BrandonsQuails - 2022 Hatch-A-Long

[BrandonsBirbs]

We have finally established a good setup for our own hatching eggs. There are three cages, in two of them are Japanese Coturnix at a ratio of 1 male to 5 females. In the other cage there are a mix of Coturnix Quail at a ratio of 1 male to 4 females.

I do not mind about which colours I get as I prefer to vent sex anyway, so will incubate their eggs together. All birds hatched will most likely be raised as meat birds.

I will be putting eggs into my Borotto but locking them down in my Janoel12 as I have turned it into an almost purely lockdown setup.

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

First batch put into the Borotto. Collected over the previous three or four days. These hatches will be a way to see if our eggs will be fertile as they are young birds.

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

Second batch, all from the 1st of June.

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

Third batch, was five eggs however two had significant cracks so were discarded.

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

Last batch for now which will bring my total up to 32 eggs in my Borotto. When I do lockdown (in a different incubator) I will add each batch over a 4 day period so they all incubate for the same time span. This is mainly a fertility test but I really want some new babies

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

Just candled the eggs and so far do not feel like there is much development going on, but that is the nature of a test. I couldn't really see any signs of veins so that does make me feel like they are not fertile. I will leave them a few more days and see if there is any progress.

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

DATE​	EGGS​	FERTILE​	INCUBATING​
June 9​	7​	1​	1​
June 11​	12​	4​	3​
June 13​	14​	8​	8​
June 15​	14​	7​	7​
June 17​	16​	10​	10​

So we have a lot of fertile eggs now! 29 to be exact! Got a few candling photos I can send!

June 17 candle day 3

June 15 candle day 5

june 11 candle day 9

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

First quail to hatch on the evening of the 27th!
Currently have 3 hatched and all eggs are now in lockdown excluding the June 17th eggs!

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

All 32 eggs were completely infertile, to not waste them they have been cooked and served back to our quail.

I collected 20 eggs yesterday/today and decided to do the "fertility spot test" by cutting three open and looking for a circle around the white spot: I found this in all 3.

So now I have placed the remaining 17 into the incubator and we will see how they go.

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

I tried to do the spot test to see if these second group of eggs would be fertile and I saw a dark ring around all the white spots, however I have just candled and I cannot see much. Only the second day really so will give it much more time.

Anyway, 7 more in today but 2 had to go as 1 was cracked and I accidentally dropped 1 and cracked it. 29 eggs remaining, will set 3 in the morning to fill incubator up if I remember too. Only running the centre two trays on my borotto ATM (32 total slots).