Help! Shrink-wrapped/sticky eggs in Humid Hawaii!!

[MomFoldingLaundry]

Hey guys. I really need some help.

So this is my second quail hatch, and I’m seeing a pattern: a few chicks hatch no problem, but then I have mostly eggs that pip or even unzip partially, and then the chicks die inside. Often, the “zip” re-zips closed. The egg shells gets flakey and falls off the membrane, but the membrane is tough.

I’ve sometimes helped the chicks out. Sometimes, they turn out fine. Once I did it to a chick too young. The rest, I got there too late.

I can’t tell which of two things is going wrong:

1. I’m opening the incubator too often during hatching. (It’s a cheap amazon incubator that measures temperature, but not humidity.)
2. My humidity is too high for the whole time my eggs are incubating.

Now, Is assumed it was okay to open the incubator a little here and there during hatching...since our background temperature is at least 80 degrees and our humidity never goes below 75%. How much cold, dry air could possibly rush in?

But maybe I’m wrong, and I’m fussing w the eggs too much?

Or perhaps the issue is that it’s really super humid here, and my chicks are “sticky” to start out with?

People seem to like to “dry hatch” quail, but even “dry” here is above the humidity needed on hatching day. :/

if it helps: with both hatches I’ve helped out chicks who had bits of shell really stuck to them. with the last one, I had to gently pry the shell off it’s back, and there was a little spot of blood where it had been glued.

Can you guys give me some guidance? Is my problem ambient humidity, or opening the Incubator? (Or perhaps a combination of both?)

 

[Nabiki]

Welcome to BYC!
Here are a few questions for you.

Do you have at least two calibrated thermometers inside your incubator? I've yet to see an incubator whose temperature gauge I'd trust.

Do you have a salt tested hygrometer in there?

What is the humidity during your incubation? I've found that I get the best results if its around 30% during incubation and around 50-60% during hatch.

When you open the incubator, how long do you leave it open? It should be okay if you don't open it often and you close it quickly.

 

[MomFoldingLaundry]

It’s pretty bare bones. Just the two thermometers. No hygrometer.

Our ambient humidity today is 73%, and this is pretty standard. So, even if I dont add water, the eggs are probably at at least 73% humidity the whole hatch.

I wanted to add—when I go in and snip the membrane to help the chicks out, they are usually quite moist and wet inside. It takes my chicks forever to dry, as they have “goop” on them.

 

[MomFoldingLaundry]

If I got a better incubator, would it have the ability to LOWER the humidity?

 

[MomFoldingLaundry]

Oh, And I dont leave The incubator open. I usually just lift the lid enough to slide my hand inside. It never even shows a drop in temperature.

 

[Nabiki]

If your incubator is a forced air incubator, the humidity inside your incubator is probably quite a bit lower than your ambient humidity. Your ambient humidity does make it less damaging to open the incubator during hatch, though.

 

[MomFoldingLaundry]

My incubator only heats the eggs. It doesnt draw air in. It’s just basically a heating apparatus, with lid and egg turner. Very rinky dink.

I’m guessing this is why my hatches arent so hot.

 

[MomFoldingLaundry]

This is what it looks like. Worth noting: there is always condensation on the inside of the lid when it’s on—whether I have added any water or not. Which leads me to believe that it is very humid indeed inside. :/ #hawaii

 

[Nabiki]

This is what it looks like. Worth noting: there is always condensation on the inside of the lid when it’s on—whether I have added any water or not. Which leads me to believe that it is very humid indeed inside. :/ #hawaii

That condensation on the inside doesn't look good. If you're serious about hatching, you might want to get a forced air incubator. Here is the sheet I give new hatchers when I sell them fertile eggs.

Incubation Tips​

Quail incubation is 17 days.

Incubator choice:

The best incubators have forced air circulation and an automatic egg turner, but other than that, it depends on how many you want to hatch. Don't trust the thermometer or hygrometer on your incubator! Have at least one calibrated thermometer and hygrometer inside. I use three thermometers because every incubator has warm and cold spots.

Incubation:

Temperature should be 99.5-100 degrees, humidity about 30%. Eggs need to be turned every 3-6 hours, which is why you should have an egg turner in your incubator. On day 14, the eggs should go into lockdown, which is where you take the egg turner out and prepare for the eggs to hatch. You should have some sort of grippy flooring such as shelf liner or rough paper towels to help the chicks learn to walk.

Hatching:



When the eggs begin to hatch, the humidity should go up to around 45-55%. Try to keep it there or a little higher. Don't let it get too high, or the chicks might drown. Once they are dry move your chicks to a brooder.

Brooding:

Chicks will need to be kept in a brooder until about 3 weeks of age. There should be a warm side and a cool side. Start the temperature at 95-100 degrees on the warm side and start lowering the temperature a couple degrees each day. If they huddle together, they are cold and the temperature needs to be raised. If they are laying stretched out or panting, they are hot and the temperature needs to be lowered.

Feel free to contact me with any question.

https://merriquail.com

https://facebook.com/QuailinPetaluma

 

[MomFoldingLaundry]

Awesome, thanks! Now that I know what the problem is, I’ll probably try one more round with this incubator—but in my husband’s office, where he has an air conditioning unit acting as a dehumidifier 24/7.

I’ll get a hygrometer, too, and see how low I can get the humidity.

If I can’t get the humidity under 50 or 60% and/or a hatch rate of above 70%, I’ll invest in a new incubator.

Thanks again!!