Quail hatch questions

[Urbanhomestead_ut]

How early can quail eggs start hatching?
How late can you "leave them in" before giving up?
Are there signs to watch for that they will be hatching soon? I believe someone said you can hear them chirp and the eggs move a bit? How early does that start?

We're coming up on candeling before lockdown. Do I remove eggs that I don't think made it this far? How do I know for sure (it's my first time) who to remove? (And do I just throw them away?)

Temps have been pretty steady between 99.5 and 100.4, usually around 99.7.
Humidity has been between 32-40% consistently.

Eggs shipped 2500 miles and got lost in the post office for an extra few days. Hopefully we can get SOME to hatch.... enough to breed more!

 

[Nabiki]

I usually candle at lockdown and remove any obviously dead or non developed eggs at that time. I'm getting better at determining which ones to remove, but if you're not sure, only remove the clear ones.

They might hatch as early as day 15 or 16 if the temperature was high, but if the conditions were ideal, they will hatch right on day 17. I usually keep mine until day 19, but candle on 18 and remove any obviously dead ones. I wouldn't keep them in there past day 20.

 

[Urbanhomestead_ut]

I usually candle at lockdown and remove any obviously dead or non developed eggs at that time. I'm getting better at determining which ones to remove, but if you're not sure, only remove the clear ones.

They might hatch as early as day 15 or 16 if the temperature was high, but if the conditions were ideal, they will hatch right on day 17. I usually keep mine until day 19, but candle on 18 and remove any obviously dead ones. I wouldn't keep them in there past day 20.

Thank you. We're on day 13 and hopefully right on track for everything! I am nervous and excited. I think my kids will be heartbroken if nothing hatches.

 

[quailheart]

It depends on the breed. I'm pretty sure coturnix quail take about 18 days to incubate and bobwhite quail take about 23 days to incubate. My bobwhites usually hatch late, so don't be afraid if they didn't start hatching on the hatch date. I have left my eggs in for 3 days past the hatch date and a chick or two still hatched (they weren't the healthiest chicks though.)
I usually leave my eggs in for a few days after the first chick hatches, just make sure to not leave the hatched chicks in the incubator for over a day. This is where it gets tricky, because if you have some hatched chicks that you need to move to the brooder but you still have some pipped eggs, opening the incubator could shrink wrap the unhatched chicks and potentially kill them. It's almost impossible to escape this and this has happened to me every time I hatched quail. I have tried to help pick off the shell of the shrink-wrapped chicks, but they never survive.
I personally don't remove my eggs unless it is VERY clear there is not a chick in them. You can tell by candling BEFORE LOCKDOWN and most of the time an egg with a chick is heavier than empty eggs. If all you see is a dark circle, it could just be the yolk. Also you probably know this, but don't forget to raise the humidity during lockdown so the chicks can hatch easier. I hope this helps!

 

[Urbanhomestead_ut]

It depends on the breed. I'm pretty sure coturnix quail take about 18 days to incubate and bobwhite quail take about 23 days to incubate. My bobwhites usually hatch late, so don't be afraid if they didn't start hatching on the hatch date. I have left my eggs in for 3 days past the hatch date and a chick or two still hatched (they weren't the healthiest chicks though.)
I usually leave my eggs in for a few days after the first chick hatches, just make sure to not leave the hatched chicks in the incubator for over a day. This is where it gets tricky, because if you have some hatched chicks that you need to move to the brooder but you still have some pipped eggs, opening the incubator could shrink wrap the unhatched chicks and potentially kill them. It's almost impossible to escape this and this has happened to me every time I hatched quail. I have tried to help pick off the shell of the shrink-wrapped chicks, but they never survive.
I personally don't remove my eggs unless it is VERY clear there is not a chick in them. You can tell by candling BEFORE LOCKDOWN and most of the time an egg with a chick is heavier than empty eggs. If all you see is a dark circle, it could just be the yolk. Also you probably know this, but don't forget to raise the humidity during lockdown so the chicks can hatch easier. I hope this helps!

It does help! Thank you! Mine are coturnix, so they should be ready to hatch early next week if all goes as planned.

 

[vall]

I usually candle at lockdown and remove any obviously dead or non developed eggs at that time. I'm getting better at determining which ones to remove, but if you're not sure, only remove the clear ones.

They might hatch as early as day 15 or 16 if the temperature was high, but if the conditions were ideal, they will hatch right on day 17. I usually keep mine until day 19, but candle on 18 and remove any obviously dead ones. I wouldn't keep them in there past day 20.

What do you look for in obviously dead ones?

 

[Nabiki]

What do you look for in obviously dead ones?

I look for clear eggs, ones that show some development, but not nearly enough for day 14. If the egg looks full, I leave it. (minus the air cell, of course)

 

[vall]

I look for clear eggs, ones that show some development, but not nearly enough for day 14. If the egg looks full, I leave it. (minus the air cell, of course)

Thanks. It's day 19 for me now, all the eggs remaining in the incubator were full on day 14, but I saw one move so I guess I'm not done yet.