Things You'll Need:
- Incubator
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Step 1
Allow the eggs to come to room temperature if they are warmer or cooler than room temperature. The eggs should be allowed to spend at least a couple of hours coming to room temperature before you place them in the incubator.
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Step 2
Place the eggs in the incubator. Different incubators have different requirements for arrangement of the eggs, so follow the manufacturer's directions when using an incubator for button quail eggs. The ideal incubation temperature for button quail eggs falls between 99.5 and 99.9 degrees F. The desired humidity is around 60 percent, so a wet bulb should read 86 degrees F.
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Step 3
Turn or rotate the button quail eggs from one side to the other two to four times every day. Automatic egg turners can handle this process for you, or you can do it yourself depending on your incubator setup.
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Step 4
Move the eggs into the hatching tray on Day 14, removing them from the incubator. The eggs no longer have to be turned at this point, because at this point the button quail chick is preparing to break through the shell and is positioning itself accordingly.
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Step 5
Allow the button quail eggs to continue incubating for at least 16 days. Button quail eggs that were shipped to you may take as long as 18 days as a result of movement during the transportation, changes in humidity and elevation and variations in incubator temperature.
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Step 6
Place newly hatched button quail in an aquarium with basic bedding such as nonskid shelf liner. A clip-on 60-watt lamp and red clay bricks will create enough warmth in the aquarium to keep the chicks adequately warm during this period. Use a thermometer to maintain a temperature of between 85 and 90 degrees F.
