all who are hatching quail

[BYfamily]

Someone please help me.....I've incubated 2 batches of quail eggs. On lockdown the first batch was at 99.5º & 75% humidity. The second batch at lockdown was 99.5º & 55-60% humidity. I had a horrible hatch. I thought the first ones had drowned. That's why I kept the humidity lower on the 2nd. I had to make safe holes on the second batch & they was shrink wrapped. When my husband came to help me save them he told me the 1st batch had looked the same. So please what is going on?

 

[BYfamily]

And to let you know. All research done for my first was saying keep humidity as close to 80% as possible during hatch. Then I found BYC & I kept reading that was to high. That it needed to be 60%.

 

[dc3085]

Someone please help me.....I've incubated 2 batches of quail eggs. On lockdown the first batch was at 99.5º & 75% humidity. The second batch at lockdown was 99.5º & 55-60% humidity. I had a horrible hatch. I thought the first ones had drowned. That's why I kept the humidity lower on the 2nd. I had to make safe holes on the second batch & they was shrink wrapped. When my husband came to help me save them he told me the 1st batch had looked the same. So please what is going on?

And to let you know. All research done for my first was saying keep humidity as close to 80% as possible during hatch. Then I found BYC & I kept reading that was to high. That it needed to be 60%.

I'm going to assume they are coturnix.

First check you thermometer and hygrometer with two others, this should be done every hatch. Thermometers lose accuracy easily.

99.75* @ 40-55% humidity for the first 14 days

Lock down should b e 99.25-99.5* @ 60-70% humidity. After this point you shouldn't open the door again until you are removing dry chicks. The only time things shrink wrap is when a chick is pipping or hatching and you open the door.

Keeping your humidity too far above 70% will drown the embryos. 80% will guarantee dead embryos.

Do you have air flow holes in your bator so the eggs/chicks can get oxygen? Are they wide open for lockdown?

What type of incubator? If you don't have a fan there is a different set of temps.

 

[BYfamily]

No fan in my little giant. Which is what I used for both hatches. I didn't open the door. If I needed to add water or take out chicks I used one of the windows on the top. It has little air holes all over the top & bottom. Plus I had one of the vent holes unplugged. Should I have unplugged both? The directions say to unplug the second while they're hatching.

 

[dc3085]

Without a fan you want to run the temps at 100.5-101.5 even as high as 102 to avoid cold zones forming.

During lockdown you want all the air vents wide open or they can suffocate, especially in a still air unit.

It doesn't have to be the full door, opening any large port into an incubator during lockdown can cause shrink wrapping. Quail chicks can survive for 24 hours in the incubator before they need food and water, so try to only open the door once and remove chicks.

 

[BYfamily]

Okay I will. Thank you so much for helping me!

 

[JJSS89]

Okay I will. Thank you so much for helping me!

Good luck! If you are diligent and have good strong eggs, you shouldn't have problems. I just had my first ever quail hatch yesterday. Definitely keep all the vents open in a still air. Also be aware that the humidity will go up pretty high when the chicks start popping out so best not to have the humidity to the upper limit IMHO but that is unfounded. I'm not sure how much effect 80% humidity will have when the hatch is already begun but I played it safe and pumped fresh air in to keep humidity level between 67-70%

I was scared after reading horror stories about low hatch rates and huge die-offs after hatch.

Yesterday afternoon I hatched 48 of 53 eggs (90.5%). One died after pipping, two died without absorbing all the yolk, and two died probably around day 13-14. Sad for them but overall the eggs did great and I think the strong breeding stock that laid them is the key to my success. Sadly another chick that had a swollen abdomen died an hour after hatch. Everything else is running, peeping, eating and drinking and POOPING!

These were Coturnix eggs.
Humidity throughout hatch day 1-14 - 53%
Humidity during lockdown from day 14 - 65%

I have 28 bobwhite eggs that are five days away from hatching now and am even more excited for them

 

[subhanalah]

@BYFamily
I believe your problem us due to too low humidity throughout incubation and it is causing them to lose too much liquid before hatch date.

 

[BYfamily]

I'm thinking my eggs didn't come from good stock. Most of my chicks have curled feet & one is splay legged. Any suggestions on how to make booties? And leg support for the other? Oh and my humidity stays at 50% during incubation. I agree with y'all that my problem is during hatch. My chicks from the first batch are all alive & well with no problems.

 

[subhanalah]

I'm thinking my eggs didn't come from good stock. Most of my chicks have curled feet & one is splay legged. Any suggestions on how to make booties? And leg support for the other? Oh and my humidity stays at 50% during incubation. I agree with y'all that my problem is during hatch. My chicks from the first batch are all alive & well with no problems.

https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry
I think your temperature is getting too high (splay leg and crooked feet). I'm having the same problems with some ducks I just hatched and my a/c broke during incubation, so it got HOT up there.