Our girls have laid us over 600 eggs now since Easter, and as we have a mixed family, both sex and genetically, we thought it might be fun to hatch a clutch. Mark brought us this dinky incubator and in went 7 eggs. Quail eggs take 17 days to hatch so we promptly left the machine to it. ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) Seventeen days later, to the minute, we noticed this. This was last Saturday - 18th September. ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) Then nothing all day, so we all went to bed wondering what the morning would bring. We all slept fitfully, new parenthood on our minds, and number one son awoke very early and popped downstairs to check. Seconds later he came bounding into our room and whispered into my ear...'mum, we have chicks'. Faster than a snore leaving Marks snoozing lips, I was downstairs, and sure enough,4 little beaks greeted us. ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) During the day, great excitement as 2 more eggs hatched. We couldn't have timed it better as Marks daughter Eleanor was staying with us, and of course, the children were completely mesmerized by these births. How could such tiny, scrawny little birds survive?? Six hatched, number 7 didn't. It was a fertile egg but the babe never made it. The babes have to stay in the incubator for 24 hours after birth, during which time they absorb the egg yolks they have ingested, and the humidity helps with lung strengthening. Then, Monday morning these little downy bundles were moved into the brooding tank where they will spend the next 3 weeks under a red heat lamp. Red because apparently it helps prevent feather pecking. ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) Over the course of this first week they have gone from gorgeous little babies, so eating, drinking, pooing machines, and by 1 week old are stroppy, scruffy teenagers. Already they have wing feathers and are looking more and more like their parents. They are still adoreable. Of course, as soon as the incubator was empty and clean....7 more egg went in. ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden )
What a good posting, EJ-- The incubating process was a delight to see. And then once the little things were out of their shells to see how they turned into little pubers. You have done a tremendous job at parenting. What do you plan to do with all the little chicks that you are raising? Will you save them, or sell them? Well, that incubator really does it's work well, doesn't it. I can just imagine that the kids are very interested in the developments. Do post more pics with explanations as your chicks develop further. I am interested to see what their adult plumage will look like. You must have a feeling of great accomplishment. Well done, you!
6 out of 7 eggs hatched - well done you!! You're going to have a massive flock of quail at this rate EJ. I was wondering too if you are going to keep them all or sell them. It seems incredible that these tiny birds have managed to lay over 600 eggs already. My daughter would be a regular customer for the eggs if she lived closed to you. Her ferrets adore breaking into eggs and getting all sticky licking out the contents.
very well done EJ. My daughter did an experiment for a school science fair at the end of school last year. seeing if 6 differant eggs from differant fresh chickens would hatch in a small incubator. sorry to say she got nothing. But did get a good grade for working on and trying the experiament.
Huge Awwwww-factor there, EJ. Well done, you! Gosh, they're so cute, and so tiny too. Neither wonder the children were anxious about them surviving. Thanks for the post, it was so fun to see.
Glad you like the babes. At the moment, we plan to keep the babes...however, if any of them are lads, then they will be fattened up, and all the males will be put together, and we shall have to 'remove' any less that pedigree breeding chaps. When I say 'remove', I actually mean, remove them to my freezer. eeek. Mark is very good and dispatching a quail, we have one in the freezer already, and cleaning and prepping the bird takes just minutes. In theory, the family should provide eggs and occassional meat. Some of my chums think we are gruesome, but these are mums that forget where the meat they are eating comes from. We have always been very very honest with the children where their meat comes from, and they have helped when Mark has plucked and drawn pheasants and partridges. Soooooo...fingers crossed this little brood are all girls and in a monthes time they will join the big family.
What a great posting. Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos, the chicks are darling. Hopefully you are not having to chase after them.
