Incubating Coturnix Quail Eggs

[dc3085]

Medicated turkey starter is fine but should only be fed for a couple months tops

 

[RubyNala97]

Medicated turkey starter is fine but should only be fed for a couple months tops

Ok great! I have a huge bag left over from some peafowl I hatched. So glad to know I can use it thank you!! What day do your eggs usually hatch on, right on day17?

 

[RubyNala97]

My quail egg is hatching!! I candled it earlier and tapped on the air cell and it tapped back! Now it's pipped!!

 

[Jededia]

I don't even know what breed of quail do I have but recently they gave about five eggs, two of which are with them four are wrapped in cotton and one ended up under the duck in it's egg lot. I need to know will the quail egg hatch if the duck does not eat it.
And if it is hatch able please tell me how many days to let it remain under the duck for incubation

 

[Sill]

I don't even know what breed of quail do I have but recently they gave about five eggs, two of which are with them four are wrapped in cotton and one ended up under the duck in it's egg lot. I need to know will the quail egg hatch if the duck does not eat it.
And if it is hatch able please tell me how many days to let it remain under the duck for incubation

Good luck, but the duck will probably end up breaking the quail eggs. Even the biggest quail are only up to a pound, most are 6-9 ounces, where as a duck is many pounds. If you do get any that go full term 17-18 days is average but start listening for cheeps on day 16 in case one is early.

 

[CheyenneV]

This may be an old thread, but I am on day 14 of a coturnix hatch. Started out with 8 dozen. Candles tonight and still have 7 dozen +2 looking viable. Now it's off to waiting... I can't wait to see these little babies!!

 

[selkiepelts]

I heard they should be left out before the incubator,about 12 to 14 hours? Is that true

 

[Sill]

I heard they should be left out before the incubator,about 12 to 14 hours? Is that true

That is true for shipped eggs. You can put freshly laid eggs from your own eggs directly in the incubator. Most people wait until they have a batch of eggs so the chicks will hatch together.

 

[NewhAtch3r]

I just ordered 48 coturnix hatching eggs!! eBay guy had 100% positive feedback, and the price was pretty good, so I'm already happy!!

Ordered the same eggs on day 17 how did yours work?

 

[NewQuailLady]

Does anyone have any good links to candling coturnix eggs/development stages? The only one I could find on a google search that had good imaging for coturnix development, I couldn't read the day/timeframe on the images, and all I can find is people saying they can't be candled.

I feel like I am currently cursed with my coturnix.

I purchased an HovaBator incubator and quail rails about a month ago with intentions of starting after Easter. I wasn't ready to set it up since days were still short and I wasn't expecting much as far as egg production. Unfortunately, I haven't figured it how they did it, but somehow my dogs managed to get the door open and got into my aviary. Out of 16 quail, I had only one survivor, and its a male (who is now residing in a rabbit cage in my bug room until I build a critter/dog proof setup for quail pens). Anyway, I went ahead and searched the pen, found 10 eggs hidden in various spots. I candled immediately and threw 2 out because they were cracked. Set up the incubator and set the eggs 24 hours later after making sure it was maintaining temp between 100-101 and humidity around 50.

Most people say that they can't tell anything by candling because they are too dark and if they do candle, its around day 14 prior to going into lockdown. On day 7 I decided to candle to check for cracking and I could actually see blood lines and some movement in half of them!

Queue second possible tragedy. Last night I was adding more water to keep the humidity up, and I bumped the thermostat, so I put it back to where I thought it was. Went to bed and maybe 2 hours later I woke up with the overwhelming urge to check the incubator...it was at 108 degrees! Immediately took the lid off the incubator and fanned the eggs in an attempt to help drop the temp. I read somewhere online that anything over 103 for any length of time will cause death. Also read if the embryo dies that the blood lines would dissolve within 24 hours. So I checked the eggs again tonight, still have blood lines in all 4 eggs, but only saw movement in 1 egg. Hoping I didn't lose the other 3. I'll try to hold off candling again until day 14 when I take them out of the egg turner and go into lockdown.

I have no experience what-so-ever with incubating eggs, just what I've been reading on here and online since I decided last year I wanted to raise coturnix. I wasn't ready to start incubating, but necessity kinda pushed me into it. Any info would be greatly appreciated.