Thinking of getting quail

[BReeder!]

I have been posting in hatch along threads. To help those thinking about getting quail, I figured I would keep posting updates here. Tonight will be 4 days into incubation. I am going to give candling a shot tomorrow. I'll try to take some pics and post them tomorrow. Incubation has been fairly easy so far. I have an automated rotator and the fan helps circulate fresh warm air across the eggs. The hardest part is keeping humidity where I want it. It drops over time and then I may add too much. I've only had to add water twice so far. Seems like every other day works. My incubator just is not easy to add water to. I have to open the lid and pour water into reservoir channels in the bottom through a 2"-3" gap between the rotator and the side of the incubator. An incubator with a water pump and humidity controller would make things easier.

 

[RUNuts]

My incubator just is not easy to add water to. I have to open the lid and pour water into reservoir channels in the bottom through a 2"-3" gap between the rotator and the side of the incubator. An incubator with a water pump and humidity controller would make things easier.

Get a funnel with a long spout. Move the lid a couple inches out of the way. Align funnel and pour water. Some people talk about tubing through the incubator and a funnel attached outside. I'm learning.

Yes, this incubator business is interesting. I'm learned quite a bit about bird biology and reproduction.

 

[BReeder!]

Get a funnel with a long spout. Move the lid a couple inches out of the way. Align funnel and pour water. Some people talk about tubing through the incubator and a funnel attached outside. I'm learning.

Yes, this incubator business is interesting. I'm learned quite a bit about bird biology and reproduction.

I am considering running a tube through a hole in the lid that currently has a plug in it. The hole is about 3/8" in diameter, and is meant for running a wire through for the Harris Farms egg turner. The egg turner I purchase has the wire attached to the motor. I cannot unplug the cord from the motor to run through the hole, and the other end that goes into an outlet will not fit through the hole. So I left it plugged for now but may find a use for it after all. Just not certain I have a piece of hose on hand that is small enough (3/8" outside diameter).

 

[RUNuts]

Aquarium tubing, silicone straw, plastic straw, medical tubing, surgical tubing, toilet hose, radiator hose?

If all else fails, hardware store. I'm considering options myself, but will use funnel for a while. Watering can for houseplants is also looking good.

Unlike you, the Hovabator does not have an available hole. The funnel prevents me from making modifications to the styrofoam at present.

 

[BReeder!]

At work, and it's a slow day so I've been poking around doing a lot of dreaming of what I things I would like to do one day - get a few acres one day, get a sawmill to play with on those acres, turn my current shed into a coop (two coops really - quail in the front and chickens in the back separated by a wall), get rabbits (I could keep them on wire above the chickens in my dream shed/coop), get a few goats and pigs and maybe llamas or emu on those dream acres, grow a lush vegetable garden (I tried last year and it was sub-par and worse than our production in two raised beds in our old backyard in the city)... I also started poking around the interwebs to learn a bit about candling quail eggs like I said I will be doing today. I'm a bit worried that I will not be able to see much after reading post/articles/blogs from several people who are unable to see anything really. The best results I found were using the flashlight on an iPhone. Now I don't have an iPhone because I'm more of an Android user, but I do have a Samsung Galaxy S9, and the flashlight is VERY bright up close - I know because I just blinded myself by looking at it to see. So my plan is to candle with my phone! I think it's bright enough to shine through the egg, let's hope it works and I (we) get to see something. I'll post again in a few hours when I give it a try after I get home.

 

[RUNuts]

The foam pipe insulation acts as a great egg holder on the flash light. Cut you a little piece.

In Kiki's thread, if the quail egg glows yellow, it is infertile. If green, fertile and developing. Best wishes!

 

[BReeder!]

The foam pipe insulation acts as a great egg holder on the flash light. Cut you a little piece.

In Kiki's thread, if the quail egg glows yellow, it is infertile. If green, fertile and developing. Best wishes!

I am cautious to rely on color. Hoping to see veins, small dark mass on yolk, or heart beat if I am lucky. We will see. Catching a train back to the burbs in half an hour... getting a bit anxious. Need candles before, so not expecting much. I really do not intend to toss out any eggs yet unless I see cracks that I don't think are worth covering. I will candle again before lockdown. Clear eggs will be tossed then.

 

[RUNuts]

What is the brightest flashlight you have? Kiki recommends 500 lumens. For darker (quail) eggs, those 1000 lumen lights look good. If the phone light doesn't suit you, get a desk lamp with a bright light, put in a box with an egg sized hole and candle away in a dark closet.

Dark closet is necessary to see details.

 

[BReeder!]

So I canceled several. About 30 of them. Then my eyes hurt. There's little so far. A few possibly yellow. That alien green glow is incredible hard to get a picture though because the candling light (Samsung phone flashlight) bleaches it out in the photo. I used a peice of egg cylinder foam - thanks @RUNuts for the idea - to set the egg over the light and block the light that was going ot around the egg. This made it much easier to see, but it was still difficult with darker eggs.

This is the best shot I have of the green alien glow as I call it.

This one concerns me. I am not sure if this is veins or a blood ring. It doesn't go all the way around the egg, but it is thicker than the other veins I saw in other eggs.

I spotted behind under the dark making of this egg. Hard to see though. This one was when my eyes started hurting.

The real fun was catching some geart beats! I yelled to my wife and made her look at the first egg I found a heart beat in. I was stoked! I tried getting video of it but it was tiny blibs basically that didnt show up in the video.

I will definitely be getting an egg candler that is brighter and purpose built. I like the idea of something like 1000 lumens if not more to see into these eggs. I will candle again before lockdown. I plan to hatch plenty more quail in the future so the candler will be a good investment I now realize.

 

[RUNuts]

@BReeder! thanks for the pictures! Lets me see what I'm in for this month.

The pipe foam is a bit denser and may block more light and ease the eye strain. Rip some off the bathroom drain and try it. Or put a piece of card board on top of the foam?

How is your humidity? Using one of the water trays, I'm bouncing at 45% and 99°F. I will tweak the temp a bit after work. No eggs - that will come Saturday.