Choosing eggs to hatch?

[Sefirothe]

Is it a good idea like with chickens to not set the first couple eggs to hatch from new quail layers?

My 7 week old quail just started laying yesterday, got my first three eggs! And I’m already itching to fire up the incubator to see if I can get some more girls since my first hatch of shipped eggs seemed to skew heavily male.

Pic of egg #1 with some of my chicken eggs since two of them also picked yesterday to resume laying after winter break.

 

[Nabiki]

I would wait until your hen has been laying for at least two weeks before putting into the incubator.

 

[LoveMyPeepers]

Is it a good idea like with chickens to not set the first couple eggs to hatch from new quail layers?

My 7 week old quail just started laying yesterday, got my first three eggs! And I’m already itching to fire up the incubator to see if I can get some more girls since my first hatch of shipped eggs seemed to skew heavily male.

Pic of egg #1 with some of my chicken eggs since two of them also picked yesterday to resume laying after winter break.

View attachment 4310409

Wow. Quail grow fast!

 

[Sefirothe]

I would wait until your hen has been laying for at least two weeks before putting into the incubator.

Ahh that’s what I figured.

That’ll give me time to finish processing excess males and to see how low my covey numbers get to figure how many eggs I should set.

Instead of just throwing everything in the incubator that would fit like I was semi planning.

 

[Nabiki]

Wow. Quail grow fast!

That's one of the advantages of raising quail. They start laying as early as 6 weeks. I've had a couple start at 5 and a half.

 

[Sefirothe]

That's one of the advantages of raising quail. They start laying as early as 6 weeks. I've had a couple start at 5 and a half.

I had boys start acting like boys that early, but the girls were starting to make me nervous until yesterday!

 

[redinator]

Ahh that’s what I figured.

That’ll give me time to finish processing excess males and to see how low my covey numbers get to figure how many eggs I should set.

Instead of just throwing everything in the incubator that would fit like I was semi planning.

At least you haven't decided you just need more incubators . . . . yet

 

[BorbQueen]

At least you haven't decided you just need more incubators . . . . yet

I fell victim to this already lol made a cooler incubator and am testing it

 

[Sefirothe]

I fell victim to this already lol made a cooler incubator and am testing it

I just went all out and bought the biggest table top incubator I could find. I knew I wasn’t interested in a cabinet style one. So I got one that’ll hold 100+ quail eggs.

 

[BorbQueen]

I just went all out and bought the biggest table top incubator I could find. I knew I wasn’t interested in a cabinet style one. So I got one that’ll hold 100+ quail eggs.

Nice. I didn't want to throw a whole lot more cash into it. So I spent 2 weeks researching diy incubators and making the simplest one I could. All I bought was a small fan. I do want to upgrade it with a temperature control unit but I figured it out fairly well it stays at about 99.5 or 100. So I think it's doing OK. Got 4 duck eggs in it to check.