I’ve been doing a staggered hatch in the incubator. I thought most of the eggs, and maybe all of the eggs were infertile. As the eggs were added to the incubator, I told my daughter that the worst case scenario wouldn’t be if none hatched, but if only one hatched.
And then, one hatched.
It popped out of the shell so perfect. And then it became very lonely. People aren’t good stand-ins as quail company. This lil’ baby piped and piped.
So I put a teddy bear and a hand mirror in the brooder. This is what happened.
Well, that escalated quickly. 
The bear is now Momma.
The chick seems so content. 
This is how the brooder nearly always looks now.
Another chick hatched after a couple of days, but it wasn’t a smooth hatch. It may make it, and it may not. I really hope it can join the other chick in the brooder today, and that it gets stronger. Two at least wouldn’t be lonely.
The last three have been in the pen with the big birds yesterday and today. It’s very cold for young birds, so I brought them in overnight. I made a plywood and coated chicken wire divider for the coop and a small part of the run, so the birds can safely get to know each other. The older roosters are displeased, of course. Hopefully the younger birds can get acclimated to our late fall and winter temps with the help of the Cozy Coop heater.
I am still fairly sure the younger three in the aviary are hens, and that will help to balance the hen to rooster ratio. Unless the shifty-lookin’ one goes full-on rooster. It will have been a true gift, if that works out.
The new one or two or however many will possibly have to winter inside. I may faint from a winter of cuteness overload.
