URGENT: Turner or Not? Ready to Set Quail Eggs!

[ugachickenmama]

Good grief, I don't even know where to begin with this

Sorry to overwhelm. You seem to have a good bit of experience - although I have read as much as I could and wanted to do this for a LONG time, it is a lot for a newbie who really wants eggs to hatch - especially when info available can be conflicting and the incubator isn't the most cooperative.
Thank you for your reply and taking the time to read and respond.

Turning by hand really isn't an option with that incubator.

I set them Thursday ~4pm and did turn them once on Friday AM . . . it wasn't bad and I never planned to attempt a meticulous turning (hens don't) - just waving my hand over the bunch . . . my concern was that the time it took me to restabilize temp/humidity after that VERY brief and SLIGHT opening may not be worth the value of turning.
SO, I started the tilting instead - which is much more what the commercial incubators do anyway.

like 20° for it to really have any effect on the embryos

Yup, I read one article that studied 8 different degrees of tilting (aka "turning") and although the differences % wise were seemingly slight (more on a huge scale) it found that 45 degrees was optimal.

tilting it that far will also empty the water reservoir!

Agree. However, any time I attempted to pour water of any amount into "A" since setting eggs the RH soared to 65% . . . I live in GA and it's always humid. So I panicked both of those times and sucked the water out of the resevoir. I am currently using a nylon cord to wick water into the resevoir and it seems to be working (for the most part) . . . so no spilling worries with this approach.

NR360 that I made partitions to go between the egg turner's partition, so that I could hatch quail eggs in it.

I have seen this and will order less eggs next time and try this method - however, for this event the opportunity was for 50 eggs and then he sent 56 . . . so there wasn't room for them all with the turner unless I stacked. Currently they are not stacked - just laying on drawer liner (which I think is also keeping them from rolling when tilted).

It does however, hold temperature and Rh fairly well.

I'm so glad for you!!! Mine has been frustrating since setting the eggs. Ironically it was great while empty for 72 hours prior - ugh.

I use calibrated thermometers and hygrometer

YES! Using a wifi govee inside the NR360 so I have everything tracked for the entire hatch . . .

Short swings in temperature and humidity are usually not an issue, it's only an issue if it's constantly too high or too low.

VERY encouraging - THANK YOU.

Definitely, candle at 7 days, you will be able to tell if they are fertile and developing or not at the time.

As a novice, I will basically just want to toss the ones that the entire egg lights up - correct?
Based on what I've read it almost seems like day 7 candling is less "complicated/challenging" than day 14 candling???


IF, for some reason, my day 7 candling took me down to a low enough number that they fit in the turner, would you consider adding the turner for days 7-14? I could have it ready with partitions at that time . . . just a thought.

Thanks again for your time.

 

[ugachickenmama]

Personally I would get rid of the turning plate and just manually turn them 3x a day.

I left it out.
And the ONE time I slightly lifted the lid to "turn" them, the difficulty of getting back to temp and RH convinced me to just tilt one side and then the other best I could without the eggs physically rolling around.
Nothing is stacked.
A gamble.
I know.
EEEEK.

Plans are great and everything but sometimes simple is ur best bet.

Isn't this the truth.
Semi obsessed for years reading all the ish and then finally take the plunge only to be challenged with situations I didn't predict!
HA.
Guess it goes to prove that one learns best by trial and error.
Here's to that.

So I set them Th ~4pm.
I "turned" them once at ~9am Fri.
I haven't opened it since.
Considering just staying my course at this point and seeing what happens.
SO much info out there - it's almost like it would be easier without the internet b/c then you would have limited directions and maybe be a little more confident without all the different ways folks say work (for me anyways).

 

[ButtonNomies]

I left it out.
And the ONE time I slightly lifted the lid to "turn" them, the difficulty of getting back to temp and RH convinced me to just tilt one side and then the other best I could without the eggs physically rolling around.
Nothing is stacked.
A gamble.
I know.
EEEEK.

Isn't this the truth.
Semi obsessed for years reading all the ish and then finally take the plunge only to be challenged with situations I didn't predict!
HA.
Guess it goes to prove that one learns best by trial and error.
Here's to that.

