➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[Sara L]

My turkeys are pipping!!!!! There's 3 pips I can see!!!

 

[el dorado quail]

@el dorado quail Kiki uses a still air. I use forced air and keep the humidity 45-55% inside with the AC running. I'm at 30 feet elevation and Kiki is a little lower and an hour away. Are you running still air or forced air? It makes a difference.

Temperature is 99.5°F on 3 calibrated thermometers. If you use 2, you don't know which one it lying. Set your incubator up and run it for a week. Maximum temperature adjusts is once every 12 hours. Keep it in a draft free place away from AC vents, windows, sunlight and anything else that will effect temperature. After a week of stable running (meaning no thermostat changes). Add water and dial in the humidity.

If you can keep it stable temperature and humidity wise for a week. Get eggs.

Good luck, best wishes and we want pictures. Cheers!

I will be doing forced air, usually we jump into summer mid April and get reallyyyyy dry. But like I said been really wet this year and were still hovering well below 60s. My house is relatively dry also because we have a wood stove for heat. Incubator will be as far away from that in my laundry room hopefully.

I found a lovely member here who lives a bit higher than me so I am hopefully going to get my eggs from them.

 

[Kiki]

Myself. Nary an egg.
Chickens are kicking butt.

I'm still fiddling with the idea of ordering some Jumbos. Fiddling. Need to decide on chicks. Now that you hatched horsies, I'm having issues. No broody in sight.

Want 5 hens. 5 is prime.
50% males = 10 eggs set.
Chicken rancher had 50% fertility last year = 20 eggs set.
Incubator holds 42. Therefore, round up to 42 for 5 hens. QED.

Chicken Math is so simple.

I really want to order jumbos too.

 

[Kiki]

My turkeys are pipping!!!!! There's 3 pips I can see!!!
View attachment 1719443

HOLY MOLY is that poop on them?

 

[el dorado quail]

@el dorado quail I'm in Auburn, around 1000 elevation, if you want some eggs I have jumbos and a bunch of colors. I usually don't add water until lockdown, then try to get around 60-70 humidity. I have a forced air incubator I made using an ice chest, two light bulbs, a computer fan, and an Inkbird thermostat. Thermostat can be bought on Amazon or eBay for less than $20.

GASP yay another foothills person! I'm near Placerville. Depending on my first run I may need more eggs! That incubator sounds exactly like what I'm doing. Did you get a fan that was ac or dc? I got a hovabator thermostat.

 

[R2elk]

@el dorado quail
I read an article that says you should source eggs from close to your same elevation for best success. Preferred, but eggs are shipped all over the continent.

Search on here and the chicken incubator stuff applies to all eggs. Have fun, this is a blast.

Elevation typically does not become a problem until you pass 5000'.

 

[Sara L]

HOLY MOLY is that poop on them?

Nope it's mud. I sandpapered most of it off.

 

[Sara L]

GASP yay another foothills person! I'm near Placerville. Depending on my first run I may need more eggs! That incubator sounds exactly like what I'm doing. Did you get a fan that was ac or dc? I got a hovabator thermostat.

I have no clue on the fan, my brother wired it. I will ask when my boyfriend rewires it this month.

 

[CayugaJana]

Hellooooo world of quail!

I posted a kind of desperate flailing thread the other night and have not gotten enough info. Thus I was directed here....A bit of background on my location: approx. 3400-3500ft elevation, western slope of Sierra Nevadas (El Dorado County, CA), and it has been phenomenally wet this year.

I am in desperate need of knowledge broaching the topic of hatching and brooding quail, specifically in a DIY fashion.
I'm making an incubator from an ice chest: wondering which kind of thermostat/hygrometer I should get and how many vent holes I should put in it
Secondly should I start small with a brooder and transition to a larger one as the babies grow? I was thinking a heated brooder plate that is adjustable to keep them warm? Do I want to use bedding in a brooder or just have hardware cloth floors?

Any and all input is much appreciated

@Jpat what was the thermostat you used that’s great and cheap?

I've read that thread and another, they're rather general as to temp/humidity monitoring. And I was just wondering if there are any tricks with quail incubating

I don’t add any water until lockdown. If I do, their air cells stay the same size. I also incubate in my walk in closet because it’s the only room that doesn’t have windows or vents in it.


Listen to this YouTube video. As a newbie myself I’ve found all 5 of these are really accurate. You can’t use traditional waterers without any adjustments or some will inevitably drown. They get cold really really easy so never put cold water from the tap. It causes them to pile up on each other and they smother the one on the bottom. If they are chirping loud, it’s normally because something is wrong and you need to go check on them. If they are quiet, they are content. Small crumble feed only. No pellets for babies. I use a red light heat lamp. And I don’t turn on any regular lights. I found if I did, they picked at each other too much. They even picked ones intestines out. It was horrible. If they are picking, give them more space, cool them down, and turn off regular lights.

For me I run my bator dry.
I keep the humidity levels at 25-30 max and only bump it to 45-50 max for hatching.
You won't know what works for your bator and your house until you try it.
Start with just a few cheap or free eggs.

I second this.

@el dorado quail I'm in Auburn, around 1000 elevation, if you want some eggs I have jumbos and a bunch of colors. I usually don't add water until lockdown, then try to get around 60-70 humidity. I have a forced air incubator I made using an ice chest, two light bulbs, a computer fan, and an Inkbird thermostat. Thermostat can be bought on Amazon or eBay for less than $20.

This is what I plan on using as supplies minus the ice chest. I’m going to use a mini fridge.

 

[Kiki]

Nope it's mud. I sandpapered most of it off.

Phew. I almost dropped dead.