Quail incubator ideas

[QuailMom14]

I am going to try and build an incubator for quail eggs. Does anyone have any ideas on what should be included in a quail incubator? Also, are they different from chicken incubators? I could definitely use some tips for incubating quail eggs, I will be incubating Georgia Bobwhites and possible Coturnix quail

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I use the same incubator for quail, chicken & goose eggs. The only difference required is the turner required for quail as they are much smaller. It also depends on what type of Turner unless you are going to hand turn them. Some turners are like cups that hold the eggs others are trays on the base and others can be rails. I have rails the eggs sit in between so I just adjust according to size of eggs.

Hope you find this article helpful ~ https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hatching-quail-eggs-and-brooding-quail-chicks.67362/

 

[007Sean]

There is no difference in incubators as far as using for quail or chicken or any other egg. The difference is the incubation period of the eggs your trying to hatch, and sometimes the temperature and humidity required to incubate whatever species of eggs your hatching.
The main thing in incubating eggs is to have a stable incubator, one that will hold the temperature within 1 degree or less of the target temperature for the particular eggs your incubating. For quail it would be 99.5°F. for a forced air incubator.
Humidity for quail eggs should be within the range of 40 to 50%Rh. I incubate my quail eggs at 43%Rh, then at hatch, will increase to 55 to 60%Rh.
If using an automatic egg turner, you will need one that has quail egg rails, instead of chicken egg rails. Also, you will need to figure in the amount of space the turner will take up in the incubator.
Two other critical pieces of equipment will be an accurate, calibrated thermometer and an accurate calibrated hygrometer.
There are lots of incubator plans here and on u-tube, just do a search and you'll find plenty to decide on....some good, some fair and some you wouldn't want to build.
Just be sure to do lots of researching before attempting a build. HTH

 

[fishforbrains]

I tried several times to make my own incubator and had horrible results plus you had to constantly fiddle with it to keep it going. Finally just bought a cheap hoovabator with an automatic egg turner with quail rails. It's so easy to use and works really well, excellent hatch rates. Not very expensive either.

 

[Erkenstein]

One difference to keep in mind is that quail hatchlings are tinier than chicken hatchlings. They can get into more trouble with issues like falling into water or getting trapped in tight areas. They also have teeny feet, so when they hatch they need a surface that works for them to walk on, so if there is a screen it needs to be a very small mesh and it's a good idea to cover it with rubber shelf liner (with holes) to prevent spraddle.

Also, chicken chicks can stay in the incubator longer before they should be removed to the brooder. You shouldn't leave a quail chick in there longer than 24 hours IMO and I remove them every six hours.

I agree with fishforbrains that diy is not for everybody. If I were you, I'd think about the time and money you are going to put into it vs. buying one. Then I would think about how much money and time it would cost to order a batch of eggs, incubate them, and then have it not work out; it is common for people to screw up the first batch before they perfect the incubator.

 

[QuailMom14]

Thank you for all the tips! I researched the hovabator and I think thats the one I am going with.

 

[Erkenstein]

I use a 1602. It's great!