How do I dry hatch quail eggs

[Gigachad poultry]

HI everyone, so I've been thinking and researching on dry hatching quail and chicken eggs. I was wondering what the humidity should be at during a dry hatch, because I tested with some quail eggs and the incubator humidity leveled around 43-47% humidity and I don't think that's good? Can anybody tell me what I should do if it's bad? I'm also not turning the quail eggs as I've had around 90% hatch rate when I don't turn the eggs. The temp is around 36.4 Celsius and that's what it's nomally at when I hatch eggs so I think that's fine, but I've literally never done a dry hatch before.

 

[Gigachad poultry]

So I have about 55 coturnix quail eggs in an incubator and I want to do a non turning dry hatch and I was wondering what the humidity should be ate, because my incubator is at about 41-44% humidity is that okay? Also I was wondering if I should add water around lockdown and if that would affect the chicks in any way?

 

[Pyxis]

When dry hatching, you still add water at lockdown - you still want to have the humidity bumped so that the membranes in the egg don't dry up and stick to the chicks as they're trying to hatch.

As for your humidity otherwise, 40% will likely be fine.

I wouldn't do a no turn hatch, though. The reason we - and hens - turn eggs is two-fold. One the developing embryo can get stuck to the side of the egg if you're not turning, which of course would cause growth deformities. Two, it helps the development of the chorio-allantoic membrane (the membrane of blood vessels), which is how the embryo gets oxygen. If the membrane doesn't grow fast enough to keep up with the oxygen needs of the embryo, it will die. I just lost all but one of a goose hatch to this, because the auto turner I had wasn't turning them adequately, and I didn't catch it in time.

 

[Gigachad poultry]

When dry hatching, you still add water at lockdown - you still want to have the humidity bumped so that the membranes in the egg don't dry up and stick to the chicks as they're trying to hatch.

As for your humidity otherwise, 40% will likely be fine.

I wouldn't do a no turn hatch, though. The reason we - and hens - turn eggs is two-fold. One the developing embryo can get stuck to the side of the egg if you're not turning, which of course would cause growth deformities. Two, it helps the development of the chorio-allantoic membrane (the membrane of blood vessels), which is how the embryo gets oxygen. If the membrane doesn't grow fast enough to keep up with the oxygen needs of the embryo, it will die. I just lost all but one of a goose hatch to this, because the auto turner I had wasn't turning them adequately, and I didn't catch it in time.

Thanks for all the help about humidity and why people normally turn eggs. I however have done some hatches with quail eggs without turning and I had around a 90% hatch rate, but the other times i hatched with the turner I got around 60-70% hatch rate every time so I'm going to continue to at least try the no turn hatches, but only with quail. I'm just try dry hatch which I've never done before. Thanks for the help with what humidity is okay I was worried that of it's not 45RH or higher then the eggs won't develop. I will start a hatch along around lockdown when they hatch.

 

[Gigachad poultry]

So lil update, I had one egg hatch around day 12 I don't know how or why. However this guy (hopefully girl) seems to be really crazy and rambunctious. He absorbed all his yolk and had a complete clean nice hatch. He also doesn't have any curled toes, but I will say his beack is a bit smaller than usual. He is now eating and drinking fine. I have proved that a dry hatch no turn is in fact possible. That's a first even though all I heard was that it was a bad idea. I think it also depends on your location and how strong the genes of the quail are.

Here's a picture, he's quite huge as well:

 

[Naturalness]

How did the rest of the batch go?