Poor hatch rate for coturnix quail

[Albert74]

I recently tried to incubate 50 coturnix quail eggs and had only 4 hatch that survived and two that hatched and died within hours. I broke the remaining eggs open and saw that three eggs had embryos developing and the rest had nothing developing. Also of the eggs that hatched they did not start hatching until 21 days after I started incubating. My question is was the temperature to low or was the batch of eggs not good or a combination of both? I maintained the temperature between 99 and 100, but the thermometer could have been wrong. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[TheRealTimShady]

my first question is are they shipped eggs or your own. I've noticed that with shipped eggs sometimes the boxes get xray. This will kill fertility.

if they are your own eggs, then its obvious someone isn't doing their job.

 

[Albert74]

The eggs were purchased from someone who lives near me.

 

[millebantam]

The "x-ray thing" is given way too much credit for damaging shipped eggs. If one connects the dots, it's mostly used as a "CYA" for some people that are shipping slightly less than fresh eggs. Over the years I have participated in at least 200 or more egg shipments, and there were none of them that would even slightly lead me to believe that x-raying was the culprit. That's why it seems odd to me when someone can claim multiple shipments affected by x-ray. Things that make ya go hmmmmmmmmmm?



But to answer your question, it seems to me that your thermometer was reading falsley high, and therefore caused you to incubate at too low a temp. Low temps are about the only thing that causes a delayed hatch. I'll bet that if you calibrate your thermometer with a reliable one, you will find it runs a little "hot".

 

[cva34]

Just a shot in Dark.Don't know where your at.Weather wise.!! It just seems to me when weather is quite cold and days are short even with lights on.Yea they lay but not as well and not as Fertile...cva34

 

[Shicken Chitt]

I could have my wife x-ray a dozen or 2 at here office and set them and see what happens

 

[millebantam]

That would be an "off the hook" good kind of experiment. It would have to be x-rayed at a similar intensity that they would use in the mailrooms, but would be an excellent project if she could explain what she was attempting to the x-ray tech, and have him/her try to simulate it.

I could have my wife x-ray a dozen or 2 at here office and set them and see what happens

 

[Shicken Chitt]

I think they would be zapped by more than the PO uses. I don't think use enough at the postal service to have to wear protective equipment or do they?

 

[TheRealTimShady]

i'm not quite sure myself, quaillady and me talked about it before when she shipped me some eggs. there are a few articles about it floating around the internet.

 

[millebantam]

i'm not quite sure myself, quaillady and me talked about it before when she shipped me some eggs. there are a few articles about it floating around the internet.

Oh, I'm in total agreement that it happens, but I'm not so sure that it happens as often as I read about it, and after a while, it can become an "easy out" for shippin' and recievin' less than premium hatching eggs. How cool would it be for the volunteer poster above, to have his wife zap a dozen eggs and still get a few to hatch from it? Wouldn't that greatly diffuse the "x-ray excuse"?