Any idea why my eggs didn't hatch? (Picture included)

[kcdef]

Hi all,

I posted a few days ago wondering when I should give up on my button quail eggs hatching, seeing as day 16 in the incubator had come and gone. Well, today marked day 22, so I finally cracked the eggs open. There were 14 eggs total. A couple, I assume, were not even fertile, as they looked just like any old egg you'd crack. Many of them were darker in color and almost dried-up looking (like the one on the left and in the middle in the picture I've attached). Two of them looked like they were almost fully developed chicks. I'm a beginner at incubating.
Any ideas as to what could've been wrong? My temp. was a steady 99.5, and the humidity usually ranged between 40-50%, sometimes spiking up to 60% when it was rainy outside for a couple days, and then between 60-70% during "lockdown". I'd love any input, thanks in advance!

 

[pkhunter]

Looks like most of your eggs are fertile and you have the right temperature and humidity, but I would get another thermometer/hygrometer to check against the one you have. I have about 8 of them and none of them read the same. Since you have some eggs that almost made it I would guess the temp is to low. Check your temp I bet its several degrees to low.

Couple questions. what kind of incubator and does it have an egg turner in it? Force air or still?

 

[Syazwan Maula]

Temp should be higher, @ 100 - 102
Humidity is ok.
Dont forget to turn the eggs.
At lockdown, just monitor the temp and humidity.
Dont give up!

 

[kcdef]

Thank you for the response you guys.

It sounds like the temp. must've been too low then. I can't believe that a degree or two would really mean life or death for a whole batch! Lol, I guess I definitely do have a lot to learn!

 

[Syazwan Maula]

Thank you for the response you guys.

It sounds like the temp. must've been too low then. I can't believe that a degree or two would really mean life or death for a whole batch! Lol, I guess I definitely do have a lot to learn!

Almost there! Dont worry , learn from mistakes and be better in the future. In malaysia, my inside bator temp is 37degree celcius, but due to the hot and humid weather, they can hatch normally, but i always try to keep it at 38. I use a dimmer switch, so i kinda have to monitor them like a mama quail. =p

 

[junebuggena]

Thank you for the response you guys.

It sounds like the temp. must've been too low then. I can't believe that a degree or two would really mean life or death for a whole batch! Lol, I guess I definitely do have a lot to learn!

Still air or forced air? For still air incubators, temp should be between 100 and 102. For forced air, 99.5 is just right. And addition thermometer in the incubator is always a good idea. And you can't usually trust the humidity gauge that is build in on most incubators.
Also, eggs need to be turned about 3 to 5 times a day. And humidity is not a constant. There is no set humidity that will work for every incubator or even every batch of eggs. It's the hardest par to hatching eggs to get right. It's something that needs to be tracked and adjusted for. For the first week, you start with the incubator at about 40. Then you candle and mark the air cells. A few days later, you candle again. If the air cells are growing right on track, you keep the humidity the same. If the air cells aren't growing, you lower the humidity. If they are growing too much, you raise the humidity. It's a continual thing.

 

[Tony K T]

Temp was fine 99.5 to hatch.I don't change the humidity at all.But then again I hatch pheasants.I did try buttons and quickly got out of them.They produce way too many chicks.If they develop and grow the humidity is fine.The humidity goes up when they hatch by itself as ther chicks are drying off and adding to the humidity level.Did you pull the plugs during hatch to let fresh air flow?
If you do choose to try another thermometer,you will need to have 3 in there to see which ones are working correct.It is impossible to tell with only 2 because you do not know which one is correct.With 3 at least you have an idea.
Do you have a fan inside?If your using a Styrofoam bator the temp will flexuate with the room temp,a fan will hold it steady.Turning 3 times daily is good but 8 times per day is ideal,so a self turner is always a plus.
It looks to be a humidity problem as the chicks are soaked.I would drop humidity to 40-45%.Humidity is tricky because one % will work for some an another % will work for others.You have to do the trial and error to see what works best for your area.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[Everlong]

on my second incubating ever, I kept humidity 60% all the time, never below. 5out of 7 eggs hatched at one time. 2 were not fertile-don't ask

Do it again, keep humidity up. don't open the incubator. You will get hatchings

 

[kcdef]

So much great info, thanks guys!

To answer some questions:
-I do not have a fan in there, this was a still air Hovabator
-I did NOT pull the plugs, whoops, I didn't even realize!
-I manually turned the eggs, 3x per day.

 

[Everlong]

Well, how did you turn them manually? did you open it etc?

My incubator is made out of a small cooler. I incubated my eggs twice. First time was a total failure since I kept opening it and turning eggs etc. One survived and I had to get it out partially from the shells. Died 3 days later.

Second time I said "screw it", chickens don't turn eggs. I put 7 eggs in, never turned them, kept humidity 60%+. Woke up on 21 day, look inside 5 of them hatched, healthy running around like crazy etc. two eggs didn't pop.
I had a piece of hose from the top to the dish with sponge where I would put water with a syringe.
This pic is from the first one.