How sensitive are quail eggs to temperature changes?

Broodygranny

Songster
Mar 23, 2018
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I am considering getting some quail hatching eggs, but I was wondering how sensitive they are to temperature changes. I have a cabinet incubator, and the digital thermostat is in Celsius. It is very sensitive, but it turns on the heater at 37 degrees (98.6 F) and it kicks off at 38 degrees (100.4 F). Is this too much of a swing in temperature? I can only set it in while degrees Celsius. Of course this is just air temperature. I would hope the eggs would hold a little heat, and stay a more constant temperature. Anybody tried it? I would have to buy at least 50 or 100. I would hate to loose that many eggs!
 
I've found Button and Coturnix quail eggs to be extremely hardy when it comes to temperature fluctuations. Mine put up with worse fluctuations than that but they are my own fresh eggs which can make a difference.
Yes! I know the hatch rate would not be as good with shipped eggs. I have tried to find some local, but have not been able to find any so far. I haven't asked around too much, so I may still find some. Thank you for letting me know about the temps!
 
I will be able to tell you in a few days.....my incubator was running hot for the first few days of incubation and I know I have some cold spots as well. If I get a good hatch rate then we know they can handle some swings. These were shipped, so even more of the deck stacked against them.
Thank you! That would be very helpful!
 
I made a homemade styrofoam cooler incubator. Still air heat using a 25w lightbulb. Opened 3x per day to rotate eggs. To say I had a few temp swings would be an understatement. One morning my thermometer registered 106F!!! I placed 55 eggs. 32 hatched (about 10 were not fertilized or never grew and so were discarded on lockdown day). Quail eggs are pretty hardy in my experience!
 
Ok, here's the deal. The very first thing you have to do is, quit worrying. They are tough little buggers in shell. Just consider how the temp would swing with most any bird species in the wild. Try to hit your target temp and humidity as closely as possible and see what transpires. Before long you'll be hearing little cheeps.Just wait and see.
 
Thank you! That would be very helpful!

Update on mine (I am not the OP). Mine went fine. I think I will have a few more, but this is what popped out! These were shipped eggs and some were reading 103-104 with a laser thermometer at one point.
ss2mCuo.jpg

Ok, here's the deal. The very first thing you have to do is, quit worrying. They are tough little buggers in shell. Just consider how the temp would swing with most any bird species in the wild. Try to hit your target temp and humidity as closely as possible and see what transpires. Before long you'll be hearing little cheeps.Just wait and see.

This is true! Haha! I always convince myself that I fried all my eggs, but at the end of the hatch window I always get a good percentage.
 
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Update on mine (I am not the OP). Mine went fine. I think I will have a few more, but this is what popped out! These were shipped eggs and some were reading 103-104 with a laser thermometer at one point.
ss2mCuo.jpg



This is true! Haha! I always convince myself that I fried all my eggs, but at the end of the hatch window I always get a good percentage.
Thank you! Nice hatch.
 

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