Now that I've got a little information under my belt and have become dangerous 
And rather that posting a new thread for each event, or milestone, or sad day... whatever may happen...
I am starting a thread on my journey into quail. From A to Z so to speak.
With some commentary thrown in. Cuz that's the way I roll
So let me start off by saying that Big River delivered a big box today. It contained some odds and ends I had decided, after much reading and many youtube videos, that I needed.
I got my Govee thermometer/hydrostat. Said to be more accurate than the Nurture Right 360 incubator's display.
And it is reading one degree F colder than my instant read food thermometer is... I haven't tried it out in the incubator yet. I will do that later today. I wish it had a probe. I would test it in boiling water.
But it has me thinking. Did I get sucked into buying a $12 thermometer because a youtuber was pushing them and others were recommending them??? Others who also probably bought them based on the same video??? The answer of course is yes
The question of course is how it will read compared to the incubator. And which temp I will go by...
Maybe I should get out my sling psychrometer from the old days and see how close the humidity level is to what the Govee says. Or not. I doubt I could find it anyway. But the way I understand it, humidity can fluctuate a little, but the temp should be spot on.
I'm also going to use a quail egg turner in the 360. That seemed like a good idea based on one video I saw that said the eggs didn't seem to be turning well in the 360 using the chicken egg rack that came with it. So I ordered one of those, too.
This will be the first time I'll be using another new gizmo, too.
I got one of those temperature controllers that regulates the brooder's heat source. Not much money and seems like a good idea starting with hatchlings. Previously with chickens (that were already a few days old) I simply taped a thermometer to the side of the brooder and adjusted the height of the heat lamp accordingly. So this will be nice. I'll use it in conjunction with the ceramic reptile heater I got. Dang, this free meat and eggs is getting expensive
The farm I contacted yesterday about getting jumbo wild/brown Coturnix eggs called me last night, but my phone was already in sleep mode. He asked if I wanted him to ship the eggs today! I texted him this morning saying yes. Hopefully that works out OK (with me getting back to him a day later) and I'll have 36 eggs on the way from 2-1/2 hours away.
So today will be plug the incubator in and do a trial run to dial everything in day.
And I will also continue building the hutch. Yesterday I got the four floor and ceiling frames done. That took a little time, as it was more cost effective to rip 2x4's into 2x2's and my table saw is in the basement. And I'm not really a woodworker. But I do like building things.
I added four metal corners to help stabilize it, since I will be building the skeleton frame first, then adding the floor/walls/etc. If I put the floor on it, it would be more solid, but it would also make it a lot heavier and more cumbersome to work with. At least that is my thoughts. Plus I can install the flooring at a more comfortable level once the legs are on. But if you have an extra pair of hands helping, you can save money and not buy the corner pieces.
The TV is on and I think I finally hit upon a nice incubation video. It's done in parts.
But again, I noticed the date. And I have to ask, why are all the quail YT videos like 3-6 years old? Were quail "trending" during that time period? Some of these old videos could really use an update.
And rather that posting a new thread for each event, or milestone, or sad day... whatever may happen...
I am starting a thread on my journey into quail. From A to Z so to speak.
With some commentary thrown in. Cuz that's the way I roll
So let me start off by saying that Big River delivered a big box today. It contained some odds and ends I had decided, after much reading and many youtube videos, that I needed.
I got my Govee thermometer/hydrostat. Said to be more accurate than the Nurture Right 360 incubator's display.
And it is reading one degree F colder than my instant read food thermometer is... I haven't tried it out in the incubator yet. I will do that later today. I wish it had a probe. I would test it in boiling water.
But it has me thinking. Did I get sucked into buying a $12 thermometer because a youtuber was pushing them and others were recommending them??? Others who also probably bought them based on the same video??? The answer of course is yes
The question of course is how it will read compared to the incubator. And which temp I will go by...Maybe I should get out my sling psychrometer from the old days and see how close the humidity level is to what the Govee says. Or not. I doubt I could find it anyway. But the way I understand it, humidity can fluctuate a little, but the temp should be spot on.
I'm also going to use a quail egg turner in the 360. That seemed like a good idea based on one video I saw that said the eggs didn't seem to be turning well in the 360 using the chicken egg rack that came with it. So I ordered one of those, too.
This will be the first time I'll be using another new gizmo, too.
I got one of those temperature controllers that regulates the brooder's heat source. Not much money and seems like a good idea starting with hatchlings. Previously with chickens (that were already a few days old) I simply taped a thermometer to the side of the brooder and adjusted the height of the heat lamp accordingly. So this will be nice. I'll use it in conjunction with the ceramic reptile heater I got. Dang, this free meat and eggs is getting expensive
The farm I contacted yesterday about getting jumbo wild/brown Coturnix eggs called me last night, but my phone was already in sleep mode. He asked if I wanted him to ship the eggs today! I texted him this morning saying yes. Hopefully that works out OK (with me getting back to him a day later) and I'll have 36 eggs on the way from 2-1/2 hours away.
So today will be plug the incubator in and do a trial run to dial everything in day.
And I will also continue building the hutch. Yesterday I got the four floor and ceiling frames done. That took a little time, as it was more cost effective to rip 2x4's into 2x2's and my table saw is in the basement. And I'm not really a woodworker. But I do like building things.
I added four metal corners to help stabilize it, since I will be building the skeleton frame first, then adding the floor/walls/etc. If I put the floor on it, it would be more solid, but it would also make it a lot heavier and more cumbersome to work with. At least that is my thoughts. Plus I can install the flooring at a more comfortable level once the legs are on. But if you have an extra pair of hands helping, you can save money and not buy the corner pieces.
The TV is on and I think I finally hit upon a nice incubation video. It's done in parts.
But again, I noticed the date. And I have to ask, why are all the quail YT videos like 3-6 years old? Were quail "trending" during that time period? Some of these old videos could really use an update.
