Set 120 Coturnix Tonight

[TCollier]

Well here I go again. I just set some more Coturnix eggs tonight. I have 80 Texas A&M and 40 Jumbo Browns in the incubator. I sure hope this batch turns out better than the last two. Four chicks out of 90 eggs. This is my home made cabinet incubator. I built it from scratch using poplar plywood. Using GQF Cabinet incubator parts inside of it. 225 watt heater element and wafer thermostat. Made my own fully automatic humidity system using the same float valve in the GQF system. I have a hatching tray in the bottom and rails to sit a Little Giant Egg turner on. I could not use the turner yet as the quail rails have not shown up yet. When I called I was informed they were out of stock and would not be in for another week even though they advertised in stock and shipped day after payment. Little disappointed with that, but luckily I had these 95 egg quail egg racks I can use until the Little Giant rails arrive. Well guys keep your fingers crossed for me. I need it.

There are a couple of silkie eggs in the bottom of the incubator that are due to be candled tomorrow but after 4 days I could not see any developement. Shipping was pretty rough on them and had 2 broken and 3 cracked out of 10. I put the other 5 in with some of my own silkie eggs. From what it looks like though my Roo is not doing his job. Might have to fire him.

 

[neb]

Well, I wish you luck

I also set 88 Rain Quail eggs yesterday, so maybe they will hatch together

The temps are fluctuating between 38.5 and 36 degrees Celsius, I hope this is ok

I am using a thermostat that constantly rises and falls within that range. I hope I have better luck than your last hatch.

Neb

 

[TCollier]

I don't see a problem with your temp fluxuation. It should keep the eggs at the correct core temp. The thermometer is reading the air temp I bet if you got an Egg-O-Meter you would find your eggs are at the exact temp that they need to be at or at least close enough that you do not need to worry. My first attempts were using light bulbs as a heating source and a water heater thermostat and I had a wide range of temperature variation and some big spikes and some bad low temps. This setup has been maintaining a perfect 100 degrees so I am more comfortable with it than the last setup.

I wish you the best of luck also.

We can be Hatching Buddies if you want too.

 

[neb]

Hi

Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better

I using a 100W light bulb for heat, and a water heater thermostat, like your previous try. My temperatures are now only changing by about a degree

What I did is I added two big rocks to my incubator and that seemed to stabilize it, the rocks gave off heat.

I will post pictures of my setup and chicks at some stage

Good luck

Neb

 

[TCollier]

Glass jars with water in them will stabilize temp too. With the lids on of course.

 

[pascopol]

I do not see a fan in your bator. Is it still air then?

Still air bator of this size with single light bulb as heat source will not hatch many chicks I,m afraid.

I build a bator using old wooden nightstand, I have a string of about 15 Christmas C9 lights in it. Two computer fans and $25 bucks reptile thermostat.

This thing works just as good as my Brinsea ECO I also own . I could fit 2 egg tueners into it, but so far I needed only one.

 

[TCollier]

It has a 110v fan right behind the water pan. Blows the air through a 225 watt GQF heating element. The single light bulb is only when I want to look in the incubator I can turn it on and off with a switch on the outside.

 

[pascopol]

Quote:
I would get better quality thermometer than your pictured, and I would check the temps in various spots at the top of eggs level.

Sorry, if you trust a cheap thermometer, ( if you check it against a trusted therm your therm may cut it) but if is off 1 or more degrees thats another story) you can spend a fortune for a bator and hatch next to nothing, since the actual eggs temperature and humidity determine a succesful hatch.


PERIOD

 

[al6517]

I use three digital thermometers all calibrated to insure my temps are reading properly, Quail egg's are very fertile at least they have for me when I hatched them I had the best rates from them as opposed to my chickens. Good luck this time with the new bator you have an ajustment period and then you will have chicks coming out of your ears LOL.

AL

 

[pascopol]

Quote:
Yea, quail eggs are very fertile, I never got below 75% hatch rate on shipped eggs, although I would never depend on "digital" thermometer alone.

Being "digital" there is not any assurance of being accurate. I check all my digital therms agains my trusted and proven mercury analog therm.

Digital therms will go off as the time goes by.

Digital hygrometers are even less reliable. I only use analog frequently calibrated hygros to keep track on humidity in my bators.


PERIOD

If yiou can't hatch 75% + of your own quail eggs in your incubator, dump it or sell it, and get a better one.