My First Quail Hatching

[KRFlashner]

Hi guys, this is my first hatching ever (of anything) . I'm not 100 % sure how to count my days so I've just kind of marked off a series of days. My eggs were collected Aug. 27-29 from a small farm a few hours drive from us. They were then sent priority mail (Aug. 30-31). I set the eggs Friday Aug. 31. The farmer we bought from recommended that we candle the eggs before lock down at Day 14 and that's it. I've been reading that many people also candle earlier to weed out any dead or infertile eggs. What do you normally do?

Thank you

 

[Ladybird CA]

I usually candle at first at 1 week of incubating to throw out clear/infertile eggs to give more space for the other eggs and not waste time turning those eggs. Also so that they don't go bad and explode which could harm the other eggs.

 

[007Sean]

The day you set the eggs is considered day 0 so, Sept 1st is day 1 Depending on what species of quail eggs you set, will determine your hatch day. If Coturnix, they have an 18 day incubation period. Bobwhites 24 days. You will want to stop turning 3 days prior to hatching.
I candle on day 8 then again on day 14, tossing out any clear eggs at that time.

What brand of incubator are you using and is it forced air or still air? Do you have an accurate calibrated thermometer and hydrometer? In general the thermometers and hygrometers that come with the styrofoam incubators are highly inaccurate. Are you turning by hand or are you using an automatic turner? These are just a few questions needed to be answered to give you a better informed answer.

 

[KRFlashner]

The day you set the eggs is considered day 0 so, Sept 1st is day 1 Depending on what species of quail eggs you set, will determine your hatch day. If Coturnix, they have an 18 day incubation period. Bobwhites 24 days. You will want to stop turning 3 days prior to hatching.
I candle on day 8 then again on day 14, tossing out any clear eggs at that time.

What brand of incubator are you using and is it forced air or still air? Do you have an accurate calibrated thermometer and hydrometer? In general the thermometers and hygrometers that come with the styrofoam incubators are highly inaccurate. Are you turning by hand or are you using an automatic turner? These are just a few questions needed to be answered to give you a better informed answer.

We have the Magic Fly incubator. It's forced air. I have a thermometer but not a hydrometer (next time). I'm turning by hand 3 times a day (but I did use the automatic turner for the first day). They are Coturnix eggs.

 

[Erkenstein]

I have candled at 7 days but prefer to do it at 14 days when I remove the turner at lockdown. I don't want to try to put the eggs back into the racks. For hand-turning, I'd go with 7 days.

You should also inspect the eggs carefully now to check for hairline cracks. Those are the ones that are most likely to leak or explode.

 

[007Sean]

We have the Magic Fly incubator. It's forced air. I have a thermometer but not a hydrometer (next time). I'm turning by hand 3 times a day (but I did use the automatic turner for the first day). They are Coturnix eggs.

have

We have the Magic Fly incubator. It's forced air. I have a thermometer but not a hydrometer (next time). I'm turning by hand 3 times a day (but I did use the automatic turner for the first day). They are Coturnix eggs.

Without a hygrometer you will not be able to determine the % humidity in the incubator, it's important to know ....you can get a fairly good one at Wal-Mart or on Amazon, Accurite is the brand name, usually they run about $8 to $9. It will need to be calibrated as well.
You want your incubator temperature to be 99.5°F and your humidity to be 40 to 45%Rh until lockdown, at which time you will want to increase the humidity up to 60 to 65% Rh.

 

[KRFlashner]

have

Without a hygrometer you will not be able to determine the % humidity in the incubator, it's important to know ....you can get a fairly good one at Wal-Mart or on Amazon, Accurite is the brand name, usually they run about $8 to $9. It will need to be calibrated as well.
You want your incubator temperature to be 99.5°F and your humidity to be 40 to 45%Rh until lockdown, at which time you will want to increase the humidity up to 60 to 65% Rh.

Is this the AcuRite 613 Hydrometer? I'm looking at reviews and either people didn't calibrate it properly but it seems to have mixed reviews. How do you calibrate it? Do you need a Boveda kit (something I saw in the reviews) or is there another way? I'm definitely looking for one but does the magnate attached bother the incubator?

Thanks for all this information.

 

[007Sean]

Is this the AcuRite 613 Hydrometer? I'm looking at reviews and either people didn't calibrate it properly but it seems to have mixed reviews. How do you calibrate it? Do you need a Boveda kit (something I saw in the reviews) or is there another way? I'm definitely looking for one but does the magnate attached bother the incubator?

Thanks for all this information.

Here's the one I was referring to, it cost a little more on Amazon , than Wal-Mart sells them for:
https://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-Ther...pID=415ZjEZwdQL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

 

[AlderCreekFarms]

I agree with everyone here, temp AND humidity are very important. You can calibrate the hygrometer using a simple method DIY at home involving table salt, a ziploc baggie, and water, but I dont know how to do links . I'll let someone else post that. I have been candling at day 14 just before lockdown.

 

[AlderCreekFarms]

I created a guide! Feedback and discussions welcome.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/coturnix-quail-egg-candling-guide