➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[007Sean]

I'll admit, I don't like the turning system in those models. I prefer the rails.

Ditto!

 

[007Sean]

Well, those pips have hatched! This is one reason I stress putting the eggs in the incubator immediately if they are shipped during hot weather. These eggs were already incubating when they arrived, it explains the 2 day early hatching, all the rest are either pipped or zipping right now. 47 out of 50 ain't bad for shipped eggs.

 

[007Sean]

The Rite Farm for 24 chicken eggs is only $80 at the moment…which is a good size for my needs. If you were happy with the hatch rates and consistency of heat and humidity I might be tempted to make the purchase. I’d really like better hatch successes!

The problem with the 'cheap' incubators is that the digital control units, the mother boards are crap. They can't hold temps to specifications. Too much variance in the components used....so you might get a unit that holds temp ok and another that won't, that's the reason you get spikes or the temp never seems to reach optimum operating temp.

I use an Inkbird ITC-306T thermostat/temperature controler on all my cheap foam incubators. And even with it, I have to adjust the temp above 99.5 to get my thermometers (mercury filled) to read the proper incubating temp. I also incubate my eggs at 100°F, the Inkbird is set at 101°F, I get a variance of 99 to 100°F but no spikes or other fluctuations.

It's reading about 99.5°F right now!

 

[FloorCandy]

I'll admit, I don't like the turning system in those models. I prefer the rails.

I prefer the trays or rails. Mostly I use the nr360 now at lockdown and I put the celadons in there so I know who is who. But for a smaller, cheaper model, or for a beginner or someone who has small hatching needs, the nr360 is one of the best values for the cost. I love my brinsea ovation, but the cost is more than many people will want to pay if they only hatch once or twice per year.

The rolling system definitely causes a slightly higher amount of side of the egg hatchers, maybe one or 2 every other hatch, vs the brinsea that has had only 2-3 in probably over 1000 eggs hatched. Also I haven’t turned the brinsea off in months and it’s been a real trooper about it.

 

[Kiki]

Okay ladies, remind me again how long to give a chick to hatch before helping?? This baby is doing his best but he’s popping out about half way down the egg so he’s struggling a bit. He’s been at it for about an hour…clearly not yet, but how long would you wait?

24 hours

 

[Kiki]

@RYGO72 a lot of us quail nutters hang out here.

 

[Kiki]

 

[kurby22]

Two of my celadon babies from @Nabiki they’re so precious

 

[007Sean]

Idk about the others, but between the Kebonnix and nr360, hands down nr360. I’ve heard some people like the Kebbonix, but others have to wrap it in coats and blankets to get it to stay consistent.

My NR360 holds temp and humidity pretty well...but horizontally turning the eggs is just not the same as an 'up-right' turner, IMHO....at least with pheasant eggs...I consistantly have better results with the eggs being incubated/turned in a vertical position vs. a horizontal position.
I have more saddled eggs when turning them in a horizontal position. I have never had a saddled pheasant egg hatch. With this last bunch of quail eggs, every single egg was a saddled egg! but 47 out of the 50 eggs hatched....vertical turner.
For some reason I haven't been able to figure out (read: not smart enough) why pheasant eggs are so much more difficult to incubate to hatch, than quail, chickens, turkeys, etc....they seem to be more delicate and don't ship well at all. I get 94 to 100% hatch rate with my HG pheasant eggs. I get similar results from my prairie chickens too! but if they are shipped, the hatch rate drops to a paltry 20% or 0%.

The NR 360 is the only bator I have that turns the eggs horizontally and I only use it if my other bators are full. I also have poor results with quail eggs incubated in the NR 360! Idk, maybe I'm doing something wrong? I like to think I've been hatching eggs from all kind's of birds for 50 + years.... using both still air and forced air, and various thermostats (waffer, digital) I should know what I'm doing but maybe I haven't 'learned' what it takes to operate the NR 360 correctly?

 

[FloorCandy]

My NR360 holds temp and humidity pretty well...but horizontally turning the eggs is just not the same as an 'up-right' turner, IMHO....at least with pheasant eggs...I consistantly have better results with the eggs being incubated/turned in a vertical position vs. a horizontal position.
I have more saddled eggs when turning them in a horizontal position. I have never had a saddled pheasant egg hatch. With this last bunch of quail eggs, every single egg was a saddled egg! but 47 out of the 50 eggs hatched....vertical turner.
For some reason I haven't been able to figure out (read: not smart enough) why pheasant eggs are so much more difficult to incubate to hatch, than quail, chickens, turkeys, etc....they seem to be more delicate and don't ship well at all. I get 94 to 100% hatch rate with my HG pheasant eggs. I get similar results from my prairie chickens too! but if they are shipped, the hatch rate drops to a paltry 20% or 0%.

The NR 360 is the only bator I have that turns the eggs horizontally and I only use it if my other bators are full. I also have poor results with quail eggs incubated in the NR 360! Idk, maybe I'm doing something wrong? I like to think I've been hatching eggs from all kind's of birds for 50 + years.... using both still air and forced air, and various thermostats (waffer, digital) I should know what I'm doing but maybe I haven't 'learned' what it takes to operate the NR 360 correctly?

I agree with you definitely, the rolling turners definitely have a higher occurrence of chicks pipping the wrong area. Mostly I’ve started using my nr360 at lockdown only, so I can keep the celadons separate, and since no turning is involved, the only issue is getting the chicks out without some little punk trying to jump out on one side while I’m scooping them out the other haha, it could use a deeper tray imo. But it was my first bator, and it hatched my first 19 chicks from 30 shipped eBay eggs, and I’ve seen a lot of cheap ones that provide 0% on the first hatch. There are few choices in the $150 and below range that I would recommend at all. For a small hobby breeder it’s ok, I used the nr360 for nearly a year until I had more demand for chicks than it could provide at once. I have the largest brinsea now and I love it, and I have my eye on some cabinet incubators, but most people with just a small hobby setup wont want to spend a ton.

That kebonnix one looks like cheap junk from China, I know of one person who loves it, and I guess they got a well put together one, I mean my son has a toy robot from CVS when he was 2, 6 years later it works as well as day 1, and I’ve never even changed the batteries, it’s fallen down stairs, and been dropped 100 times. If I was in the store I would not expect that as a criteria to buy another one, $15 robots don’t generally last 6 years with a boy who breaks everything in a day, just a fluke from a toy I bought him to play with in the waiting room at the doctor. That’s how I feel about the kebonnix.