Something Positive to Ask

[2 E's farm]

Good morning all. I am a first time incubator of Coturnix quail eggs and have a question. I kept very good records as to when I started my eggs but the numbers are not adding up. I was caught off guard when they started hatching on day 15. Today is day 20 and they are still coming along nicely. Could my math be fuzzy? Any personal knowledge would be appreciated. I was planning on tossing the unhatched eggs but will wait now.

 

[007Sean]

What kind of quail eggs are you hatching?

 

[2 E's farm]

Coturnex

 

[DK newbie]

My guess would be there are hot and cold spots in your incubator. Eggs from the hot spots hatch earlier, cold spots hatch later.

 

[007Sean]

Ok, Cot's incubation time is usually 17 to 18 days. If hatching at day 15, your temp was a little high. Now, it seems the temp is low, if hatching on day 20. Depends on the location of the incubator, ambient temp in the room and the brand of incubator your using....still air, forced air, Styrofoam or cabinet incubator, all these things come into play. Also, accuracy of the thermometer(s) your using and if they have been calibrated.
Styrofoam bators are notorious for great fluctuations in temp and humidity.
I'd give them till day 23, by then any that are going to hatch, should have and those that have not, most likely won't. HTH
Good Luck with your hatch.

 

[2 E's farm]

Oh my goodness 007 Sean! That is a lot to digest. Thank you. I struggled early with the temp inside, it was always too hot, so I throttled back on day 3. This is really very helpful. I have always heard that incubating is a science. I can't wait to try it again.

 

[007Sean]

Oh my goodness 007 Sean! That is a lot to digest. Thank you. I struggled early with the temp inside, it was always too hot, so I throttled back on day 3. This is really very helpful. I have always heard that incubating is a science. I can't wait to try it again.

Yes, it is a science! Actually, it's more a trial and error type thing....once you find out how to get the peak perfomace from your bator, the easyer it will be to consistently have good hatches. Experiment around with cheap eggs until you get the parameters right. The other thing is to begin with a quality incubator. Also, accurate thermometer(s) and hygrometer that's calibrated.
I set my bators up and let run a week before I set any eggs. Make sure temps have stabilized....humidity I don't worry about to much as long as it's within the range I want for any particular eggs I'm trying to hatch. Usually, my range is 40% RH to 55%RH but I shoot for an average of 43% RH, upping the %RH the last 3 days of incubation to 60 - 65% RH. HTH

 

[2 E's farm]

I have a middle of the road incubator with forced air. I will get a hydrometer before I reload on eggs. I will look for cheap eggs, which is tough to find! I have never been a part of a forum. This place is so very helpful. I hope to contribute one day.

 

[007Sean]

I have a middle of the road incubator with forced air. I will get a hydrometer before I reload on eggs. I will look for cheap eggs, which is tough to find! I have never been a part of a forum. This place is so very helpful. I hope to contribute one day.

Wally world sells a fair hygrometer, the Accurite thermometer and hygrometer combo, around $9 and change. You can calibrate the hygrometer using the salt test method. I use them occasionally, I have several and each one reads differently. 1 is extremely accurate and the others not so much....but if you have calibrated it and know what it reads in %RH, then you can add or subtract from the reading and get a fairly accurate % of moisture in the bator.

 

[2 E's farm]

Wally world sells a fair hygrometer, the Accurite thermometer and hygrometer combo, around $9 and change. You can calibrate the hygrometer using the salt test method. I use them occasionally, I have several and each one reads differently. 1 is extremely accurate and the others not so much....but if you have calibrated it and know what it reads in %RH, then you can add or subtract from the reading and get a fairly accurate % of moisture in the bator.

This is really helpful information. I will look for your recommended thermometer/hygrometer shortly. It appears my first hatch will be around 50%, which I have seen others say is very low. I started this for my kids but I am finding I enjoy it very much. The birds are not pets, I love quail eggs and as a hunter I have always enjoyed the meat.