These eggs have me totally confused what to do?

[La Mike]

OK you actually hand turn your eggs???


First thing once incubating leave them alone until lockdown
You may be handeling them too much
Also heat will change everytime you open your bator
So will your humidity
Not chastizing at all its just not good to handle your eggs
If you really love your birds spend a little to change that and you will be more
successful and happy with your returns


MIKE

 

[smallbluejellybean]

Hi Iamike,
No the eggs that are due soon are on lock down. I haven't turned them for about 2 days now.
I have another batch on the other side of the incubator, just set and I have to turn them.
Luckly the glass on the top allows me to access that side without loosing very much heat from the incubator. Even when I opened it all up when I candled the lowest I ever let it drop was to 98. I think hens leave the eggs in nature to drink and eat, so would probably drop in temp more than that.
During the day and night it stay pretty much at 100. At night I have to open it up a little because it will go up too 102 because I am not rolling them at night. With a little gap it stays pretty much between 100-101.
The new eggs are turned 3 times a day. The lock down eggs are lightly misted every 2-3 hours, otherwise I am not touching them.
Thanks for the advise though.
I have incubated canary eggs before with %100 hatch rate so far "knock on wood". I do not expect this with the quail as it is clearly impossible to candle the eggs accurately.
Will sit back now and keep my fingers and toes crossed.
And if these ones don't work - I will keep trying untill they do.

OK WIFEZILLA will do!!!

 

[La Mike]

I do wish you the best of luck
But do keep in mind every bird is a life
I personally raise all but my peas and goldens for food
But you want to raise as many as you start to the best of
your ability wether for food or pet.

And again hope you good luck

 

[quailbrain]

I'm with Iamike on the handling. To much handling can be bad for these eggs. They are so dark and most of the time you wont get a good idea no matter what. I personally don't candle them cause of the handling time. It takes so long to try and usually no results. Floating I have heard used by some but even then you wont know for sure. Unless the water is perfectly at 99.5 you will be changing the eggs temp very quickly and risk water filling the air pores in the shell. Although I would love to see what's going on in there I personally don't want to risk the chick for it. I hope your hatch is going well!

 

[smallbluejellybean]

Hi, I thought I would keep you updated on my silly egg parade.
Anyways, it was almost 96 hours of lock down. One egg fell in on its self, so desided I would do my old canary floating trick to see what I really had since I can't candle these eggs.
Out of the 17 I had left out of 30 originally. 8 floated and wiggled in my bowl of 100 degree water.
As I took them out and then let the temp return up to 101 in my incubator - one has pipped and now about 1/3 around its shell.
Then I looked at my relatively new ones 7 days incubation now. I floated them too. Out of 32 left from my last cull I had 16 left I floated them and got 6 positive wigglers in the bowl. I kept those in the incubator incase there was a miss understand of me and egg and will check in a few days.
I have another 24 ready to go in the incubator and another 9 in the aviary to collect.
Eventually I will get some, well at least I got one that is trying to come into this world.

I only cull obvious clears from candling.

Also - drop of temp once in a while is only natural - don't the hens get up and feed and drink????

So still confused, but still trying

Dam canaries are easier and you get more money for them to boot. Not giving up.

 

[smallbluejellybean]

It's born and its white/silver and beautiful. Will post a pick as soon as my husband brings back the camera.
At least I got one. And a weird coloured one at that.
Aww just want to squeeze it. Don;t worry I wont. I say it to all my babies.

OMG I just sold another 5 of my gloster canaries for a handsome $500. They loved the colours I put together and by the way they are on eggs again and the new female this time is sitting woo hoo.

All is looking up.

 

[the4heathernsmom]

awww congrats keep us posted and can't wait for pics!!!

 

[JJMR794]

Jelly Bean Your "misting" The Eggs In Lock Down? If So May I Ask Why?

Also Floating Your Quail Eggs Isnt Accurate Until The Very Last Few Days And May Be Detrimental To Early Eggs As It Can 1. Wash Off The Natural Protective Coating That Prevents Fungus And Bacteria From Colonizing It 2. It Can Suffocate The Developing Embryo. Then There's That Whole "screwing With The Temp Thing If The Water Isnt Right But I Know Your Used To FLOAT TESTING So We Wont Go There, As I Am Sure Your Good About Watching Water Temp. The Only Reason I Mention This At All Is I Know Your Background Is With Canaries And Your Down Under (folks Do Many Things Differently In Different Geographical Locations And Of Course Different Speces Require Different Care)

 

[farrier!]

Good news on the one and I hope you get many more!

I open my bator 5-10 times a day to roll eggs. I have staggered hatches of both chicken and quail. I did mark them and tried for a bit with the chickens to stop turning them but the quail have been turned until they hatch. I am getting 100% hatch on chicken eggs that are not pulled at 10 days (non shipped eggs) and over 80% on the non candled quails.
It sounds like you are doing a great job with your incubator set up.

 

[goodheart101]

Don't give up on those that don't hatch right away. I almost threw out my button eggs after they didn't hatch on around the 20th day, but I forgot and the morning on the 21st day, when I woke up, I had baby buttons hopping all over in my still air incubator. I do not use any scientific method, I just shake the incubator about once a day to excerise the eggs and throw in some water, this time I hatched 16 birds. Only a couple didn't hatch, but I did not expect them as there isn't a male in those girls cages, but I threw their eggs in anyways. This time I got some cooler looking birds, with some different coloring. So good luck on your eggs, and if they didn't float it is probably because there was a baby bird inside.