HELP! incubatING JAPANESE QUAILS

[zayn]

so hello every1. so i think i made a mistake in my brinsea mini advance incubator as i have put the temp to 37.6 for my japanese quails because on the handbookit said 37.6-37.8 c for quails in general but i thought that meant for japanese quails. the temp on the machine is flicking between 37.6/7 roughly. i do not want to overheat and kill any of the eggs. i am already on day 15 (hatch date set at 17) and dont know what to do-shall i leave it at that temp or do anything??? any advice will be really much appreciated!

 

[TwoCrows]

Sounds like a perfect temp. A 1/10 of a degree in either direction is fine. Even a broody hens temp will vary.

Remember, day 17 is not set in stone. That is just an average date of expected hatch. They can hatch days later.

You should be in lock down now. No turning of the eggs, vents should be wide open for maximum oxygen, your humidity should be up around 65% to 70%.

When they pip, (poke a hole through the shell to breath) they can sit there like this for 24+ hours. So don't panic and think you need to break them out. They are busy detaching from the inside of the shell and absorbing the last of the yolk sac.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[zayn]

Thanks twocrows once again for your valuable advice. I started incubating the eggs. @ 5:30 and now 19 days later nothing has even pipped? I have topped up the water and as I am using the brinsea mini advance incubator the vent system is already catered for. So here where I am its 19:58 on a Wednesday and the 16th day had started after 5:30 on the Sunday 4 days ago. So why haven't I seen a pip at least yet?

 

[kingmt]

I had to use a converter but at that temp you should have seen a hatch by now. Are you sure it didn't run a little cool? Give then a couple more days.

 

[zayn]

Hmm yeah they were due to pip. But I have had the low and high temp alarm on so if temperatures do rise or drop the alarm would sound and it has never been to that stage so I'm just wondering . . .

 

[zayn]

by the way has anyone else ever had late hatches with Japanese coturnix quail eggs before,longer than 19 days??

 

[TwoCrows]

I have have hatches 4 days later than the expected due date. But there are a lot of factors can contribute to eggs not hatching from where the eggs came from, if they were shipped, how they were stored before hatching, how you set them, proper temps and humidity you know is absolutely correct, bad eggs, poor genetics from these eggs, the room the incubator is in, etc....Even the incubator itself.

My best advice is to use two thermometers and two humidity gauges, (for both of theses....the ones on the machine and gauges inside the bator with the eggs) keep the incubator in a room with no drafts and stable temps. Have your bator all warmed up and ready 24 hours in advance. Store all shipped eggs 12 to 24 hours before setting. Eggs you have collected should be stored several days before setting. Keep eggs in a room that is 50 to 60 degrees, store the eggs in egg cartons large end up and give them a twist a couple of times a day to keep the yolk centered.

Use two gauges for temp and humidity. Eggs need to be turned at least 3 if not more times a day. Most commercial hatcheries turn their eggs ever hour.

Be careful where you get your eggs if they come from an unknown source. Always fumigate all incubators after each hatch. Never set eggs from breeders that have any genetic issues. And it never hurts to candle along the way. You don't have to, but it beats waiting 3 weeks and nothing happens.

 

[TwoCrows]

Also....At lock down, all vents WIDE open. Humidity somewhere around 65% to 70%.

 

[zayn]

Thanks very much twocrows once again. The eggs were from my own quails and I had two a day so on the last day the eggs that day started incubation the same day. But still even then I know at least some were fertile eggs, so how come those ones would have at least pipped? The I increased the humidity on the 14th day and stopped turning the same time as well as cooling. Also while the eggs where in storage they were. Stored pointy end down and were turned daily. They were kept in an unused egg carton box in at room temperature??

 

[TwoCrows]

Did you do any candling along the way? This would help you to know if they did in fact make it to the point of possible pip. They could be dying early in the cycle or they could be dying at the end. If you can figure out which one it is, you might be able to figure out why. Candling would tell you just how far they are making it through the cycle.