Incubating quail eggs for the first time : )

[LindsayB]

I'm never going to be able to save eggs to incubate....I keep getting double yolkers! Guess I'll just HAVE to eat them.......lol

 

[falconertomt]

My eggs go on lock down tomorrow evening (38 of them). I know I will have at least two. I did a test candle on a few at 7 days and could see the embryo moving in the egg.

 

[nazredhens]

My eggs go on lock down tomorrow evening (38 of them). I know I will have at least two. I did a test candle on a few at 7 days and could see the embryo moving in the egg.

68 of mine go on lock down tonight! I am so excited and nervous. Happy hatching!

 

[falconertomt]

68 of mine go on lock down tonight! I am so excited and nervous. Happy hatching!

You to! This is my first crack at hatching (hehehehehe).

 

[dc3085]

I'm never going to be able to save eggs to incubate....I keep getting double yolkers! Guess I'll just HAVE to eat them.......lol

Sometimes heredity will cause them to lay double yolks off and on throughout life, but that's not too common. Most times its because the hens are young and her ovaries and oviduct aren't in sync with each other. Here is some good reading on why they do it, but in my experience your hen will settle down to just laying very large eggs. I used to have a line of tuxedos that would do that a lot, but after a while they settle in and I was always able to hatch the eggs.

 

[teradragon]

you should try and hatch some double yolkers! Twin chicks!

 

[dc3085]

you should try and hatch some double yolkers! Twin chicks!

It works up until hatch. They die in the shell every time

I've never heard of or seen live quail twins.

 

[Marissa Van]

So my quail will be 7 weeks old tomorrow give or take a day or two and still not a single egg. they are in a fully enclosed shed in a couple cages that are mounted on the walls of the shed I had my husband hang a light in there so they have some kind of light and we have just left it on 24/7 but still no eggs...any help anyone?

 

[dc3085]

So my quail will be 7 weeks old tomorrow give or take a day or two and still not a single egg. they are in a fully enclosed shed in a couple cages that are mounted on the walls of the shed I had my husband hang a light in there so they have some kind of light and we have just left it on 24/7 but still no eggs...any help anyone?

First off 7 weeks old is still too young to be expecting eggs. While some coturnix lay eggs as early as 6 weeks, genetics play a huge factor in when they begin to lay. You should not expect the first egg until closer to 12 weeks. It is very commonly said that coturnix are fully mature at 8 weeks but that is only a half truth. By 8 weeks they have typically reached sexual maturity and are at the peak of the growth curve, but they are not full grown until around 3 months. In the world of birds this is already amazingly fast, just be patient.

Also running the light 24/7 is creating a huge amount of stress. If one was ready to lay right now that could prevent them from doing so. They don't need a light at all right now. Having the light on 24 hours a day is clinically proven to drive humans insane, and the mind of a quail hangs by a much thinner thread. If you feel like you need to the run the light 2-4 hours of additional light a day is the maximum you want to give.

 

[falconertomt]

First off 7 weeks old is still too young to be expecting eggs. While some coturnix lay eggs as early as 6 weeks, genetics play a huge factor in when they begin to lay. You should not expect the first egg until closer to 12 weeks. It is very commonly said that coturnix are fully mature at 8 weeks but that is only a half truth. By 8 weeks they have typically reached sexual maturity and are at the peak of the growth curve, but they are not full grown until around 3 months. In the world of birds this is already amazingly fast, just be patient.

Also running the light 24/7 is creating a huge amount of stress. If one was ready to lay right now that could prevent them from doing so. They don't need a light at all right now. Having the light on 24 hours a day is clinically proven to drive humans insane, and the mind of a quail hangs by a much thinner thread. If you feel like you need to the run the light 2-4 hours of additional light a day is the maximum you want to give.

DC is right on the money here. At 8 weeks a coturnix is considered "mature" however, waiting until 12 to breed them will give you much better results (think having a baby at 13 vs 24 while POSSIBLE it is not a good idea). Same with the light. Max light per day should be 16 hours. Make sure you are giving them access to calcium, and feeding them quality high protein food (24% +). Also keeping them warm will make a difference. While they lay based on the photo period, keeping them comfortable will help the process along. The best thing you can do is exercise patience, they will lay when they are ready to.