**HELP**First Time A&m Hatcher On Day 21 No Pips

[Yvonne37894]

I got my shipment.
going home with a hofa bator. and the thermometer/hygrometer.
hope this takes care of temp problem.

But I still would like to know if the dark green yoke is normal.
or is it rotten and will never absorb.

 

[Yvonne37894]

first 14 were 40-60

 

[farrier!]

I have had only one hatch that still had any yoke left unabsorbed. It was more green and darker then the few chicken I have seen.
Is you thermometer taking the temperature at egg level or above?

With my still air there is a 3 degree difference between sightly above the eggs and below.
On home raised eggs I am getting a 99% hatch rate. The eggs are getting rolled by hand everyday and I have the humidity set for what ever else I am hatching. It is always a nice surprise to open the incubator and have eye looking back at me.

I would check your temps, hopefully the new one will hep.Aso what are you feeding?

 

[Yvonne37894]

I'm feeding game bird by FRM i forgot the % . I also give scrambled eggs 2xweek with vitamins. free choice oyster shell, grit and some omega vitamins. The egg size is about 1/3 larger from the first ones I collected. I get 3 every nite and 1 the next AM . I don't know the age of the birds, but should be a little more than 1 year.
The thermometer is on top of the eggs.
I'm giving them a couple more days to hatch. Maybe next batch will correct all problems.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

This is my thought...take it with a grain of salt. I have never hatched quail. But I have hatched chickens

I think 40-60% is too high for those first 2 weeks or so. I was hatching at that humidity and so many just never hatched. They made it up to lockdown and then died.

I read the article from Bill Worrel (?) on dry incubating for the 3rd time and it dawned on me that dry incubation averaged 40% humidity. I was going too high.

So, my last batch of eggs I dry incubated. I rarely added water and the humidity stayed about 30% even in this dry climate. I would add a little water now and then to get it to 40 and then let it go back down.

When I candled the eggs I thought I had goofed for sure. The air cells looked huge and I did not think a chick could be in such a small space.

Well, I had a great hatch. Not all, but very good. That showed me that I was better off going lower than higher.

With quail eggs being so small and still needing that aircell percentage to shrink for good development, I think that you need to go lower on the humidity to help them lose a bit more moisture.

The other issue I had (and a kind BYC poster helped me) was that I was starting the lockdown period with too high a humidity.

I actually had 5 chicks dry in the membrane due to that. I still don't understand all the reasoning of it, but it made sense then and I will start my lockdowns at 65% and let the hatching chicks bring it up to where it wants to go from now on.

You may want to "test" some eggs (a small batch) with dry incubation and see if it works better.

 

[Yvonne37894]

I have a pip!!!!!!!
I'm soo EGGSITED
day 22

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
I WOULDNT RECOMMEND THIS FOR QUAIL--- YOU'LL BE WASTING EGGS. THE DRY METHOD WORKS WELL IN SOME CASES AND GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS FOR MANY BIRDS--- BUT GAME BIRDS ARE VERY VERY VERY HUMIDITY DEPENDANT. THEY WILL TOLERATE INCORRECT TEMPS AND TEMP FLUCTUATIONS 1000X'S BETTER THAN 1 DAY OF LOW HUMIDITY. THE TEMP AND HUMIDITY SETTINGS SHE IS USING ARE CORRECT AS WELL AS TIMING--- YVONNE, IF WHAT YOU SAY IS CORRECT THE EGGS ARE ONLY 5 DAYS OLD IN MOST CASES AND NOT SHIPPED, BUT GATHERED LOCALLY WHEN SET--- 2 THINGS CAUSE LATE HATCHES IN COTURNIX--- 1. OLD EGGS (NOT THE CASE HERE..) 2. LOW TEMP IN YOUR BATOR---- DOUBLE CHECK YOUR THERMOMETER WITH ANOTHER 1 OR 2--- I BELEIVE THIS IS YOUR MOST LIKELY SUSPECT HERE. IF YOU ARE IN DOUBT ABOUT EGG VIABILITY ON THIS BATCH FLOAT TEST THEM.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Thank you for correcting me. As I said, I have never hatched quail. It surprised me that they need higher humidity. I am glad you posted.

 

[Yvonne37894]

Day 23 and I have 1 chick out, wouldn't you know it, the camera battery was dead.
I agree that the temp has been wrong. I have corrected that.
Thank You all for the help and advice. I love BYC, cheers to good online friends

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
..........

The humidity is at 68-70 in hatcher

And 40-60 in bator.