
Never had quails hatch this late on, with or without heat 

[ANHBUC]

Isn't nature wonderful.  I hope that the chick goes from strength to strength.   

[splash101]

Doing well at the moment....... 2 more have started pipping ? really stumped me

[joyfull]

little fighters - bless, don't forget we need photos. 

[splash101]

They are no bigger than your thumb!

[joyfull]

so cute 

[ANHBUC]

That is a great outcome.  I hope that most of them turn out to be girls for you.  Keep the cute photos coming so we can see how they are growing up.   

[splash101]

We normally get a 50 / 50 split but rehoming is much easier than with cockerels. They will be fully grown at 5-6 weeks and can ususally sex them at 2-3 weeks.
These are going to my friends farm. Her current batch are getting on a bit and she wants a new blood line.
Im going to hatch a few of her eggs so i can do the same. The life of a quail is a short one.

We've just had another one hatch, i dont think the 2nd one that was starting to pip yesterday has made it. It barely got its beak through and last night a notice a couple of drops of blood around the hole.
Its amazing these late ones made it at all. If it wasnt for me being so engrossed in the Olympics, the incubator would have been emptied and cleaned as soon as i had switched it off.

[ANHBUC]

We normally get a 50 / 50 split but rehoming is much easier than with cockerels. They will be fully grown at 5-6 weeks and can ususally sex them at 2-3 weeks.
These are going to my friends farm. Her current batch are getting on a bit and she wants a new blood line.
Im going to hatch a few of her eggs so i can do the same. The life of a quail is a short one.

What is an average life span for them?  Mine are about a year old now but I want to be prepared when I need to start replacing them.





edit to clarify quote

[splash101]

2-3 years but the way my males are going they will have worn themselves out by then 

[ANHBUC]

I only have females at the moment.  Will be looking for a couple of males once their new accommodation is up and ready. 

[Kate and her Ducks]

Amazing how they can survive.

I had a stupid one who decided to go broody in end of Oct and I stupidly decided to let her. She hatched 8 little babies and seemed to be a very good mum to them. Unfortunately something happened overnight and I went out in the morning to find the mum in a panic and the chicks missing. They had managed to get out of the mesh of the hutch and 4 had just vanished. I found the other 4 dead outside the hutch.

I was so upset I just went back to bed for a couple of hours blaming myself for not making the hutch properly secure. Came down about 3 hours later to pick up the corpses and as I was carrying them to the compost bin one gave a tiny little gasp. It's breathing rate was only about 4 a minute but I ran into the house huffing warm breath on it an got it a hot water bottle. got a bit of honey water down it and it really rallied. Mum actually accepted it back and they lived in a box in the spare bedroom till fully weather proof!

I couldn't believe something that tiny had survived that prolonged time in the cold. I have never seen anything seem that dead and survive!

[ANHBUC]

How are you chicks getting on splash101?

[splash101]

They are growing rapidly and are eating machines.
They are off the heat now as they are fully feathered and have found out what their wings are for.

 

[ANHBUC]

I don't believe you.  Where is the photographic evidence?