My first Quail. A mini blog.

[pac]

I just found this from Myshire

Eggs not hatching? If your eggs aren't hatching by Day 18, increase your temperature by half a degree (F), and increase humidity by 10%.

I wonder if it's too late?
Off to candle...

 

[pac]

One egg lit up.
One egg is mostly all dark. No movement.
All the rest it's as if I'm looking at runny yolk sitting in the narrow end about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up to the air sac.

 

[pac]

I just got off the phone with the farm. He said the ones I am seeing yolk never started to develop.
He's going to try to get another box out to me between his other orders, which he says are seven weeks out now. But he's going to try to work me in for next week.

And I am the only one reporting poor hatches. Of course. Murphy's Law I guess. But I have no idea what I could have done differently.

 

[pac]

Three days old

 

[pac]

Man. Those two guys sure go through the food!
I've been putting it in a small lid to get them used to eating their food out of something, and they cleaned it out from yesterday evening. It's not all scattered around either.

I got a tracking# on batch 2 this morning.
And I thought of something I could do differently.

I'm going to let them rest a day (like before), but in a cooler area.

The room with the incubator and brooder runs pretty warm during heating season. 81F is what I was seeing on the thermometers I had in the room.
I'm going to crack a window and get it down to the low sixties. CC on youtube said he gets better hatches when he stores his eggs in a refrigerator in the low fifties. Worth a try. Maybe the overly warm room kickstarted the eggs when they were resting before.

 

[Nabiki]

Man. Those two guys sure go through the food!
I've been putting it in a small lid to get them used to eating their food out of something, and they cleaned it out from yesterday evening. It's not all scattered around either.

I got a tracking# on batch 2 this morning.
And I thought of something I could do differently.

I'm going to let them rest a day (like before), but in a cooler area.

The room with the incubator and brooder runs pretty warm during heating season. 81F is what I was seeing on the thermometers I had in the room.
I'm going to crack a window and get it down to the low sixties. CC on youtube said he gets better hatches when he stores his eggs in a refrigerator in the low fifties. Worth a try. Maybe the overly warm room kickstarted the eggs when they were resting before.

They eat and poop in great quantities.

 

[pac]

I had heard, but until you see it for yourself, lol.
I can just imagine a bunch of them in there.

 

[FatherFalcon]

I had heard, but until you see it for yourself, lol.
I can just imagine a bunch of them in there.

Incubating quail eggs after shipping requires careful handling to ensure a successful hatch. The way I incubate quail eggs, especially after they’ve been shipped:

1. Resting Period​

• Rest the eggs for 12 hours: When you receive the eggs, it's important to let them rest at room temperature for 12–24 hours before placing them in the incubator. This helps any condensation from the shipping process to evaporate, reducing the risk of moisture-related issues. The eggs should be placed pointy end down (this is the proper orientation for incubating).
• Room Temperature: The eggs should rest at room temperature, which is typically around 65–75°F (18–24°C). Avoid extremes in temperature to prevent the eggs from cooling too much or overheating.

2. Temperature and Humidity in the Incubator​

• Incubator Temperature: The ideal incubation temperature for quail eggs is around 99.5°F (37.5°C), but slightly lower or higher is generally okay. Since your incubator may run a bit hot, adjusting the temperature to 37.9°C (100.2°F) is fine and will keep things within a safe range for incubation. It's always a good idea to regularly check the temperature with a calibrated thermometer to ensure accuracy.
• Humidity: Humidity is crucial for the development of the eggs. For the first 14 days of incubation, aim for 45–55% humidity. Increase it to around 65–75% during the last 3 days before hatching to prevent the chicks from sticking to their shells.

3. Turning the Eggs​

• Quail eggs should be turned at least 3–5 times per day during incubation. This helps prevent the embryo from sticking to the shell and promotes proper development. If your incubator doesn't have an automatic turning mechanism, you’ll need to do this manually. Turning should stop around day 14 for quail eggs, as hatching approaches.

4. Ventilation​

• Ensure the incubator is well-ventilated. Proper airflow is important for oxygen exchange and for preventing excessive carbon dioxide buildup.

5. Candling the Eggs​

• Around day 7, you can candle the eggs to check for fertility and embryo development. This will help you discard any non-fertile eggs early on.

6. Adjustments for a Hotter Incubator​

• If your incubator runs slightly hot, lowering the temperature slightly (to around 37.9°C, as you suggested) can help. However, be mindful that too high a temperature can cause the embryos to develop too quickly, potentially leading to deformities or early hatches.
• Ensure consistent temperature: Hot spots in incubators can be problematic, so be sure to monitor the temperature in different parts of the incubator. If necessary, adjust the placement of the eggs to avoid direct contact with a hot spot.

The type of incubator can slightly affect the temperature and humidity management as well. After a few batches I started "Chaos Hatching" and it has worked out.
Not the best hatches but still hatches.

 

[pac]

Avoid extremes in temperature to prevent the eggs from cooling too much or overheating.

That's what may have happened. That's why I'm going to lower the temp when resting the eggs.

Everything else was spot on except I candled at 14 days.

 

[pac]

Well of course the new batch of eggs are going to be a day late. They left one hub for the other (last hub before the local PO) yesterday and were supposed to be here today, but the tracking showed them leaving that same hub again this morning and my delivery day pushed back one day.

Meanwhile, I picked up some containers at Wally World that I think will make some good feeders for those doohickeys I bought. I didn't realize it was so hard to find flat sided containers with snap on lids that were more rubber than plastic. And taller than the footprint. $7 something ea. Seemed like a decent price.

The two quail are getting pretty big. I adjusted the temp today for them. And the one looked like it was dead until the other one bumped it.

She (it?) was laying down on its stomach with its feet stuck out straight behind it. Is that normal for a bird?