day 17, not one sign of movement.

[quailmama 82012]

hello! i am realllllly anxious to see my quail hatch and i am really nervous so sorry if this is just a stupid question. i put my quail eggs in lock down on day 14 and all the temps seem to be normal. humidity=55-60% and temp is 99 in there. yesterday and today i haven't gotten one sign of movement. also, the humidity is only 55-60 and the condensation concerns me. there's water all over the lid! should i be worried?

 

[Nabiki]

That humidity seems really high to me. My first batch I did at around 50% humidity, and I had problems with the chicks. Around 30% seems to work much better.

Your temperature seems just a bit low as well. It should be 99.5-100 degrees. That doesn't mean that they won't hatch, but it may mean that they hatch a bit late.

Edit: We are talking about coturnix quail, right?

 

[quailmama 82012]

yes. i will lower the humidity. thanks! any other tips?
should i up the temp or leave it be? i had it that high for days 13-14 but i moved it.

 

[Nabiki]

yes. i will lower the humidity. thanks! any other tips?

Be patient.

Good luck with your hatch, and make sure to post pictures!

 

[CluckNDoodle]

What incubator are you using? Do you have a separate calibrated thermometer/hygrometer? It sounds to me like the humidity percentage is reading wrong, which is not at all uncommon. The optimal temperature for hatching is 99.5F as mentioned above so they may hatch just a tad late.

 

[quailmama 82012]

i have a forced air incubator and i have triple checked it temp wise. this is all so weird because i heard other places that i should have it 99.5 for the first part then 99 for the second. will i run into any problems other than late chicks?

 

[Nabiki]

i have a forced air incubator and i have triple checked it temp wise. this is all so weird because i heard other places that i should have it 99.5 for the first part then 99 for the second. will i run into any problems other than late chicks?

I'm on my 6th hatch, and in my limited experience, late hatchers seem to have more problems with curled toes. Don't be alarmed if they hatch with curled toes, though! They usually straighten out within 24 hours. If they don't you can try card stock and masking tape shoes, but those are pretty hard to get on!

Make sure to have some sort of grippy floor like shelf liner or textured paper towels. That will help them learn how to walk properly.

 

[quailmama 82012]

great. im using three layers of paper towels in my brooder and the incubator has two. i just switched the heat to 99.5 anything else? if you cant tell im super anxious.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

great. im using three layers of paper towels in my brooder and the incubator has two. i just switched the heat to 99.5 anything else? if you cant tell im super anxious.

The first hatch is always nerve wracking and exciting at the same time. There are some places that say to reduce the temperature for hatch, but if I'm being honest, I don't really even know why they suggest it. I've hatched plenty of chicks, quail, turkeys, goslings, and peachicks and I didn't change the temp from 99.5F on any of them.
Humidity does get increased slightly after lockdown but the humidity does sound like it was high to have built up condensation on the plastic in your incubator. In these situations, not enough water is safer than too much water.

 

[quailmama 82012]

now that that's cleared up, what about my brooder? i have every thing spot on, (i think ) but i just read one of the articles saying that i should have nothing covering the top of the tank. my heater is covering the top. what do you guys think?