Cortunix Quail egg question

[Jacob Duckman]

I received a dozen cortunix quail eggs 3 days ago. The shipping was slow and they may have been exposed to temperatures close to freezing.

My question is, how do I find out if the eggs are still viable or failed? I tried candling them but can't see anything. This is my first cortunix egg batch.

Will they start smelling? Is it possible to individually sniff each egg out?

ps: incubating them at 100F and 50% humidity

thank you

 

[Welshies]

Pop them in the bator. At day 6 you can candle to check for viability. Only expect 50% or so hatch rate from shipped eggs.

 

[JaeG]

Quail eggs are amazingly tough so give them a chance and see what happens. People have incubated store bought, refridgerated quail eggs and had some eggs hatch. Day 3 you may see the start of the 'spider' but some eggs need a little longer, and then there are those whose shells seem to be particularly thick and you can't see a thing!

Eggs only start to smell and weep in the incubator if the embryo inside dies and starts to break down leading to an increase in bacteria. It is unusual, but not unheard of, for a quail egg to explode in the incubator, but you should smell a sulfurous smell before that happens. Infertile eggs will just lose moisture and are of no danger to the other eggs.

 

[007Sean]

I received a dozen cortunix quail eggs 3 days ago. The shipping was slow and they may have been exposed to temperatures close to freezing.

My question is, how do I find out if the eggs are still viable or failed? I tried candling them but can't see anything. This is my first cortunix egg batch.

Will they start smelling? Is it possible to individually sniff each egg out?

ps: incubating them at 100F and 50% humidity

thank youView attachment 1238337

From your pic it appears you did a DIY bator. How's the temp and humidity as to stability? Also, if I were incubating these eggs, I would try to keep the humidity at 40-45% until lock down ...5% doesn't seem like much but it can have a huge difference in the hatch rate.

 

[geniash]

It looks like the eggs are set pointy tip up. They should be set with a flatter side on the top.

 

[007Sean]

It looks like the eggs are set pointy tip up. They should be set with a flatter side on the top.

Oh, your right! They are upside down. Good eye.

 

[Jacob Duckman]

It looks like the eggs are set pointy tip up. They should be set with a flatter side on the top.

thanks. upside-down or sideways? Is it safe to move them right now? (day 4)

 

[Jacob Duckman]

From your pic it appears you did a DIY bator. How's the temp and humidity as to stability? Also, if I were incubating these eggs, I would try to keep the humidity at 40-45% until lock down ...5% doesn't seem like much but it can have a huge difference in the hatch rate.

I'm using a 5 year old bator that has given me a few successful duck hatches in the past. The sidewall has been (crudely) modified to add insulated viewing windows. The temp holds very well, humidity has to get topped off at least once a day.

I've read very conflicting info about humidity for quail eggs. I've seen folks claim success with anything from a dry incubation to 60% humidity, so I picked somewhere in the middle. My home's humidity level is at about 35% due to baseboard heating, so the dry option is pretty much out of the question, i think.

PS: There is also a lot of conflicting info about duck egg humidity too. I ended up going with 65% and also spraying the eggs with warm water every other day. about 80% success rate.

 

[JaeG]

If you have egg turners (I don't, so that is what those are right? ) then pop them in pointy end down, fat end up and let the turner do the rest. Otherwise I've incubated them on their sides with hand turning and still got lots of chicks.

I keep my humidity around 40-45% but just candle the odd one (or the whole lot if you like candling - I know I do) 2-3 times over the course of incubation to check the air cell growth and up it a bit if you think they are losing a bit much, or reduce it if they look too small.

Honestly, all that information out there is just opinions - what's worked best for some people. You have to work out what works best for you and your eggs and your unique situation.

Congrats on the ducklings - that's a great hatch rate! What kind of ducks did you hatch? I'd love to hatch ducks with the kids but we can't where we currently are.

Keep us updated!

 

[Jacob Duckman]

If you have egg turners (I don't, so that is what those are right? ) then pop them in pointy end down, fat end up and let the turner do the rest. Otherwise I've incubated them on their sides with hand turning and still got lots of chicks.

I keep my humidity around 40-45% but just candle the odd one (or the whole lot if you like candling - I know I do) 2-3 times over the course of incubation to check the air cell growth and up it a bit if you think they are losing a bit much, or reduce it if they look too small.

Honestly, all that information out there is just opinions - what's worked best for some people. You have to work out what works best for you and your eggs and your unique situation.

Congrats on the ducklings - that's a great hatch rate! What kind of ducks did you hatch? I'd love to hatch ducks with the kids but we can't where we currently are.

Keep us updated!

yes, those are turners. They just sort of rock back and forth about 80 degrees or so, so not really turning in the true sense of the word. apparently that's how most "turners" work.

The high hatch rate I got was with Rouen eggs. Although, that 80% is from the batch of eggs after removing bad ones in the first candling. Taking into accounts all the eggs I started with it was more like half.

If you live in a suburban setting, muscovy ducks are the way to go. they hiss instead of quack, and are known to be quieter than many chicken hens. Most farmed ducks don't have access to ponds. All they need is a bucket deep enough to fully immerse their bills. Similar coop and run size requirements as chickens