The Quail-venture....

[Joylime322]

(Note: I started posting a new thread for all my questions and decided it was over kill. Now I am simply gonna post questions and updates on one thread! Welcome friends! I thank all of you who have already given me help and advice as I begin my quest into this new hobby! Hopefully someday I can be as knowledgable as you.)
The Quail-venture Begins!!!!!!!
Finally! The eggs arrived from myshire farms yesterday! I left the lil things to sit over night and began the work of placing them in the incubator this morning. I say "work" because it really a task I did not expect to be so tedious. The NR 360 has 22 spaces for chicken eggs and I received 30 quail eggs in the mail.... so my problem was to both find enough space for all the eggs and keep them from rolling end over end when the auto turner spun. After demolishing a cheezit box and some tap work, I had my stunning set up for quail... I just have to hope it survives to day 15!
My current plan is to let those babies sit until day 9 (although I am not sure if I should do earlier) and then candle. Maybe I should candle on day 5 and then bucket test on day 15? I am not sure. I have a few days to let the opinions start rolling in though hahah.
Again, I thank this community for all its support! Until next time!

(Note #2: This is my DIY quail fix for the NR 360

. .

(Have a fantastic day!!! Feel free to post opinions, suggestions, etc! I am a newbie and always open for new bits of knowledge! ☺☺)
Edit: Sorry this post is so darn long... I'm so thrilled that this is all coming together!

 

[Sammi_0411]

Good luck if u need any advice let me know i had 48 eggs and hatched 33 quails which i feel is nt a bad hatch rate for my first time

 

[Joylime322]

Good luck if u need any advice let me know i had 48 eggs and hatched 33 quails which i feel is nt a bad hatch rate for my first time

Nice! The question is, do you have any must-know tidbits for me! What do you wish you had known? (Also what humidity did you keep your incubator at?)

 

[Sammi_0411]

Turn them 5 times a day til lockdown (day 14) they can come any day from day 17 mine hatched day 19 once one hatches they all pop out like popcorn lol leave them in incubbator for up to 24 hours to encourage the rest dont panic it they roll other eggs around normally encourages them to pip ... i had my humidy between 45-50 percent for first 14 days then upped to 60-65 for lockdown...hope this helps xx

 

[Sammi_0411]

Here were mine wen they started hatching

 

[MGG]

(Note: I started posting a new thread for all my questions and decided it was over kill. Now I am simply gonna post questions and updates on one thread! Welcome friends! I thank all of you who have already given me help and advice as I begin my quest into this new hobby! Hopefully someday I can be as knowledgable as you.)
The Quail-venture Begins!!!!!!!
Finally! The eggs arrived from myshire farms yesterday! I left the lil things to sit over night and began the work of placing them in the incubator this morning. I say "work" because it really a task I did not expect to be so tedious. The NR 360 has 22 spaces for chicken eggs and I received 30 quail eggs in the mail.... so my problem was to both find enough space for all the eggs and keep them from rolling end over end when the auto turner spun. After demolishing a cheezit box and some tap work, I had my stunning set up for quail... I just have to hope it survives to day 15!
My current plan is to let those babies sit until day 9 (although I am not sure if I should do earlier) and then candle. Maybe I should candle on day 5 and then bucket test on day 15? I am not sure. I have a few days to let the opinions start rolling in though hahah.
Again, I thank this community for all its support! Until next time!

(Note #2: This is my DIY quail fix for the NR 360
View attachment 2329155. . View attachment 2329157
(Have a fantastic day!!! Feel free to post opinions, suggestions, etc! I am a newbie and always open for new bits of knowledge! ☺☺)
Edit: Sorry this post is so darn long... I'm so thrilled that this is all coming together!

OMG, that's an awesome set up! I love it. Are they all turning good and everything? I would candle at least a few on day 4, just because it's my favorite day to candle. There's those awesome little spider veins, and the tiny little baby. Be very careful, and I wouldn't toss any eggs unless they ooze or smell bad. 17 days isn't that long, none will explode.
Usually the best humidity for quail is around 45-50%. I keep mine closer to 50%, and have great results. Again, check the air cells often. I would candle day 4, day 9, day 14, and right at lockdown. Don't flip any eggs over if they pip on the bottom, and don't worry about any of them not getting enough air if they're externally pipped. They can breathe through tiny holes.
Also, take the chicks out as soon as they're dry. They can get stuck in a couple places in there, and you don't want any mishaps. It doesn't hurt to open the incubator during lockdown, as long as your humidity is high. If there are 2 about to hatch at the same time, wait til they're both dry. You're going to love this. Just don't stress over it, and enjoy the ride!

 

[MGG]

Turn them 5 times a day til lockdown (day 14) they can come any day from day 17 mine hatched day 19 once one hatches they all pop out like popcorn lol leave them in incubbator for up to 24 hours to encourage the rest dont panic it they roll other eggs around normally encourages them to pip ... i had my humidy between 45-50 percent for first 14 days then upped to 60-65 for lockdown...hope this helps xx

The NR turns automatically every hour.
And I usually lockdown quail at 65%, then up it to 70% as soon as I notice the first external pip.

 

[Joylime322]

OMG, that's an awesome set up! I love it. Are they all turning good and everything? I would candle at least a few on day 4, just because it's my favorite day to candle. There's those awesome little spider veins, and the tiny little baby. Be very careful, and I wouldn't toss any eggs unless they ooze or smell bad. 17 days isn't that long, none will explode.
Usually the best humidity for quail is around 45-50%. I keep mine closer to 50%, and have great results. Again, check the air cells often. I would candle day 4, day 9, day 14, and right at lockdown. Don't flip any eggs over if they pip on the bottom, and don't worry about any of them not getting enough air if they're externally pipped. They can breathe through tiny holes.
Also, take the chicks out as soon as they're dry. They can get stuck in a couple places in there, and you don't want any mishaps. It doesn't hurt to open the incubator during lockdown, as long as your humidity is high. If there are 2 about to hatch at the same time, wait til they're both dry. You're going to love this. Just don't stress over it, and enjoy the ride!

Awww thanks for helping me so much through this process. So kind!!!
Yep! They all turn just fine so far! I had SOOO many tests and fixes to make sure they didn't go end over end. I'm so excited to follow your suggested candling plan!
Although, I am not super certain of what to look for when it comes to air cells... (any advice when it comes to that?!!)
Thanks for the notes! ^^

 

[Joylime322]

Here were mine wen they started hatching

Awwwwwwww sweet things! They are so cute!

 

[Joylime322]

Here were mine wen they started hatching

How many eggs did you start with? What was your hatch rate?