Need help with quail hatching [californian]

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al4x

al4x

In the Brooder
7 Years
May 13, 2012
33
0
32
Hi, im new and have just done an intro.

I have just finished incubating 12 quail eggs and have had 0 success, infact im pretty saddened by the result.

12 eggs
9 just yolk
1 dead in shell
2 not going to make it.. very sad

have been using a brinsea octagon 20 wih auto turn cradle [friends incubator]
temperature set at 37.6, stable
humidity i tried to keep at 40% but i only had a analogue dial hygrometer, i also struggled to keep it high during the last 3 days of hatching, i dont know why, might be the meter.

The chicks needed help getting out, they pipped but nothing more after 24 hours, they came out wet looking and never got dry.

what do you experts think went wrong? the only 9 fertile isnt good surely?

I dont know what went wrong, humidity, bad eggs, or im just useless. I want to try again, i think.

Also i need an incubator of my own, and NEED humidity control, for peace of mind.

Thanks for reading.
 
What kind of quail?? I have some Gambel in lockdown, and have hatched coturnix, have 3 birds so far.
Coturnix hatched on day 17 and are doing great, but am stressing ove rthe Gambel , hope some hatch!
My eggs were shipped, were yours???
Ayda
 
i collected mine in person. wont be going back there again tbh
 
Your temp sounds good. Usually when chicks pip but don't come out of the egg, it can be a few things. Either the humidity was too low, especially during lock down, (should have been nearer to 60 or 65%) or it is a ventilation problem.

One of the biggest problems that beginners have with incubators is that the don't open the vents ALL the way open during lock down to hatch. It is VERY important the chicks get air. They need a ton of it to get out of the egg. So if you have plugs in your vents on the bator, make sure to take them out during lock down to hatch. Make sure your fans are running properly and fresh air is getting into the bator.

Next, get a good humidity gauge. If you are having troubles keeping the humidity up, you can add wet sponges to the incubator. In my dry climate I am always using the sponge method to keep the humidity levels up. During lock down, use a bigger sponge.

I know it is frustrating. Here is a link to a web site that has a great trouble shooting chart for hatching chicks. It can help you figure out things that can go wrong.

http://msucares.com/poultry/reproductions/trouble.html

So sorry for your troubles.
 
Last edited:
i had the same thing happen to me when i first started incubating quail coturnix that is 140 eggs i had 19 hatch 6 make it to adult hood
i followed what everone told me to do all settings humidity turns our i was relying on 1 thermo which was wrong ended up cooking them at 104F always use 2 avg temp and humid out i use 3 personally check your equipment that fails more then we do. and most of the 19 were deformed ill and weak.

remember youll never be perfect all you can do is your best
 

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