I've been collecting eggs from the quail for two weeks and now it's time to try and hatch! We out together the incubator and for the last couple days been having it on to make sure the heat stays constant!
We got it together with minimal to no arguing! High Five! Except for me telling him he was ruining my life for rushing to put it together. ;)
The instructions were lacking, but it was still fairly easy to put together. I think it was just mostly nerve-wracking because you realize that your success or failure depends on tiny little eggs that you place in there. If you fail, they don't hatch which means... You killed them... sort of in a round-a-bout way... If you succeed, you get babies!
With this specific kit, it came with "quail rails". That is a part of the automatic turner. The yellow things with holes in them. The holes are just the right size for the tiny quail eggs. As you can see, they are significantly smaller than a medium sized chicken egg.
So last night, after everything got situated, and I felt like the temperature in the incubator was stable enough, I put my 8 little quail eggs into the incubator to start, well, incubating! How exciting is that? Hopefully, with any luck, we should have baby quail in 23-24 days! I feel like Bobwhite quail take forever... You know Coturnix quail only take 17 days to hatch?
Bobwhite quail are a native species to some of the USA (Virginia). Because they're native to Virginia, you can know what kind of weather they can endure. Bobwhites are known to be more hardy than a lot of other quail species. So for people with cooler winters, Bobwhites might be a good choice.
So, let the count down begin!!
T-minus 23 days until baby quail!
I will try and do some candling to see if they're visibly progressing in a few days!! Hopefully I'll be able to get some photos when I do that! Stay tuned!
Oh, we're trying to hatch more quail in order to have a sort of "sustainable" system of a meat bird. Right now we have only 3 quail, 2 males, 1 female, and we definitely need more. We're hoping to make quail our first meat bird.
If you're interested in my Quail (mis)Adventures, here are my past Quail Posts!
- The Time I Nearly Lost a Quail to the Grasslands [FUNNY]
- First Eggciting Quail Egg!
- Quail Pen Complete!
Check out my most recent Steemit Posts.
- Quail Pen Complete!
- #FollowFriday
- A Chicken Best Friend
- Sunday Funday Farmstead Update
- Itsy Bitsy Spider [Funny]
- Meet Reginald
Blog Series
- Nature on the Farmstead - These posts will be educational and informative about the nature that happens on my farmstead. Look forward to posts about wild animals, birds, wildflowers and plants, insects, and more!
Back to no make up. Sigh.
Photos by me using my iPhone 6s, unless stated otherwise!
Badges by @daddykirbs and @allforthegood!
Way to go you guys!! Totally exciting stuff hatching your own eggs...
Had to laugh my ass of there AHHAHAHAHAAAA hey, us "crazy chicken ladies" take this shit seriously. I was totally mad at my husband tonight for calling our meatbirds stinky and yelling at them. I get real defensive when it comes to our birds LOLOLOLOL!!
Have you hatched your own before?? I guess this is really a tester batch. I think I am going to order Coturnix Quail eggs (because they hatch in 17 days and mature at 8 weeks and start laying then), for a much quicker turn around.
I haven't had meat chickens before, but I have heard that they do stink worse than regular chickens?? Maybe from extra protein?? I dunno! Hahaha. I don't get mad about that. But I was definitely mad about the putting together of the 'bator! Hahaha. I just wasn't ready. but we did it! Hahahaha.
Have you ever hatched eggs before? We've only done chicken eggs. Rebecca (my wife) likes to make hen noises to the chicks when they are about to hatch. Sometimes she can get them to peep back to her while they are still in their shells.
Omg. That's so cute. No, this will be the first time hatching eggs! I can't believe it! If you would have asked me even 5 years ago if I'd be doing this, I would have looked at ya funny! Hahah.
I've done quite a few chicken and duck eggs in an incubator, but never quail.
Good luck with those.
I hope it goes well!! Eeeek. Haha. Kind of stressful also. Just in the manner that all those little lives are in my hands! Eek.
Exciting! I can't wait to see what hatches. Very keen to see how they go. Good luck!
Thank you!! I'll need it!!
