Quail - Help with egg autopsy (WARNING PICTURES)

[als77]

First of all; Thank you so much for all the help, support, knowledge, and venting-place! My first hatch ever resulted in 11 (seemingly) healthy quail chicks. Without this forum it would have been 9, so thanks guys


I'm trying to learn as much as possible from this hatch, and hope to tap into some more of your knowledge through an egg autopsy.

First egg (1A)
This one seems to have started to develop an embryo (the little black blob), but quit very early on. Maybe just bad genetics, or bad luck. However, it might have been suffering from 38C/100.4F the first week of incubation.

Second egg (1C)
This one seems, to be, to be very close to hatching. This one might also have been exposed to highish temperature the first week, and then possibly a "dry" lockdown (I messed up and blocked airflow and didn't realise it)

Third egg (2E)
This one seems to be either a late quitter or maybe didn't get enough time. This one sat close to a cold spot the first week (the coldest spot was at 35.1C/95.2F), but the closest fertilized eggs to it hatched (both in a colder spot, and in a warmer spot)

Any idea on WHEN and WHY they quit?

All in all my 24 eggs turned out to have 8 infertile ones. Of the 16 left 9 hatched by themselves, and I assisted 2 (shrink-wrap because of my mess-up). I was too late to assist at third one that I think I could have saved (shrink-wrapped). The first one that pipped never tried to zip, and didn't absorb its yolk. The remaining three is the ones in this thread - maybe 1C suffered from the humidity mess-up as well?

All in all, with all the issues (shipped eggs, unstable incubator, pluss mess-up blocking airflow for lock-down possibly leading to a "dry" hatch), I am very happy with my first hatch ever

PS. I performed a float-test on these three eggs (pluss two that turned out to be unfertile) right before the autopsy, just for fun, and all five floated (very high as well). Seems that float-testing is rather bogus? (plus risking drowning pipped eggs)

 

[Nabiki]

It's pretty hard to tell why an egg quits developing. Your guess is as good as ours in most cases. That first one quit quite early, maybe around day 5-7? Your second picture quit quite late, probably a day or so before hatch day. The third one quit earlier, maybe day 10-11? I'm completely guessing based off of what I see when I candle.

Here's a video you can look at that shows development day by day.

You're right. Float testing is not accurate, and, in addition, is a good way to kill a chick. Remember, the egg shells are porous, so it's a good way to drown or chill a chick.

 

[als77]

Yeah, Terry does have a lot of good information but still very difficult for a noob like me (I tried candling before the autopsy, but couldn't tell too much)

I am amazed by the hardyness for quail eggs/chicks though! After all the issues I had with my bator I sort of expected most of them to have died, but turns out most of the fertile ones made it

 

[Shannon Robinson50]

I believe that the thread. Hatching beyond the grave. Has a link to 2 papers on hatching and incubation. The incubation one is 62 pages long, has amazing information and has morbidity explanations at the final section, maybe page 52 or so, that explains all the possible reasons for each stage/type of death or stopped development in the eggs. I believe it’s based on chickens, but the reasons cross over to quail with different days. I’ll try to copy the link here, but... computer stuff doesn’t always work for me
Hatching problems.
http://ufdc.ufl.edu/IR00004437/00001

https://www.hubbardbreeders.com/media/incubation_guideen__053407700_1525_26062017.pdf

these aren’t my find. Like I said from the other thread.