I ordered 50 eggs, 3 were cracked during shipment. I dropped one a couple days later. So, 46 eggs that were supposed to hatch on Monday. They started piping but didn't hatch, Tuesday I helped them. Had a total of 17 chicks, lost 4. One hatched itself last night but is still acting like it is newly hatched, laying on its side kicking it's feet. This morning I cracked the rest of the eggs, one deformed chick (might have to cull) 17 infertile eggs and the rest were developing but dead.. I'll take a closer look later but whats the deal??, last batch of 25 was from the same person and I had 12 infertile. 8 hatched and the rest died in development.. Including one thing that was feathered but had no limbs. My humitity and temp stayed where it needed to be?? I turned them 3 times a day, and I incubated the in cartons
A Few Possibilities Come To Mind. Both Batches Were From The Same Source? If So The Source May Not Be So Good??? I Dont Know About That, Just Covering The Common Factors( I Dont Like To Speak Poorly Of Anyone) If They Are From The Same Source There Are Many Common Factors--- The Source, The Shipping Method And Route, And You. Temp And Humidity Correct? Define Correct. I Say This Because It Sounds Like A Humidity Problem. Chicks That Pip And Dont Zip And Complete The Hatch This Is The #1 Source, The #2 Source Is Old Or Mishandled Embryos, #3 Is Lack Of Oxygen In The Hatcher. The Turning And Carton Thing Sounds Very Good, Temp Will Affect Development, But Humidity Affects Both Development And Hatch. Source Can Be Changed To Try And Eliminate That Part Of The Possible Problem, Which Will In Turn Change The Packing Style And Route Of Shipping--- I Say Route Because In Some Places Along Certian Shipping Routes They Routine Xray All Packages Dispite Written Warnings On The Package( Apparently Expensive Postal Sorting Machines Cant Read.. Isn't Automation Grand!?) Xray Exposure Can Have Wildly Varying Results On The Embryos Depending On Packing And Exposure Rates And Doses Of Radiation Received. Try Eggs From A Different Source, Preferably In A Different Geographic Location, Do Exactly The Same Method And Equipent You Have Used For The Last 2 Batches. If The Results Are Different Then It Will Narrow The Problem. If They Are Not Then Its Something In Your Method Or Equipment. Pin Point Where The Problem Is And Then You Can Start Taking Effect Action To Correct It
Sounds to me like the seller has issues... Could it be they were old eggs? Maybe underfed/undernourished hens? But the pip-zip-die is probably a hmidity issue. I thought I was using the correct humidity, and it turns out I was 20% higher than I should have been! I changed it, and then the hatches are better. Good liuck!
Quote:What would be the "ideal" humidity level for hatching quail. The manual that came with my Brinsea suggests 45 to 50 % during incubation and 65 to 70 for hatching, and I have had some problems similar the above. Once again, though, shipped eggs, so who knows what the real issue is. Mine are going into lockdown tonight -- where should I set the humidity at? TIA!
Humidity should be whatever works best for you. I usually use about 45% during incubation and 55%+ for hatch, but this hasn't been working well for me this summer. The best hatches I've had were about 30-35% for both incubation and hatch. This time of year, my best guess would be the heat. Many people just pop the eggs right in the bator upon arrival, because 9 times of 10 the embryos will have already started developing. I don't see how anyone can blame the seller in this case, you really don't know enough about it to judge anyone. One thing I've noticed, as JJ said, is that the location which they are coming from makes a huge difference. I will not ever buy eggs that must be shipped from somewhere south or east of KY, it's just not worth it. I don't know what the P.O. does to them, but every batch of eggs I've gotten from south of me this year (even as close as 4 hours away in Tennessee) have been almost total failures. Examples: 8 pheasant eggs shipped from NC: 0 hatch 12 pheasant eggs shipped from FL: 2 hatch and die within the first day 10 chicken eggs shipped from FL: 1 chick hatch 18 button quail eggs shipped from PA: 7 chicks hatch, 2 of which died within the first week 16 chicken eggs shipped from TN: 2 chicks hatch 7 pheasant eggs shipped from UT: 5 hatched and are still alive and well at over 2 months 8 pheasant eggs shipped from OR: 5 hatched and are stil alive and well at over 1 month 18 chicken eggs shipped from CO: (6 of 18 eggs broken upon arrival) 6 chicks hatched from 12 remaining (unscrambled) eggs Last year I had similar hatch rates with eggs shipped from the south, the ones I can remember are: 20 very expensive silkie eggs shipped from TN: 0 hatched 18 replacement eggs sent from same seller: 2 hatched same seller, d'uccles egg assortment:18 eggs sent, 4 hatched. These are only the ones I remember from last year, but it does show a pattern. Definitely get different eggs from a different area of the country, and wait till it cools off a bit. If you don't want to wait, see if anyone in your area has some extra adults they wouldn't mind parting with, seems everyone has too many quail this year!
next time I'd give it a few more days... Mine always hatch around day 19. It stinks waiting, but maybe the ones that were developed could have come out? You said they were dead, but they made it that far. dunno, just my .02
They pipped early 16th day, by the 17th day they had made NO progress so I helped them out.. But ONLY the ones that were pipped. 18th day I decided to go a head and check the rest of the eggs since none had pipped.. That is when I found the one live deformed chick, and the rest dead pr not fertilized. The two chicks that I thought I needed to cull are doing ok now, running around eating are drinking.. Even the deformed one, with no eyes and a long bottom beak.. I figure if anything it will just be a pet