Hope it goes well. I would love to try this sometime.
Thanks!! I hope it goes well too!! crosses fingers! I hope it goes well, because I really do not want to be disappointed in this process, that's for sure!
Don't eat the shells ;) thanks for sharing
Compost the shells!
I have raised and hatched out Coturnix quail. I loved it and had a lot of fun with it. Although they are small, they are a great quick from egg to table option for homestead meat. Good Luck! Blessings!
Exciting!! If everything goes well with this batch, I hope to order Coturnix to hatch. :D
You've gone where we have yet to venture... I'm excited to hear about how it all "turns" out! :-)
OH golly. Hahahahaha You're so punny.
Oh how exciting- babies! I know next to nothing about this process, you are a hardy soul. Do you ever sleep?😉🐓
I sleep when you're awake, generally! Hahaha. I am excited. I hope they hatch!! Quail babies ARE SO TINY.
This is a lot to learn for someone like me who has no idea on stuff like this -- hatching quail eggs and the like. But, this is so interesting, informative and sooo coool. It's exciting! :D
We will both learn together!! Haha this is my first time! Eeek
How eggciting ;)
With the 5 times a day turning regiment I would totally have opted for the automatic one as well.
I can't believe you haven't tried one yet. You must be really committed to the hatching. I would have cracked and fried the very first egg I got.
Well I wasn't saving them for hatching. But you can't just add more to the incubator, from my understanding, so I will be trying them soon enough!! Eek
Good luck. Cant wait to see how you go. How exciting :-)
Thanks!!! I hope it goes well!! Baby quail are so smal and cute!
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Thank you!
All right! Good luck with the eggs! May they all turn into healthy birdies, so you may eat good meat. 24 days isn't that long. But I guess they'll need to grow up after hatching. How long do quails take to mature?
With this breed, Bobwhite, unfortunately it's about 20 weeks. A long time for quail. For Coturbix it's only 8 weeks!
All righty, sounds like you'll have your first quail meat next year. :-) New Year's quail?
By then they should also be grown up sufficiently to handle the cold. Are they okay in the cold? I can imagine Central Oregon getting a bit colder than Virginia.
They're one of the more hardier breeds and the breeder I got them from lives further south than me in a colder zone. :)
I also plan to get the Corunix Quail after these hatch. Gotta make sure the incubator works proper first! Haha
Your quail must be happy because they gave you so many eggs. : ) I am so excited for you...Quail Midwife! HaHa! Oh, I can't wait to see the progress and the babies! :) :) :)
I can't wait to show everyone! But YOU especially! I create my posts and I always say "I wonder what whatisnew is going to say about this one!?" hahaha. In a few days I will candle them and hopefully I will be able to take a pic good enough to share if they're progressing!
See that! You can't stop thinking about me either! HaHa! Oh I can't wait to see a picture of the candeling! Is that a word? LOL!
It is a word!!
I know candle is but is candeling? Go read the message I just sent to you. :(
Candeling is! :) I wrote you back!
Best word in the post: "Hovabator"
Funniest one liner:
"Back to no make up. Sigh. "
No need for makeup! I do not wear any :)
Hahaha I love wearing make up! Hehe, though many people have told me I've no need to. Haha. Man, I had a worse reaction happen on Friday and had to go to the doctor for medication. I will have to make a post about it, or something.
Hovabator is the brand, but it is a really great word, isn't it?? I like it too! Kind of fun and funny to say, with a bit of satisfaction. It really flows. Haha
Thanks for stopping by, man! I appreciate it!
You're welcome thank you for your reply!
I love to see these young quail. So I followed you. I never had any birds but my wife and I are discussing it. Thank you for sharing.
Oh you should definitely get some! So easy to care for!! Let me know if I can help out or answer any questions! :)
That is SO beautiful!!! Looking forward to the updates :)
Congrats on your position on the #upvotable 12 - as no. 12 I just wanted to show my support to another awesome content contributor xxx
:) awesome! Wow thank you!! I can't wait to have bitty baby quail. Eeeek
and I can totally relate to that eeeeek. lol :)