2 questions on incubating

[James the Bald]

After doing some research, I picked up an incubator at the TSC. The type they "normally" carry is the still air Little Giant, and they offer the LG automatic egg turners. I think in getting ready for "chick days" which is right around the corner, they have stocked up on Farm Innovators combo pack which has a circulating fan, egg candler and an automatic egg turner, so I picked one up. I did some test runs with water getting the humidity and temperature worked out, when I decided to place a regular egg in straight from the fridge. Here is where the 1st question finally comes up.

Is it normal for the temperature to increase by 5 or 6 degrees when adding just one egg? The humidity dropped by 5 then leveled out, but the temp raised up and never dropped. I was perplexed as I was sure the temperature would initially drop from the cold egg before returning to 99.5.

The other question I have: I'm reading posts where people are having fertilized eggs shipped and have an incubation rate somewhere in the 50% range. Is it typical for shipped eggs to have a 50% hatch rate? I'm looking at initially raising 8 - 12 quail. I'll be keeping the largest male for breeding, and all other males will be harvested for consumption when they reach maturity, with one as a backup stud in the event the 1st is too aggressive; 5 or 6 hens as egg layers, and 4 hens for fertilized eggs. That's the plan, so considering a 50% hatch rate, 24 eggs should put me somewhere in the neighborhood of what I'm expecting. If mother nature throws me a curveball and I get a better than 50% rate, then I'll take that as a bonus.

Any thoughts would be appreciated, as I intend to purchase eggs as soon as the quail rails I have ordered arrive.

 

[Wil SC]

50% seems to be about accurate. I just had 10 out of 28 hatch but I had a little incubator problem. After doing an egg autopsy 7-8 of the unhatched had been developing so with better incubator conditions I would have been just over 50%.

Also remember you may have terrible luck and get lots of males hatching. But with it only taking 6 weeks to maturity you can always cull males like you plan then do a second hatch with your own eggs which should have a better hatch rate.

 

[satay]

i think if you get 50% you are doing well. Anythng over that is a bonus. Shipped eggs are a gamble so you may get 1 out 24 hatch or 24 you just never know.

 

[James the Bald]

Is it normal for the temperature to increase by 5 or 6 degrees when adding just one egg? The humidity dropped by 5 then leveled out, but the temp raised up and never dropped. I was perplexed as I was sure the temperature would initially drop from the cold egg before returning to 99.5.

Thank you for your replies. I found the answer to my rising temperature... when I first started to test the incubator, I didn't have the egg turner operating, so when I added the one cold egg, the heat from the motor on the egg turner caused the temperature to go up above what I had it set to.

As for the hatch rates, the way I see things happen on this forum, ordering 12 eggs may give me anywhere from 3 - 6 quail, and should I be lucky enough to have a 1:4 ratio, I can possibly get many future 100% hatch rates and get as many quail as I can care for, as hatching will become addictive. On the flip side, I could end up with a 0:4 ratio and have to order another 12 just to get one male (or 1 female).