First time Quail mom, worried about my eggs

[Riane]

Hey, I'm a long-time lurker (last three years). I've been waiting for a long time and finally got my quail eggs fifteen days ago. They were shipped, three were broken out of twelve, and I left the remaining nine to rest with the pointy side down for 24 hours. Then I put them in my incubator. I've tried to keep the humidity at around 45-55 but it's been difficult. It goes up and down, but I managed to mostly keep it in the right range (I check every few hours each day). The temp has easily been kept at 99.5 F. Yesterday was day 14 and I noticed some wiggling, so I put them on lockdown. Humidity is now 70 and temp is 99.5 still. They have been wiggling a ton and are now dispersed all over the incubator from all the rolling.

Anyway, I only have nine of these and I'm really nervous. I just want at least one boy and one girl, though of course I'd like more girls if possible. Just a few really, since this is my first time. I've read TONS and watched basically every video on these birds and incubating them, but I've really been stressed over the humidity factor. I was able to get it to 45-50 on average when I'd go fix it, but I had to do this every few hours. It really likes to drop to like 30% if I don't watch it obsessively. If I put any water in there it shoots up to over 85%, so I put some polyester fiber through the little air hole and if I wet the end sticking out, it's just enough to keep the humidity around 70-75. I can't seem to manage it any other way, but then that also sort of blocks the air hole. Not completely since it's loose fiber, but it makes me nervous. I have two hygrometers in the incubator that I got from amazon and they both read the same, so it's not them. I'm just really afraid of my babies having problems.

Just looking for advice or something... I worry sick over them.

 

[Kale the Quail]

you've been doing fine (that's what i do anyways. I'm not an expert at hatching.) I hope your babies hatch!

 

[Nabiki]

To be honest, for coturnix quail, your humidity was probably too high. For my first hatch I followed all of the advice and kept my humidity in the 45-50 range too and didn't have great results. My results got much better once I dropped humidity to 30% and brought it up to 50-60% for hatching.

Another thing to keep in mind is the temperature. NEVER trust the temp and humidity readings on your incubator. I have 3 incubators, and not one reads accurate temps. Get two or three thermometers that you can calibrate and use those.

 

[Fenrisulfr]

I run 48% at hatch and 65% at lock-down ( which jumps up to 75% after the first wet bumblebees are hatching) and at 37.8°C (100.04°F)
My results are also very good.

But 1 male and 1 female might not work with Japanese Quail. The female probably will be overbreeded.

Crossing fingers, that you will have a little flock


Btw, welcome to BYC ... glad you finally joined

 

[Riane]

To be honest, for coturnix quail, your humidity was probably too high. For my first hatch I followed all of the advice and kept my humidity in the 45-50 range too and didn't have great results. My results got much better once I dropped humidity to 30% and brought it up to 50-60% for hatching.

Another thing to keep in mind is the temperature. NEVER trust the temp and humidity readings on your incubator. I have 3 incubators, and not one reads accurate temps. Get two or three thermometers that you can calibrate and use those.

Really? Everything I've read has always said around 70+ for hatching. I don't know what the results are yet, but they're wiggling every once in a while. Not often and it only seems to be certain hours of the day, oddly.

Yeah, I have two hygrometer/thermometer devices in there. I was pretty paranoid about the readings because I read the incubators were often off.

 

[Riane]

I run 48% at hatch and 65% at lock-down ( which jumps up to 75% after the first wet bumblebees are hatching) and at 37.8°C (100.04°F)
My results are also very good.

But 1 male and 1 female might not work with Japanese Quail. The female probably will be overbreeded.

Crossing fingers, that you will have a little flock


Btw, welcome to BYC ... glad you finally joined

That's about the same, only I thought you were supposed to go 70+ for lockdown. They should be okay, right? The lady who sent them to me said she gets up to 90% sometimes when her incubator fluctuations and they're still okay.

I'd like 3 females and 1 male. I just want at least one of each.

 

[Fenrisulfr]

Yes... recommendations are 45-55% at hatch and 75-85% at lock-down.
My incubator has an automatic humidity control and keeps humidity very presize, but it cannot "dry". So I run at lock-down 65% and with the first moisture of the hatching chicks, it goes up to 75.

Works absolutely fine here. Don't worry.

But I have to mention, some members here are running with very low humidity and have excellent results.

A 1.3 flock (1 roo. 3 hens) is absolutely ok.
Statisticly you'll get 50% males and females at hatch, but statistic works bad in small numbers... as I said, crossing fingers

 

[Riane]

Yes... recommendations are 45-55% at hatch and 75-85% at lock-down.
My incubator has an automatic humidity control and keeps humidity very presize, but it cannot "dry". So I run at lock-down 65% and with the first moisture of the hatching chicks, it goes up to 75.

Works absolutely fine here. Don't worry.

But I have to mention, some members here are running with very low humidity and have excellent results.

A 1.3 flock (1 roo. 3 hens) is absolutely ok.
Statisticly you'll get 50% males and females at hatch, but statistic works bad in small numbers... as I said, crossing fingers

That makes me feel better, thank you. They were wiggling a little this evening so I know at least some of them are alive. The humidity actually seems to be climbing a little by itself. I stopped adding any moisture and now it's holding at 71% by itself. I assume from the eggs? And the temp climbed to 100.5 so I lowered it a little back to 99, but it's really wanting to go up. That's a new issue. Before it was always constant.