I'm so CONFUSED! (Incubation question)

[quiltnchik]

I've been reading and reading and reading on the best temp and humidity to use when incubating Coturnix eggs. However, I'm finding completely different information every way I turn! One site says to keep the humidity low so the chicks won't drown, while another says to keep the temp at 102 (still air 'bator) and the humidity at 60%! Which way is right? I'm so afraid I've already totally screwed these poor eggs up and will end up with NO babies in the end

 

[shelleyd2008]

I keep them at 100 degrees and no less than 45% humidity during incubation. That's for still or forced air. For the hatch, increase the humidity to 65% at least, and lower the temp to 99 degrees. I also keep the thermo at the same level as the eggs. The best way to do them is by going by what works best for you, unfortunately. You just have to go by experience in most cases. What works for me won't necessarily work for you.

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

Incubation of eggs
*Incubation period is 16-17 days but can go as long as 18 days (almost all of mine hatched at 18 days...so i plan my hatches around 18 days just to be safe)
*Turn eggs atleast 3 times a day
*Stop turning atleast 4 days before eggs are due to hatch
*Every quail breeder has their own humidity and temp preferences....I keep the temps in between 99.5F and 101F...however I try to keep it at 99.5 Fas much as I can. (in my new incubator *a cabinet* I now keep it at 100.6 and I still have gorgeous hatches) Humidity I keep in the 40s until the last four days of incubation where i up it to 60%

It's best to have a towel or a kitchen mat or something similar that the eggs can lay on in the incubator so that when the chicks hatch they dont get their legs stuck in the tiny wire....as their feet are so tiny they will fall through.

This was taken from Monarc23 Courtnix Quail Education post. You can find it here.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=102281

 

[quiltnchik]

B. Saffles Farms :

Incubation of eggs
*Incubation period is 16-17 days but can go as long as 18 days (almost all of mine hatched at 18 days...so i plan my hatches around 18 days just to be safe)
*Turn eggs atleast 3 times a day
*Stop turning atleast 4 days before eggs are due to hatch
*Every quail breeder has their own humidity and temp preferences....I keep the temps in between 99.5F and 101F...however I try to keep it at 99.5 Fas much as I can. (in my new incubator *a cabinet* I now keep it at 100.6 and I still have gorgeous hatches) Humidity I keep in the 40s until the last four days of incubation where i up it to 60%

It's best to have a towel or a kitchen mat or something similar that the eggs can lay on in the incubator so that when the chicks hatch they dont get their legs stuck in the tiny wire....as their feet are so tiny they will fall through.

This was taken from Monarc23 Courtnix Quail Education post. You can find it here.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=102281

Thanks so much! Maybe I haven't screwed them up entirely after all. I've had the temp right around 100.6-101.5 and the humidity at 43-46%.

 

[cawooduck]

I do what Shelley does, i keep mine between 99.5-100.1 and humidity between 50-55%, i use a forced air hovabator. My first time hatching Coturnix eggs i kept a daily log, i checked the humidity and temp everyday at the same time everyday through the incubation process, my average came out to 99.7 degrees with 53% humidity and i had 94 quail hatch out of 112.

If for some reason your humidity is high during the first week, dont worry about it, the time when high humidity kills chicks is when they break through the membrane to start pipping, water builds up in the air sac and subsiquently drowns the chick, so try not to go over 65-70% humidity when hatch day comes.

 

[monarc23]

Thanks Brian

And to the original poster, I think you are doing a wonderful job so far. There really isnt a fixed method to this even my own "method" I don't follow anymore I mean my cabinet still stays around the same temp, but I dont pay attention much to the humidty. I mean even lilralphieroosmama she didnt even up the humidty one hatch (she forgot about them

) and they hatched beautifully!

ETA: this is why theres so many different "methods" as there isn't one perfect one

And they all vary.

 

[quiltnchik]

Quote:
Thanks for the vote of confidence

The chick "mutt" eggs and these Coturnix eggs are my first venture into hatching (other than the 2 Mallards I somehow managed to hatch out of 18 eggs my DD brought home several years ago, and I had NO idea what I was doing!), so I'm a bit nervous and just don't want to screw things up. I'm so looking forward to having these quail - for both food and meat - and I know DH is too.

Thanks again for all the great info. Now if I can just stand the wait 'til the 23rd or 24th...

 

[kingmt]

Good luck.

 

[quiltnchik]

Quote:
Thanks!

 

[tbone]

hatching coturnix isnt exactly rocket science.if you can hatch chickens you can hatch quail. the only eggs i have ever had trouble with in the hova bators were duck and wild turkey...