The Coturnix Incubation Starts!

[FloorCandy]

hiya... ok.. soooo were those quail eggs you got in the fridge area? I'm in Canada too, and I'm not sure eggs that have been kept in the cold will hatch at all. I had gotten mine from a breeder using the same incubator as yours and only got 1 chick each time (aside from the first time which cooked them all

I have loaded my incubator with fridge eggs as well as fresher eggs, due to unexpected predator strikes or just having space in the bator. The results are not great, but some do hatch. My incubator holds like 100+ eggs so my odds are pretty good for getting a few to hatch, in an incubator that small, I’d say you’re lucky to get 1 because you can put so few in, and the averages aren’t on your side. My advice is to let the eggs sit at room temp for a day, put them in the bator pointy side down, and don’t turn them for the first 24-48 hours. Once you begin turning, I recommend using a tilt method rather than spinning them, if possible gently elevate alternating sides of the bator 3-5 x per day. Many people put a book under one side and then the other, just be sure it won’t make your water source leak into areas of the bator it shouldn’t be in.

 

[FloorCandy]

Yep! I have 7 eggs in. I'm turning twice a day and have heat up to 97.5 F. I will start candling at day 5.

This is so exciting

You should turn an odd number of times per day, usually 3-5.

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

You should turn an odd number of times per day, usually 3-5.

Thanks! I've since switched to 3 times a day Or about every 6 hours.

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

Candled the eggs this morning. Today is day five . Out of seven eggs, two are duds, One is a possible and the others I just don't know. I'm just too inexperienced to notice veins I'm going to try again in a few days and see if they're all duds.

 

[FloorCandy]

Candled the eggs this morning. Today is day five . Out of seven eggs, two are duds, One is a possible and the others I just don't know. I'm just too inexperienced to notice veins I'm going to try again in a few days and see if they're all duds.

I don’t candle until at least day 9, after the first candling I remove the bad eggs, and I don’t candle again until lockdown, then I throw out any more bad ones and I don’t touch them until they hatch.

 

[Mrs J]

How exciting!

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

I don’t candle until at least day 9, after the first candling I remove the bad eggs, and I don’t candle again until lockdown, then I throw out any more bad ones and I don’t touch them until they hatch.

I should do that. I have soooo much to learn about incubation!

 

[little-beep]

I should do that. I have soooo much to learn about incubation!

yeah --- My very first time I was taking the eggs out every couple days because I wanted so badly to see veins and stuff -- I was using coturnix eggs then and those ones I cooked because the temp on that tiny incubator was wrong.... lol....
I opened the eggs at the end only to find the eggs half cooked!

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

yeah --- My very first time I was taking the eggs out every couple days because I wanted so badly to see veins and stuff -- I was using coturnix eggs then and those ones I cooked because the temp on that tiny incubator was wrong.... lol....
I opened the eggs at the end only to find the eggs half cooked!

OH MY!!!!!

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

Well, it's not looking very promising, but I'm not giving up hope yet. One egg is officially a dud. I tossed it because not only it look cracked, it looked pretty sad on the inside. Ah well.

Only 8-10 more days to go