3/9/2022 0 Comments Incubating Button Quail EggsI recently acquired a small group of assorted Button quail. These little ones are the smallest species of quail kept, maturing at only about 4 inches tall. These quail come in many colorful varieties, their antics are entertaining, and they are, well, just plain cute! A bit too small to be a meat bird, they lay tiny eggs that are perfect for incubating or to use as food for reptiles and other exotic species. They are also well known to be the perfect "clean-up crew" for keepers of parrots and other domestic birds, eating any of the dropped seeds. Anyways, with these quail I was also given 30 fertile eggs. As soon as I got home the incubator was running. I was excited for the potential of expanding my little flock. This is my first time incubating Button eggs, but here is what I have learned so far. I've used my Farm Innovators Inc Pro Series Digital Incubator 4250 and the 3400 Automatic Egg Turner (links below) for chickens and ducks for years and have had excellent results. All I needed to do was to purchase quail rails for the automatic turner, because these little jelly bean eggs would fall right through trays on the standard size turner. I ordered the 6-pack quail rails, which hold 120 eggs in total (link below). It was pretty easy to swap the rails on the egg turner, just needed to take out two screws and pop the individual rails out and in. The pre-set temperature on the incubator (99.5-100.0 F) is the perfect recommended temp for the Button eggs. I keep the humidity slightly higher than chicken eggs, at 50%. I keep that by adding water regularly. The incubator conveniently has a built in thermometer and hydrometer, which makes it a lot easier to keep track of the temps and humidity. Button quail eggs hatch in about 16 days, give or take. At day 13, i will be removing the automatic turner, as well as increasing humidity to 60% in preparation for hatching. At this time, I will also set up a brooder box for the chicks. The brooder will consist of a red bulb heat lamp, grippy substrate (paper towels or possibly regular towels). Also, a feeder with the crumbles spread around, so that food is easy to find, and a quail specific waterer (link below). A quail specific waterer or marbles in shallow water is very important for raising quail chicks, as they can easily drown. I will update you on my quail hatching adventures in two weeks! It's all a learning process for me so let's cross our fingers we get some little chicks. Thanks for reading and as always, if you have any questions or advice, let me know! P.S. We will be selling fertile Button quail eggs for YOU to hatch! -Carrie Recommended Products: My Favorite Incubator" target="_blank"> My Favorite Incubator Quail Egg Rails" target="_blank"> Quail Egg Rails Quail Chick Waterer " target="_blank"> Quail Chick Waterer
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AuthorMy name is Carrie, I have a passion for animals and a knack for self-sufficiency. Follow my blog for our family's homesteading adventures and educational posts as well! ArchivesCategories |