timing Lockdown for shipped CA Quail eggs, and positioning eggs upright

[jj555333111]

Hi all!

I bought 9 California (a.k.a. Valley) Quail eggs online. The seller told me which day they were laid - let's call this Day 0. Here's a timeline:

- Day 0: Eggs laid.

- Day 2: They were shipped (I have no idea what happened between Days 0 and 2, or whether they were incubated).

- Day 4: They arrived. I positioned them pointy-side down in the incubator and allowed the incubator to go from 70 to 100 degrees over a period of 12 hours.

- Days 5-10: They sat in the incubator, pointy-side down, without turning. I read many conflicting things about dealing with shipped eggs and the potential for detached air cells. I couldn't even see the air cell in these eggs because they are so tiny (and spotted). But, one article seemed convincing that said to incubate *all* shipped eggs without turning for the first 7 days, so that's what I did.

- Day 10: I candled the eggs. 4 were infertile so I discarded them; the other 5 had vessel growth.

- Day 11-18 (today): The eggs have been turning automatically; the incubator I have has them laying on their side and very slowly rolls them back and forth 360 degrees. At some point this week I candled the 5 eggs once more and saw movement in all of them.

I have two questions:

1. When should I put the eggs on lockdown? I've heard CA Quails take 20-23 days to develop -- should I "start the clock" from the day they were laid, the day they shipped, or the day they arrived?

2. For lockdown, should I prop them up so that they are pointy-side down? I've heard that some people use egg cartons to position eggs with detached air cells such that the air cell is on the top, so that it functions properly and the chicks can breathe as they position for hatching. I have heard that many shipped eggs survive to lockdown but eventually die, and I can't help but suspect that this is because shipped eggs have damaged air cells. Is there any disadvantage to using an egg carton to prop them up?

Thanks so much!

 

[Kiki]

You start counting the day you put them in the incubator.

What date was that...your day four?

 

[Kiki]

Please forgive me.... Welcome to BYC.

 

[jj555333111]

Turning the eggs is actually more important to do at the beginning of the incubation compared to the last few days.

I see. I didn't realize that, maybe that's why four of the original nine never developed. I was going off of this: https://www.facebook.com/notes/alab...cessfully-hatch-shipped-eggs/133243453534988/ as well as reading that shipped eggs often die in the last few days before hatching (which I presumed may be due to air cell issues?)

 

[jj555333111]

Please forgive me.... Welcome to BYC.

Thanks

 

[jj555333111]

You start counting the day you put them in the incubator.

What date was that...your day four?

I put them in the incubator on 8/7 (i.e. "Day 4"). So if it's really 20-23 days to hatch, I guess that means I should expect them to hatch between 8/27 and 8/30? Should I put them in lockdown on 8/25?

 

[Kiki]

Turning the eggs is actually more important to do at the beginning of the incubation compared to the last few days.

 

[ValerieJ]

Hi! Welcome to BYC! Wish I could help, but I'm on my first incubation to. Going to follow because I can't seem to get enough advice.

 

[Kiki]

Correct.

I put them in the incubator on 8/7 (i.e. "Day 4"). So if it's really 20-23 days to hatch, I guess that means I should expect them to hatch between 8/27 and 8/30? Should I put them in lockdown on 8/25?