Can you Dry Hatch with Coturnix Quail Eggs?

[St Marks Quail Farm]

For those that have used this method: Do you find it more or less successful?

 

[tennesseequail]

I tried once on accident. Thought my wife filled the troughs. She didnt. It was tough hatching til I figured it oit

 

[St Marks Quail Farm]

@tennesseequail

So, you hatched successfully without any water?

 

[tennesseequail]

Not really. They all got soeta...stuck

I added water after realizing problem

I only hatch quail and go the first 14 days without. The last 3...I keep it at 65 percent

 

[tennesseequail]

I never ever add water for in the before lockdown stage

I only add it at the lockdown

I generally will turn on my still air incubator (I use this only for lockdown, as I find the fan dries the water up too fast the other way) a day early, add the water check it, make sure its 70 or under, then move eggs off the turner in the other incubator, and into this one

Then I refill the egg turner in the bigger one, and move on

I found my hatch rates have increased a lot doing it this way, BUT I only did 2 hatches so far this way If I keep getting 90% on the hatches, then I will hatch only once every 3 weeks then

 

[St Marks Quail Farm]

I am testing out a dry hatch on 4 fertile eggs from my Quail. I brought a small, cheap Chinese incubator from Amazon.

I put them in at 7AM today, have already turned them twice. I am keeping a written record of turning them so I don't need to mark them.

 

[tennesseequail]

Turning eggs theee times a day would be a full time.job for me

Easier to pay for the Turner but to each their own

 

[feedman77]

I have done dry hatch before. A lot here lately. Being flooded out just put all eggs in a cabinet incubator ( turkey, chicken,pheasant, and quail). So many different set days and hatch times they just pop out when they are ready.

On the quail so far I have been getting almost 90 percent hatch rate. Humidity on gauge is staying at about 35 to 40 percent without water added. So my humidity may be high enough I dont need to add any water to raise it higher. I was raising humidity early in year had a lot more sticky chicks.

Not sure on all your conditions that effect your hatching ( temp,humidity, altitude,). But so far dry incubation and hatch is working for me.

 

[St Marks Quail Farm]

@tennesseequail

I can get other people to turn them whilst I am at work etc. Just a trial run the first time round. I'm planning on buying an expensive, auto-turning incubator next year.