Best way to ensure good hatch rate on shipped quail eggs?

[Kiki]

I recently ordered some quail eggs, and am worried not many will hatch. I want to know the best hatching method for shipped eggs, to ensure a good hatch rate. Thanks!

Well I've had shipped quail eggs many times and I usually have really good hatch rates. Sometimes even perfect hatches.
Shipping is not the only factor that matters. It matters how well you know your incubator and how well you can keep it stable. It's also very important as to where the eggs come from to begin with.

 

[Nabiki]

@Kiki definitely has a lot of experience, but shipping can be hard on the eggs, depending on how they were handled.

How are they being shipped that they're not supposed to arrive until 1-2 weeks after shipping? Where did you get the eggs from?

Any reputable source will ship the eggs expedited and they should arrive in 1-3 days. The viability is best when the eggs are 7 days or less old. They don't all die at once, but the percent of eggs that will develop begins to drop after 7 days.

Hopefully they will actually arrive this week, and then you should be able to get a decent hatch rate on them following good incubator practices.

 

[Susan Skylark]

Time in transit and shipping trauma will be the biggest factors as will cold or heat exposure en route, quail eggs are pretty tough but sometimes the post office does bad things to eggs. What are they doing sending them media mail? They should arrive within a week and were hopefully collected night before. After 10 days of age viability seems to decrease significantly. If you have saddled or moving air cells that is a sign of shipping trauma. I’ve had great and horrible hatches on shipped quail eggs, but it is a roll of the dice. I’d start turning them 48 hours into incubation, prior to that they can probably just sit without issues but I’ve found significant early embryonic death (25-50%) in No turn eggs days 3-6.

 

[PattieTheDuck]

Well I've had shipped quail eggs many times and I usually have really good hatch rates. Sometimes even perfect hatches.
Shipping is not the only factor that matters. It matters how well you know your incubator and how well you can keep it stable. It's also very important as to where the eggs come from to begin with.

Thank you! I’ve used my incubator a couple times now, and this time to be extra cautious, I plan on using thermometers and hydrometers to make sure the temperature and humidity are good

 

[Kiki]

Thank you! I’ve used my incubator a couple times now, and this time to be extra cautious, I plan on using thermometers and hydrometers to make sure the temperature and humidity are good

I really like this set of 3:
https://www.amazon.com/Govee-Hygrom...ocphy=1026481&hvtargid=pla-1950653192158&th=1

 

[PattieTheDuck]

Time in transit and shipping trauma will be the biggest factors as will cold or heat exposure en route, quail eggs are pretty tough but sometimes the post office does bad things to eggs. What are they doing sending them media mail? They should arrive within a week and were hopefully collected night before. After 10 days of age viability seems to decrease significantly. If you have saddled or moving air cells that is a sign of shipping trauma. I’ve had great and horrible hatches on shipped quail eggs, but it is a roll of the dice. I’d start turning them 48 hours into incubation, prior to that they can probably just sit without issues but I’ve found significant early embryonic death (25-50%) in No turn eggs days 3-6.

Thank you! My eggs will likely arrive today which is earlier than expected

 

[PattieTheDuck]

@Kiki definitely has a lot of experience, but shipping can be hard on the eggs, depending on how they were handled.

How are they being shipped that they're not supposed to arrive until 1-2 weeks after shipping? Where did you get the eggs from?

Any reputable source will ship the eggs expedited and they should arrive in 1-3 days. The viability is best when the eggs are 7 days or less old. They don't all die at once, but the percent of eggs that will develop begins to drop after 7 days.

Hopefully they will actually arrive this week, and then you should be able to get a decent hatch rate on them following good incubator practices.

T

@Kiki definitely has a lot of experience, but shipping can be hard on the eggs, depending on how they were handled.

How are they being shipped that they're not supposed to arrive until 1-2 weeks after shipping? Where did you get the eggs from?

Any reputable source will ship the eggs expedited and they should arrive in 1-3 days. The viability is best when the eggs are 7 days or less old. They don't all die at once, but the percent of eggs that will develop begins to drop after 7 days.

Hopefully they will actually arrive this week, and then you should be able to get a decent hatch rate on them following good incubator practices.

he eggs arrived within 3 days

 

[Nabiki]

T

he eggs arrived within 3 days

That's good. That's more normal for shipped eggs.

 

[PattieTheDuck]

That's good. That's more normal for shipped eggs.

Yup I was worried at first but now the eggs arrived safe and sound with only one of the 15 eggs cracked

 

[Nabiki]

I wouldn't buy from this seller again. The uncertainty on the shipping and getting a cracked egg doesn't sound very good to me. I hope you have a good hatch rate, though!