Quail hatch along! (with my own bodyheat)

[Nibbles and wiggles]

I have no idea but I hope all the babies safely hatch!

Me too! I'm so nervous for the next couple of days. I think I'll candle for the last time tonight and put them into lockdown tomorrow.

 

[Jener8or]

I've found some conflicting information out there on what days lockdown starts 14 or 15? What temp and humidity for lockdown some things say 40% while others stay 70% and that's a big difference. And whether they hatch on day 17 or 18. Any experts who know???

I don't think you need to worry about lockdown. I think you are more replicating a hen sitting on eggs rather than an incubator. I just wouldn't take them out to candle them the last 3 days unless you have to and you know they haven't externally pipped. Your body heat and natural perspiration should keep them the appropriate humidity.

I think hens (maybe not all) stay on the nest more the last few days when they know the chicks are hatching so that the humidity stays what it needs to be from their skin contact and consistent sitting. That's why they pluck out their feathers there, to maintain temperature and ideal hatching conditions.

If you count day 1 as the day you put the eggs in the incubator (some people call this day "0",) mine usually hatch on day 18. If the temperature on average is lower, they will take longer to hatch, and hatch early if the temp was too high.

 

[Nibbles and wiggles]

Thanks! That makes alot of sense how it'd be closer to a hen than an incubator. I counted the day I started them (Oct 1) as day 1.

 

[Nibbles and wiggles]

Kind of worried I candled them and from the blunt end which is how ive been candling them the whole time hey look great but I decided to candle from the pointy and and one looks questionable. I can still see good veins but I'm really worried. Does anyone know if this is normal amount of development or does it look to small? I attached pictures of candling from both ends.

 

[Nibbles and wiggles]

Last night they also moved when I moved the egg, not by themselves but also not swirling around. Kind of just shifting a little when I turned the egg. Is this bad?

 

[Jener8or]

It's hard to tell. Is the first and second picture the same egg? The first pic looks great, but I agree, the second picture is a little suspicious. If you are moving the egg and it kind of moves like a liquid or a gel, I don't think that's ideal. I think by now everything should be fairly solid. It could just be yolk that needs absorbed and everything, so I wouldn't give up just yet. Do you still have 2 eggs?

 

[Nibbles and wiggles]

It's hard to tell. Is the first and second picture the same egg? The first pic looks great, but I agree, the second picture is a little suspicious. If you are moving the egg and it kind of moves like a liquid or a gel, I don't think that's ideal. I think by now everything should be fairly solid. It could just be yolk that needs absorbed and everything, so I wouldn't give up just yet. Do you still have 2 eggs?

There are still two eggs. both of those pictures are the same egg, but both eggs look like that.

 

[Nibbles and wiggles]

I know it's more than likely they are not okay and I know that at this point the best I can do is wait. but does anyone think that it's possible they might be developing a little slower because my body temp is a bit to low? And if so what is the catastrophic latest they could hatch? Again I know they are probably not okay but I just can not bring myself give up hope on them yet.

 

[Jener8or]

That must be hard since you've been so devoted to hatching them! I would at least give them to day 20, to account for a possibly lower temp. If you don't see any movement by then, though... I hope maybe you'll try again, even though it must be fairly consuming! I am still cheering for them, though.

 

[Nibbles and wiggles]

That must be hard since you've been so devoted to hatching them! I would at least give them to day 20, to account for a possibly lower temp. If you don't see any movement by then, though... I hope maybe you'll try again, even though it must be fairly consuming! I am still cheering for them, though.

Thank you I'll wait until day 20 and see what happens. I do really want to try this again someday if these guys don't hatch. With the weather getting colder the quail are slowing down with laying. Last time we got a an egg was 3 days ago and it was just one so that's a problem. Also I almost feel like what I'm doing is cruel setting these guys up with less chances for survival, I know this is not the way bird eggs were intended to hatch, but on the other hand incubators are kinda the same thing. For now I'll just hope for these guys, and I think if they are meant to come into this world they will.