quail egg incubation question

[irmad]

Somebody has told me dry incubation works best with quail eggs. He told me he doesn't add any water during incubation, he doesn't need any humidity. What are your thoughts?

 

[ThaJuicyJuice]

The opinions will probably be impacted by elevation as the higher the individual the more difficulty it is to raise humidity. When the air particles are unable to hold water vapor as easily, raising humidity during incubation may be suitable. For areas located closer to sea level, dry hatches will conclude with favorable results. There is enough relative humidity in this air to produce favorable hatch rates.

So the answer is, well it depends.

 

[irmad]

Im in uk Birmingham. I have a brinsea octagon and the instructions recomends addinng water for humidity.

 

[ThaJuicyJuice]

I would add the water. Dry hatches are not as extensively used, so the variability and results may be immense. I wouldn't, however, raise my humidity levels to the amount people prescribe to, 30-40% during incubation is adequate as is 40-50 during hatch.

 

[dc3085]

Somebody has told me dry incubation works best with quail eggs. He told me he doesn't add any water during incubation, he doesn't need any humidity. What are your thoughts?

If dry hatching worked better then the hundreds of thousands of people who hatch quail would switch. Dry hatches are finnicky and here in CA I dont even try it because without water in my bator my humidity is below 35% and that wont soften the membrane enough for the chicks to pip and zip at hatch time. In missouri I knew a guy who dry hatched but the ambient humidity there is about 100% all the time.

 

[irmad]

Makes sense. I added the water. I have a brinsea octogan. I have had good hatches with this incubator in the past. It's guite difficult controlling the tempreture in the bator.

 

[ThaJuicyJuice]

Temp problems in a Brinsea? That sounds strange. Higher humidity will cause instability in temps, maybe an issue here?

 

[irmad]

2nd day incubating quail eggs. Temp went up to 40c for a few hours. Should I assume the worst.... surely all the eggs are not dead...

 

[dc3085]

As long as they aren't hard boiled, something will hatch. Stay the course.

 

[irmad]

Sinse yesterday... temp has been stable at 37.6c. I wont give up that easy.