Extreme Temps in Quail Incubator

[Phunktacular]

I was getting ready to go out to work and stopped in to check on the quail incubator. The thermometer on the incubator read 84 degrees. I felt the top of the window to see how it felt and it was really warm. So, I ran up to get my meat thermometer and tested the air inside and that read 114 degrees. What I learned was that my thermostat sensor had fallen between the eggs and fell into 1 of the channels of water and gave it a false temperature reading. So, the heater was constantly trying to build the heat up to 100. I remedied the issue and left the cover off for a couple of minutes to lower the temp in the incubator and when I left it was holding steady between 99-100. However, I don't know how long it maintained a temperature of 114 for. It could have been there for the better part of 12 or so hours since the last time I was down to check on the eggs. However, I have no clue. What is the likelihood that the eggs will be ok? The humidity is a constant 50%.

I'd really hate to imagine that all 41 eggs are lost.

Any ideas or insight?

Thanks

Rob

 

[Fishkeeper]

Without knowing how long it was like that, I don't think there's any way to tell. How old are the eggs?
The best thing I can think to do is just monitor them. Continue to candle and weigh, and see if they keep developing like they ought to be. If they're dead, they're dead. If not, just keep things as stable as possible and hopefully they'll stay that way.

 

[Phunktacular]

I received the eggs last Wednesday morning and got them in the incubator that night, after letting them rest as the instructions suggested. That would have put them at 1 week in the incubator when I found the problem. 1 more week before lockdown.

 

[Little Jerry Seinfeld]

You never know. I checked my incubator and it was perfect. Checked ot two hours later and it was 107! Then 5 or 6 days before hatch I was gone for the day and the outside temps skyrocketed and icame home to my incubator on 107 again! I did lose a ton of eggs, but 19 out of 65 hatched...all the ones along the edges were ok. I do have one chick with leg issues because of it. (These were chickens by the way)
But my point is, just wait and see, maybe keep candling. I find quail eggs hard to candle but inwould probably continue incubating them on the off chance some are ok.
Of course I have read lots that high temps are more likely to kill female eggs and low temps kill males... so i may have just hatched 19 roos out! Keep us posted, and I hope it wasn't hot for too long and that you have some hatch.

 

[Phunktacular]

I definitely kept them in the incubator. I don't necessarily see the point in candling often to see. Wednesday will be day 14 and I'll begin lockdown. They should begin hatching by Saturday. I'll see what I get going into Sunday and Monday and whatever doesn't hatch, I'll water test them. I've heard of eggs hatching up to 23 days but, I can't see myself waiting that long to find out.

 

[Little Jerry Seinfeld]

I definitely kept them in the incubator. I don't necessarily see the point in candling often to see. Wednesday will be day 14 and I'll begin lockdown. They should begin hatching by Saturday. I'll see what I get going into Sunday and Monday and whatever doesn't hatch, I'll water test them. I've heard of eggs hatching up to 23 days but, I can't see myself waiting that long to find out.

My last egg just hatched from the batch if chicken chicks ive had going, most hatched normal day 21, one hatched 1.5 days early and one hatched 2.5 days late midway on day 23. I killed two at beginning of day 23 by opening them convinced they needed help because they had internally pipped on time, but there were still alot of veins in the membranes and even tho i kept the humidity high and put coconut oil on their membranes they died anyway. Maybe they were going to anyway, who knows, they were in the eggs 2.5 days after they internally pipped. I thougt the high temps would have sped them up a little too for some reason, but they got slowed down instead...

 

[Acre4Me]

Good luck to you. We made a simple homemade incubator for our quail eggs. A few times the temps got quite high, although highest I noted was 106F, and never for more than a few hours. Our hatch rates were good, and from what I read, quail eggs are a bit more resilient to temp fluctuations than chicken eggs. Your temps got quite high, but I’ll be hoping you have some that will hatch out this coming Saturday.

 

[Phunktacular]

I miscalculated my time, as well. I put them in on Wednesday the 20th. Tomorrow makes day 14. Tomorrow night, my boys (8 & 11) will be moving them to lockdown and getting ready for the hatch. With any luck, they'll begin hatching on Friday.

 

[Phunktacular]

I moved them to lockdown, tonight. Out of 41 eggs in the incubator only 10 were undeveloped, at all. The majority of them left had a distinctive ring for the air sac in the fat end. So, 31 eggs in lockdown and if I get 50% or greater, I'll be ecstatic.

 

[Phunktacular]

First bird hatched early yesterday morning. Since then, 9 more have hatched out of the 31 left. 1 died last night. It looks like it's innards were out after hatch. So, as of now, I've got 9 birds. I'll watch another day or so and hope for more. Definitely more than I expected after the high temps. Cat almost knocked off counter, as well.