New here and need help with incubator and quail eggs

[ameracaunagirl]

Hello, I'm new to this site and I have a question about incubating quail eggs. I am on day 16 and my incubator malfunctioned twice during the whole process. Once for two days I couldn't get it above 90F and just two days ago it climbed to 104F for about an hour. I cooled them down and candled them the same day and today. All looked normal and there is still movement in 3 out of ten eggs. The other eggs are very dark but were like that before the temp rise. Should I expect the dark ones to hatch or any at all for that matter?

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

I wouldn't worry too much about the 104 spike. The eggs have enough mass that the temp inside the eggs don't change all that fast. However the lower temp may cause a late hatch. 90 is pretty low however and some may not survive.

I would just continue on with the hatch as planned. Are you in lock down yet? If not, you might delay lock down for an extra day as the low temps will no doubt delay the hatch by a couple of days. When you lock down, open all vents wide, up your humidity to 65% to 70% and wait.

Keep us posted too!

 

[ameracaunagirl]

Thanks so much. I will keep my fingers crossed! Also, on the three showing movement, I can tell there is a sign of the air sac "dipping" but not in the darker ones. Is the lack of air sac change a sign of a dead chick? Do all air sacs change before hatch? This is my first incubation BTW.

 

[TwoCrows]

At some point the chick "internally pips". They poke into the air cell breathe what oxygen is in the air cell, they fill out this entire area and when the carbon dioxide is high enough, this signals them to externally pip. So it is hard to say if yours have internally pipped or not.

 

[ameracaunagirl]

I used a brighter candler and there is movement in all but one! I think you're definitely right about them being late due to the temp drop. When bringing the humidity up to prepare for hatching, do I change the temp or leave it?

 

[TwoCrows]

Great news! No, temp always remains the same.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[ameracaunagirl]

So yesterday 5 of my original 10 eggs hatched! There are two still in their eggs and still moving but at already 5 days late, I don't know if they'll make it.

 

[Vilchis Farm]

This is a great thread! I'm on first set of incubation. Temp has been 99-100 and humidity at 50-60%. I'm on day 11 and getting ready for lock down in a few days. Any advise or tricks on candeling? I can't quite see much with all these spots! :/ what if I leave all eggs whether there is chick in them or not? Also, how many days can they stay in incubator after they start hatching? I'm told not to open Batir for nothing after lockdown....what if my humidity drops? Thanks for any input!!

 

[TwoCrows]

So yesterday 5 of my original 10 eggs hatched! There are two still in their eggs and still moving but at already 5 days late, I don't know if they'll make it.

Congrats on your new babies!!

How did the other eggs do?

Enjoy these cutie pies!

 

[TwoCrows]

This is a great thread! I'm on first set of incubation. Temp has been 99-100 and humidity at 50-60%. I'm on day 11 and getting ready for lock down in a few days. Any advise or tricks on candeling? I can't quite see much with all these spots!

what if I leave all eggs whether there is chick in them or not? Also, how many days can they stay in incubator after they start hatching? I'm told not to open Batir for nothing after lockdown....what if my humidity drops? Thanks for any input!!

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Sometimes it is hard to candle those really mottled eggs. For those really difficult eggs you can get a light fixture with a 100 watt bulb, the kind of fixtures that stand flat and put a cardboard box over it. Cut a small hole in the top and put the egg on this hole. Do this in a dark room and many times you can see into these dark eggs.

However you don't have to candle. As long as you have no broken eggs, no discolored or funky looking eggs, you can leave all of them in there till the end.

I like to get the chicks out by 24 hours but you can leave them in the incubator for up to 30 hours. Any longer and they can weaken. Quail chicks need to get started on eating and drinking earlier than chicken chicks which can go for a couple of days before eating or drinking.

At lock down you will want to open all your vents. Get your humidity up around 65% to 70%. Use a damp sponge in a cup of water so it is constantly whicking water into the air. A cotton sock will also work. You can open the lid at the beginning of lock down if you need to. But it is not advised to open it when there is pipping going on. (when they have poked a hole through the shell to breath.) If you open it during this time, you can dry out the chicks and they will stick to their shells and die. So try to get everything going early in lock down so you don't have to open the lid until all the chicks are hatched and dried off. If you have dried off chicks at 24 and there are no other eggs pipping, you can make a quick dash to get these dried chicks out.

Good luck and keep us posted!