Oh Good! More Hatched! - Baby Chick Update
You know, I was so worried last Sunday when only two babies hatched. One chicken and one quail. But guess what?! Over that night, more babies hatched! I was so scared that I was going to have to try to find some playmates for those guys!
7 out of 10 quail eggs hatched. However, 1 wasn’t viable (may not have been fertilized or just failed from the start), and 2 just did not end up emerging from their shells.
PS. If you don't have to, do not remove eggs from the incubator when they're in the process of hatching! I had to with this one that I was helping out because the shell was not completely broken.
They both seem to have pretty deformed feet. This could be due to being closed up in their eggs for too long after trying to come out on Monday. I’m seeing if they has any promise... they may have to be culled if it's too bad. The below video shows how bad their feet are. One is so bad it's walking on its "ankles".
On Friday I was watching them get around like little zippy guys. Sometimes they get left behind, but really they are keeping up with the little flock! So, I technically had a 100% hatch! They might still benefit from getting boots like the other little quail nugget from last hatch.
Just a couple days ago, I noticed that I wouldn’t even tell which babies had gimpy feet! They have healed on their own in their own time! I am so thankful that I do not have to deal with their teeny tiny feet trying to make them little booties!
Now with all but two at over a week old, everyone seems so happy and healthy and I can't tell who originally had those gimpy little feet! I am so amazed that they have righted themselves.
While all the quail hatched (that were viable), only 4 of 8 viable chicken eggs hatched. It's sad that only two eggs from the 6 that I bought from a gal hatched, but that's what happens when you have a broody hen that fails to complete her task! I won't completely blame her... But I do. Haha. I should have two Easter Eggers and two Olive Eggers. The gal I bought from gave me 4 Olive Egger eggs, and two Black Copper Marans eggs. Unfortunately the only BCM egg that hatched had to be culled as it had deformed legs.
It's easy enough to take care of, a small bowl of hot water and a cotton ball, and gently wet the crusty butt poop to get it off. You don't want to pull it, it will pull out their little tush feathers and might cause some serious damage if you're not careful.
Crusty Poopy Butt (also called pasty butt) can happen in all chicks. Sometimes it can be a sign of Coccidia but often times it's due to their environment. This was all me because I didn't realize I had it too hot in their brooders! So be sure to keep the temperature correct, and not too hot! If poopy butt is persistent I will get them some baking soda water (1/4 teaspoon to one quart of water) and that clears it up pretty quickly! It's good for their tummies also.
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Oh my gosh those little quail babies are adorable! That cutie with the bit of white over it's eye is just the cutest! I just ordered my first batch of Guinea keets. I've raised chickens before but Guinea Hens are new to me. They will arrive in June and I can't wait to share the pictures.
Awwww they are just too cute my friend. Thanks for the warm fuzzy this morning.
So glad you enjoyed!! <3
Yay! So glad you had such good outcomes, especially with the two initially gimpy ones.
Me too! And I am so surprised they righted themselves! Not like the other who ended up passing away. Not due to its leg problems, I don't think. But, still! I am so happy for it!
They look and sound so cute! I am so happy to hear that you helped them; look at them now...thriving. And so happy to hear that their feet corrected all by themselves. This is so eggciting!
Eggciting! EGGACTLY! Haha.
I am so happy that they righted themselves. It makes me feel good that I did the right thing, this time! Haha. <3
I had a bad hatch this spring, just one chick. I used a lizard mat to keep it warm and it did just fine. Glad you had a good hatch, but if you ever do have a bad hatch, I highly recommend the lizard mats!
I was so worried I was going to have one chicken chick and one quail chick... Haha. I didn't know how that was going to work out! I know they prefer company. Did that chick end up super friendly because it was alone?
He was at first, but he is a roo and now he is out chasing the ladies...
Isn’t it amazing how some people have super friendly roosters and other roosters just are horn dogs and kinda dicks?? Haha
I had one I named "Rothschild" he was such a tyrant... lol!
I had to google Rothschild. Haha. Rich snooties. Haha.
Sweet little fluff nuggets. Glad you kept an eye out for pasty butt. That can't be fun for anyone. I'm so glad the gimpy ones are coming out of it. That's wonderful!
Great update - though I always love ANYTHING featuring chicks. I know that people say not to intervene and let nature take it's course but if a chick is showing spunk, I help it. I have two of my favourite chickens that way. And, of course, I justify it by the fact that shoving a load of eggs into a human-made incubator isn't exactly natural either so I'll help if necessary. ;)
Yeah! It was that or let them starve and dehydrate to death in their eggs. It comes to a personal point of what one thinks is more humane. I helped them in preparation of knowing they might have to be immediately culled. Seemed more humane to me! Haha
Nice to hear they hatched! Even nicer to hear is that they feet straightened themselves out. Wonderful!
Is it actually true that if you help a chick remove its eggshells it won't develop its strength needed to survive? I can see how this is true, but may be a bit extreme...
I don’t know if that’s a for-sure true statement or not. I helped one last hatch and it had to be culled immediately.
Everyone hatched on Sunday and Monday and these guys were rocking around still on Wednesday. It was either let them starve and dehydrate to death in their egg or give them a chance. They can survive three days on the yolk they absorb before hatch, well that’s true for chickens, a little less time, I’ve read, for quail. Haha they’ve fixed their own feet so, they showed me a lot of promise.
They were showing so much vigor, I couldn’t let them just die in their eggs.
Cuteness overload! Very happy day for you!
The quail are especially cute! If everyone makes it to 6 weeks, I will have a nice flock of 20 bobwhites! I just love how super tiny the quail are when they hatch, it's pretty miraculous that they can be so tiny on the floor of the wilds like that! Thanks for stopping by!! <3
Exciting. They are so so sweet
Don’t you mean EGGciting?! Hehe