First time incubating quail eggs, need help!

[scyllarus]

1. It sounds like you have eggs that weren't shipped. Shipping decreases hatch rates because the eggs get rattled around and put through varying temps, x-rays, etc, so that can be a factor. Eggs also decrease in viability the older they are, and most keepers will tell you that eggs older than 10 days are unlikely to hatch.

2. It looks like this company sells different incubators. Here's the link to one that looked like it might be what you're using:
https://a.co/d/g8fFAJ4

Cheaper incubators definitely work, but they can have...well, a lot more fluctuations. It's also recommended to get your own thermometer/hygrometer to double check because the built in ones aren't always reliable. At this point I'd probably consider getting a backup of some sort in case your incubator fails - otherwise, just keep a towel or Styrofoam around it and wait for day 10 to candle.

I am assuming your incubator also automatically turns the eggs? If not, you might need to do it yourself. Turning eggs, iirc, keeps the chick from getting stuck to a membrane? It's something hens do instinctively, anyway, and not turning the eggs can decrease the chances of an egg hatching.

Quail eggs should hatch within 17-18 days, but that time can change based on temp.

(As an aside, I follow a couple of quail groups and iirc saw the owner of Thieving Otter Farms show off a trick to candling quail eggs - take a laser pointer and light up the fat end of the egg. If it's developing, then you should see just the air bubble light up. If it's not, then the whole egg will light up because there's no chick to block the light. As a note, always keep the fat side up when candling to avoid messing with the air bubble.)

 

[plsavary]

Hello,
It is day 19 and none of the eggs have hatched. I few that we took out earlier seemed to be cooked. Are all of them lost? What happened that the incubator cooked the eggs?

 

[Nabiki]

Did you have a calibrated thermometer or three in there? Incubators are very rarely accurate in their readings.

Cooked? As in steamed? What did the eggs look like when you candled?

 

[plsavary]

Did you have a calibrated thermometer or three in there? Incubators are very rarely accurate in their readings.

Cooked? As in steamed? What did the eggs look like when you candled?

We had an additional thermometer in. The ones that showed nothing inside, no red or growth, we cracked and seem to be hard boiled. No completely just some.

 

[Nabiki]

We had an additional thermometer in. The ones that showed nothing inside, no red or growth, we cracked and seem to be hard boiled. No completely just some.

Wow. You mentioned temperature fluctuations, but that is extreme. Temperature fluctuations are the hardest to get good results with. If your temp is a bit high or a bit low, but generally constant you have a higher chance of hatch.

I would spend a bit more for a better incubator next time.

 

[Transplanted Cali Girl]

I know this post is probably too late for this batch.
I have a styrofoam incubator. I used it in my class room for cortunic quails. I had used an egg turner with my chicken eggs and purchased one for quail eggs the correct size to hold the eggs. One thing I know besides temperature, and humidity being important is rotating the eggs. The mother does that in the nest daily. My mechanical one rocked the eggs back and forth.
You can do that manually as well a few times a day I believe. You might have better luck next time.
Also there are channels on the bottom of the incubator's
to keep water in. They should be kept with water in them. Until hatching day.
Don’t give up. Try again. You’ll get it. Good luck.

 

[Transplanted Cali Girl]

P. S.
Get a scale that weighs grams. You can weigh eggs to see if the are getting heavier. The ones doing nothing probably didn’t get fertilized.
And don’t open the top of the incubator. Just look through the plexiglass window. I don’t know what kind of incubator you have. Mine was a cheap one from a feed store.
Only open very slightly to get the eggs out and weigh them every three or four days. Not daily. Record the weight. You can mark or number the eggs before you put them in the incubator.
I know it can be nerve racking. But you will succeed.