Dry Incubation A Few Questions

[Bob1956]

As some of you may have read in another thread, I set 12 Japanese Quail eggs yesterday. I have been advised by a few people including my egg supplier, to use the dry incubation method and only add water in the last few days.

I am using the Brinsea Mini Advance incubator, with a small dial hygrometer to monitor humidity. I have calibrated the hygrometer, and am quite happy with its accuracy. The ambient room RH level is between 50% and 60%.

When placing the eggs into the incubator the RH was very low at 22%, now on day 1 the RH has risen to 30%. These figures seem very low compared to the regular recommended levels. I will weigh the eggs every few day to monitor weight loss, but should I be concerned about the current RH levels.

Regards Bob

 

[WillowWoodsFarm]

Well, I dont know for sure but I did the dry incubation this time and mine ran about 40% but in the beginning, it didnt know what to do. It bounced back andforth between 40-50 and then dropped to 37 but then shot up to about 53! After a couple of days, it decided to stay around 40%, give or take alittle bit. I prepared them for lockdown and added my wet sponges and wet, wodded up paper towels in the water channels on the bottom and my humidity is currently, and pretty much has been at 75%. I am on day 20 and actual have my first pip...YAY! You could always go up to the search bar, on the top right and just put in "dry incubation" and see what comes up for it. I have done that with alot of different things and it has helped me out a great deal. Best of luck to you.

 

[Bob1956]

Hi mathesonfarm

Thanks for the reply and congratulation on the piping, I hope you get a good hatch.

I have searched the forums about dry incubation, there is a lot of great information. I could not find any details of the RH levels, and none who had used my specific incubator. I will weigh the eggs for weight loss throughout and maybe make adjustments to the RH if it is needed.

Regards Bob

 

[Bob1956]

UPDATE

Today is day 4, and I have weighed the eggs to monitor weight loss. I made a chart showing 13% weight loss over 17 days. Using this scale the eggs have lost slightly too much weight. But if the 13% should be lost between day-0 and day-15 (stop turning time), then the weight loss is correct.

So what period should the eggs loose their 13%, or is this method not used for dry incubation.

Regards Bob

 

[Gypsy07]

I've used the weighing method with chicken eggs with great success, and I aim for a 13% loss by the stop turning time (which is 18 days with chickens), as after that point you don't move them or open the incubator unless absolutely necessary.

Edited to add: Are you weighing each egg individually, or all of them together? And are you candling them to check for progress too? You probably know this already but just thought I should mention it incase you didn't... Eggs which are fertile and developing normally will lose weight at a different rate (faster) than eggs which are infertile or which have started developing then quit. So, when you're using the weighing method, you only check the ones that are developing normally.

The way I do it is to weigh each egg and write the starting weight on the shells. Then I candle on day 6, 12 and 18. By day 6 I can usually tell which ones are fertile, and though I leave every egg in the bator till day 12 just to be sure, I only use the ones that I am certain are definitely fertile to check for correct weight loss and to decide whether I need to adjust humidity up or down.

I also thought I should mention I have absolutely NO experience of quail

 

[Bob1956]

Thanks Gypsy07 for the reply and advice. I have adjusted my chart, to show 13% weight loss by stop turning day. So now at day 4, everything seems to be fine.

I did quickly candle a few of the lighter eggs at the same time as weighing, and they all seems to have red veins radiating from a central dot. So fingers crossed, I might have chicks on the way.

Edited To Add

I am weighing the eggs all together, but I will stop weighing any infertile ones when I candle again.

Regards Bob

 

[Arielle]

I will say up front that I am still new to incubating; and read tons as there is a huge difference in opinion on humidity. I did one incubation with 24 eggs, and 4 were clears, with15 hatching , 14 in good health now.

As you know, humidity, temperature and ventilation work together to help the egg lose moisture and increase the air cell size. THere can be too much humidity and too little humidity. It's a balancing act. THe final test is the air cell size and weight loss of the egg.

My impression is that more moisture is lost the last 4 days (hen) than in the first 7 days. ANd your eggs being a smaller egg the shell area to volume is different than a hen egg and therefore more prone to drying than the hens egg. This is my math-head in overdrive!

Good luck.