Qual

[Tommy2347]

I’ve got a new cheap 7 egg incubator and was wondering if it was Easy/hard to incubate qual and partridges? Anyone had any problems?

 

[Crestcrazy2]

They were my best hatch so far , but.......a lot of them died as chicks if you've got everything right then it should work out , no comment on Partridge or chukar

 

[Nabiki]

Easy is a matter of perspective. Quail aren't the same as chickens, and I assume that partridges are different still. What type of quail? No matter what you're trying to hatch, don't trust the temperature and humidity reading of your incubator. Get a couple of thermometers that you can test/calibrate and use those. I have a cigar hygrometer to measure humidity with.

If you have an automatic egg turner, just keep an eye on it to make sure it's working. If you don't, you're going to have to make sure the eggs get turned every 3-6 hours.

My experience has been with Coturnix and Button quail. With both, watch your temp and humidity like a hawk. Temperature should be between 99.5 and 100 degrees F. For Coturnix quail, I found the best humidity is 30% until pips, then bump it up to 50-60%. For button quail, humidity works better around 50% until pips, then up to around 70%.

If you keep things steady and within the ideal ranges, it's pretty easy.

 

[nchls school]

I’ve got a new cheap 7 egg incubator and was wondering if it was Easy/hard to incubate qual and partridges? Anyone had any problems?

I had good luck with quail eggs. Not so with chukar partidge. I also have a seven egg incubator that has a temperature display. If yours is like mine, make sure the thermostat wire that stand up inside the bator does not touch the plastic dome. If the wire touches a condensed dome the reading will be inaccurate; the actual temperature will be much higher destroying the eggs inside. Other than that, my incubator keeps a very constant temperature and works well. It isn't possible, though, to regulate the humidity; at least, not very well.

 

[Tommy2347]

I’m using this incubator which is cheap

 

[Tommy2347]

I had good luck with quail eggs. Not so with chukar partidge. I also have a seven egg incubator that has a temperature display. If yours is like mine, make sure the thermostat wire that stand up inside the bator does not touch the plastic dome. If the wire touches a condensed dome the reading will be inaccurate; the actual temperature will be much higher destroying the eggs inside. Other than that, my incubator keeps a very constant temperature and works well. It isn't possible, though, to regulate the humidity; at least, not very well.

Yeah that’s the same incubator as mine and my partridge piped nearly 24hrs ago but are still alive

 

[nchls school]

I’m using this incubator which is cheap

Cheap in price does not mean it is not good. In the last 50+ years I've had more expensive incubators that did not work as well. Yours IS the same as mine. Be mindful of the thermostat wire and the amount of water you use; too much water and the dome becomes very wet; better to add small amounts often than a lot less often.

 

[Tommy2347]

Cheap in price does not mean it is not good. In the last 50+ years I've had more expensive incubators that did not work as well. Yours IS the same as mine. Be mindful of the thermostat wire and the amount of water you use; too much water and the dome becomes very wet; better to add small amounts often than a lot less often.

What does the condensation look like on yours?

 

[nchls school]

What does the condensation look like on yours?

Condensation is where drops of water form on the dome's inside caused by the presence of water as a gas in the warm air meeting the cooler dome and cooler air on the outside.

 

[nchls school]

The more condensation there is the bigger the drops of water forming on the dome. When this happen the humidity inside the incubator is getting closer to 100%.