Incubating Quail -- some questions from a newbie

[Anarchist.Quacker]

I searched the forums for these answers, but wasn't able to find mine. I'm hoping some of you can help me out.

We've been raising and hatching ducks (mostly Indian Runners) for several years now, using a Hovabator with turner. I just acquired my first flock of pharaohs and tibetans and want to test a small batch of eggs. My questions are:

1) Prior to putting the eggs in the incubator, is there any need to store them upright? Or can they rest in a bunch in a basket?

2) Our existing turner seems to hold the quail egg very nicely (it's chicken/duck sized). Will it damage them to be in the big turner?

3) Most of the forum responses I saw had better hatch rates when the eggs were upright during lockdown. Has anyone found a useful alternative to purchasing quail cartons? I'm not looking to buy anything new, but suggestions for homemade solutions are very welcome!

Thank you all.

 

[mudmonkey]

I'm a total noob....and I just hatched my first batch of Button Quail, so my solution may not work because your eggs are likely much larger...
I took twisted/crunched up paper towels and put them in a shoebox lid. I then nestled the eggs into the little pockets that were formed. Some pockets took more "shaping and reinforcing" to hold the egg upright firmly. It worked out nicely. The quail had a good surface to lay on when they hatched.
Again, this worked out well for me, but I'm sure a veteran will chime in here with some advice.

 

[kingmt]

I know you said you didn't want to buy anything but the quail egg trays that hold120 eggs are around $10 for the turners & I use them to hatch in also. To me this is better then drilling 120 holes in a board. If you are only doing a few then a 18 egg paper carton turned upside down might work nice for you.

As far as collecting eggs I don't know how it could hurt them to set on there side for a few days but I have seen several people say on here that eggs stay fresher & hatch better if keep with the air sack up.