Bad first hatch what can i do differently?

[gloriouskate]

Hi guys!
I'm really new to this forum, and quail lol. I've been trying to hatch coturnix and have had bad results.
My first hatch I put in 28 eggs and only one hatched. :-(
I have a hovabator still air incubator. I kept it at 101F and the humidity where I am is at about 54% so I didn't put any water in the tray. I only turned them about 3 times a day. I don't know if it's me or the eggs were infertile. The one little guy that hatched came out on day 17 with no problems. I only had one pip and die in the egg.
The last batch was from an eBay seller in Texas. This time I went with an assortment from Strombergs chicks.
I just got 14 ready to set.I just got them today so I'm letting them rest. I plan to put them in tomorrow.
Do i need to turn them more. Can/should I prop them up a little rather than laying them mostly on their sides? Also can i put something soft under them in the incubator to cover up the mesh? Or will that dry them out? What do you guys think?
Please help me it's such a bummer they didn't hatch last time. I want to make sure I'm doing everything right.
Thanks,
Kate

 

[eHuman]

Because of the heat in the incubator your humidity inside of it will be significantly lower than in your house. You are dry incubating in a still air unit, not a combo for success. I would shoot for 50% humidity during incubation and 65% during hatch. Another thing that will help immensely is if you added a small pc fan inside. Still air units are notorious for hot and cold spots so success rates are known to be lower than forced air units.

 

[gloriouskate]

Thanks! This is probably a dumb question but can I put something under them to protect them from the wire mesh or will it absorb to much of the moisture?