My quail experience: we just got hatching eggs!

[FloorCandy]

Hi everyone, I’ve been lurking for a while, reading up about quail. I’ve really wanted to keep them for quite some time, so this year I ordered all the stuff haha. I got everything ready: incubator, candler, feed, brooder, feeders, hutch and pen, etc.

I finally ordered the eggs, 24 celadon hatching eggs off of eBay, I tried to choose a reputable seller. All went well.

Fast forward a couple weeks and my eggs are lost in the mail haha, just my luck. After several days of being in transit to next facility, the seller suggested I contact the post office(easier said than done). I filled out the where’s my package for it and low and behold, it showed up the next day!

I let them settle all day and I put them in the incubator before bed, they were about 9-10 days old when I got them so I’m hoping some will hatch.
Anyway wish me luck, I’ll post updates and pics here

 

[BESSIE THE QUAIL]

GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

[Quailobsessed]

 

[BESSIE THE QUAIL]

 

[Kale the Quail]

 

[FloorCandy]

Hi everyone! Last night we candled our eggs and as of day 6- we had 4 definite duds, 4 looked like they started and stopped growing but I left them in case they were late starters and not early quitters, and 27 were definitely growing, many we could easily see what I assume was the little heart beating. Very exciting!

I threw out the 4 definite no progress eggs so a few more have no roommates in the incubator turner. The ones that are 2 per slot sometimes get all bumbled up and don’t turn because they wedge together, I make sure all are rolling freely about 2-3 times a day so I hope we are doing ok. the incubator I bought specifically was recommended to me as one good for quail, and to put 2 eggs per slot, in the future I’ll only put one per, (it has 22 slots and I ordered 24 eggs so I thought it wasn’t really a problem, then I received an extra 12 eggs in the package).

All in all they are doing marvelous for 9 day old eggs that were showing no shipping progress for nearly a week.

If I have 27 looking good at day 6, what do you guys think my end result should be? Maybe about 20? I try to keep the humidity about 35% but it’s been up about 38-40 the last day and a half with the vent slot all the way open and minimal water, so I guess all the rain lately is just making the air more humid.

 

[LadyLaurelin]

I’m also doing celadon quail for the first time in the same incubator! You are a few days ahead of me so I’m watching this closely...

 

[FloorCandy]

I’m also doing celadon quail for the first time in the same incubator! You are a few days ahead of me so I’m watching this closely...

Wow! Small world! Do you have 2 per slot in the tray, or just one? So far I found no correlation with private or doubles showing a difference, my non starters and little progress eggs were equally spread over the incubator, and some were single, and some were double and the roommate was fine.

 

[LadyLaurelin]

I’ve only got 25 in there right now so I’ve got three spaces doubled up. I tried to think of how to separate the space for them but I’m not coming up with anything that would work. I think I’ll just leave it be for now. I’m trying not be to overly neurotic about it - if I am I’ll drive my husband nuts and he won’t let me keep hatching.

 

[FloorCandy]

It’s day 10 now! Last night I candled all the eggs again, I previously had 4 that I was uncertain of, and 2 now were definite duds, plus one I had previously marked as good was not progressed at all. I’m down to 28 eggs in the incubator (I threw out the 3 duds), one of the previous potential duds is maybe a quitter, I’m not sure, so I left it in. I’ll candle again at lockdown to see where we stand going into hatch time. I’m so excited! I’m hoping to have at least 10 hens, but if I don’t, we can always hatch more when they start laying.