I'm afraid I've killed my biddies.
I have fallen asleep several nights before the last turn of the night; one night I left the incubator unplugged and temps dropped to low to mid 80s; The temps have jumped up to 102 several times while I was at work; several days I couldn't get the temps up past 90; 2 eggs were dropped onto the incubator tray and dented/cracked (one piece of shell stuck to another egg and pulled away but left the membrane intact). I don't have any wax, so I put a tab of scotch tape over the cracks/hole (waiting to see if that works). I added 3 small plastic juice bottles full of hot water to act as heat sinks. When the temps dropped, I refilled with hot water to speed up the reheating of the 'bator.
I originally candled the eggs on day 10 and could see embryos moving and the eye dots, veins, etc. It was exciting to share with my granddaughter. Then I caught her 'turning' the eggs one morning. I am surprised she didn't burn herself, but she cracked the one that lost a piece of shell (I cracked the other one). That solved the mystery of how some eggs were wrong side up when I went to turn them.
I candled all the eggs last night and about 14 of them were clear or had stopped growing. I put back the ones that are dark/look full and I hope the ones that feel heavier have chicks. I don't know about the ones that haven't gained much weight.
I can't really see through the quail egg shells, so don't even know if they were fertile to start. I also don't know if there was ever a cock with the hens or if there were 4 hens (one became dinner for a rat snake that somehow got into the quail pen. It wasn't very secure to start. I have moved them to a large snake proof cage.)
So, tomorrow is lock-down for me and by Tuesday, I should know how many chicks I have killed, or not.
I am using a borrowed still air incubator that I have to unplug and open to turn the eggs.
Any future hatches will go into my own Prissy-bator with the manual egg turner. That way I won't have to unplug or open it to turn eggs and the temps should stay steady once the eggs are set.
I have fallen asleep several nights before the last turn of the night; one night I left the incubator unplugged and temps dropped to low to mid 80s; The temps have jumped up to 102 several times while I was at work; several days I couldn't get the temps up past 90; 2 eggs were dropped onto the incubator tray and dented/cracked (one piece of shell stuck to another egg and pulled away but left the membrane intact). I don't have any wax, so I put a tab of scotch tape over the cracks/hole (waiting to see if that works). I added 3 small plastic juice bottles full of hot water to act as heat sinks. When the temps dropped, I refilled with hot water to speed up the reheating of the 'bator.
I originally candled the eggs on day 10 and could see embryos moving and the eye dots, veins, etc. It was exciting to share with my granddaughter. Then I caught her 'turning' the eggs one morning. I am surprised she didn't burn herself, but she cracked the one that lost a piece of shell (I cracked the other one). That solved the mystery of how some eggs were wrong side up when I went to turn them.
I candled all the eggs last night and about 14 of them were clear or had stopped growing. I put back the ones that are dark/look full and I hope the ones that feel heavier have chicks. I don't know about the ones that haven't gained much weight.
I can't really see through the quail egg shells, so don't even know if they were fertile to start. I also don't know if there was ever a cock with the hens or if there were 4 hens (one became dinner for a rat snake that somehow got into the quail pen. It wasn't very secure to start. I have moved them to a large snake proof cage.)
So, tomorrow is lock-down for me and by Tuesday, I should know how many chicks I have killed, or not.
I am using a borrowed still air incubator that I have to unplug and open to turn the eggs.
Any future hatches will go into my own Prissy-bator with the manual egg turner. That way I won't have to unplug or open it to turn eggs and the temps should stay steady once the eggs are set.
