first time quail incubating advice

[Momma_duck]

i have only done chicken eggs, i know that quail eggs need to be at 99.5 f. i was told 45% percent humidity, for the first 15 days. then increase to 65%. the issue i am having is the person i got the quail eggs from, i asked about his hatch rate, he said he gets at least 95%. which is great. i don't have a auto turner for my quail eggs, so i was going to either hand turn them, or just tilt my incubator and have them stand up in cartons. (im leaning a lot more to that options). but he said he doesnt even turn them. he just sets them all in his bator, keeps the humity and temp right, and lays them flat after day 15, and they all hatch not long after. i have a forced air incubator. has anyone done that before and just not turn their eggs? or do quail eggs not actually have to be turned. i thought the embryo would get stuck to the shell.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I wonder how he calculates his hatch rate. I count eggs in and chicks out but some people only count the ones that actually develop. Maybe he's only counting the ones that are alive at lockdown? I'm talking about chickens, not quail, but the professions inspect the eggs before they set them so they only set the best. They generally average 90% hatch rate if you count eggs in chicks out and a 95% hatch rate if you only count the ones that develop. I usually don't do that well.

The reason the professionals measure them separately is that they have one group of people that provide hatchable eggs so they want to know how many don't develop. The other group is incubating the eggs so they want to know how many eggs that are delivered in good shape actually hatch. It's about 5% failure for each group.

Eggs can hatch if you don't turn them. They shouldn't all die if you don't turn them. Turning improves the hatch rate, improves your chances of a successful hatch. There are several things we do where we don't get absolute 100% failure if we fail to do them and aren't guaranteed total 100% success if we do but give us a better chance of success.

Turning not only helps keep the yolk and developing embryo from getting stuck to the inside of the shell, it helps body parts form in the right place and helps with the fluids inside the developing egg. Since it improves my chances for a successful hatch I turn mine.