So I set them Th ~4pm.
I "turned" them once at ~9am Fri.
I haven't opened it since.
Considering just staying my course at this point and seeing what happens.
SO much info out there - it's almost like it would be easier without the internet b/c then you would have limited directions and maybe be a little more confident without all the different ways folks say work (for me anyways).

I remember my first time with my buttons. I was a wreck

The only way u gain confidence is thru experience. Tbh a small blip in temp and humidity at this stage won't effect ur eggs at all. It's prolonged changes that will. Ur reading will be off as they will account for the ambient temperature and humidity when in actual fact it hasn't moved much at all (if it's quick to go bk to the right temp and humidity when the lid is replaced then its not dropped at all)

The only time u need 5o be religiously worried about humidity is in lockdown, because that can cause shrinkwrapping if too low or drowning if too high, but at this stage a fem minutes at low humidity won't hurt the eggs.

I've had an egg drop out and roll off on the floor and it hatched fine, and I've had eggs tht arrested halfway thru incubation for no obvious reasons. What will be will be. Just u wait til ur first quail baby hatch! Ur brave going for 56 Theyre lemmings and like to try n off themselves. U won't sleep for the first 3 days with worry!!!

 

[Kiki]

View attachment 3386937

I'd stack them.

 

[Kiki]

As you can see in the picture, I have a govee wifi in there . . . I have a bluetooth version also but both are about the same size - hate that it takes up so much space but understand the necessity as the incubator IS off!


So I can candle after 5 days? Don't have to wait until 14 (aka pre lockdown)?
I've heard quail eggs can be tricky to candle and it is one more thing i have never done! HA.

I could try to load it and see what happens but I think I will end up with quite a bit of stacking to get 55 in there. Ugh.

Is the drawback to hand turning just the annoyance or the opening and closing of the incubator or the inconsistency of human over machine? Curious.

Having to open an incubator multiple times a day is really going to mess with having a steady temperature and steady humidity which will most likely end bad.

 

[Kiki]

You will eventually figure out what works best for you.
Next time you set eggs remember the less you have to screw with them the better.
Set only what fits and can be turned by your incubator turning would be a good start but I'm not so sure the Bator turner you have is good to begin with.

 

[ugachickenmama]

You will eventually figure out what works best for you.
Next time you set eggs remember the less you have to screw with them the better.
Set only what fits and can be turned by your incubator turning would be a good start but I'm not so sure the Bator turner you have is good to begin with.

Absolutely.

As it is my first time, and the Nurture Right 360 is the incubator I have (for now anyways) then I kinda had to make a choice and run with it.

I'm grateful for being sent extra eggs - BUUUUTTT next time I'll look for ones to leave out . . . or maybe by "next time" I'll have a different incubator - who knows.

Crossing my fingers that since some people have had luck with the direction I have picked that MAYBE I'll get at least one breeding group out of 55 eggs and can then set some of our own in a much smaller batch that does not have to be mailed.

Thank you for your thoughts!

 

[ugachickenmama]

I remember my first time with my buttons. I was a wreck

YUUUUP. Glad you still remember. Glad I'm not the only one. Ha.

(if it's quick to go bk to the right temp and humidity when the lid is replaced then its not dropped at all)

I just looked back on my Govee app . . . looks like it dipped from 99.4 to 97.7 and took 3 hours to get back up.
Not sure if that's considered "quick" - ha.

???
With that and knowing that i set them TH late afternoon and have only opened to physically "turn" them once on Friday morning . . . would you just let them be and continue the tilt or go back to opening slightly and quickly running my hand over the lot of them?
???

Ur brave going for 56

I'm laughing at myself too - - - I've been wanting to do it for TOO long but scared to and I finally just impulse pulled the trigger on a box of "extra" eggs posted by one of the farms I had decided was a top choice for me . . . glad I did, but also, you're right - longest 2 weeks of my life in front of me! HA.

The only way u gain confidence is thru experience.

You are SO RIGHT here and it is with most everything in life!
Hopefully I have enough success to be able to continue to gain confidence with my own eggs and don't have the shipping factor or the higher quantity b/c that's how they are sold . . . .
Meantime, fingers crossed.

 

[ButtonNomies]

97.7 isn't too low its still in the "safe zone" but tht is a long time for ur bator temp to go up 2° ... tbh I'd question the accuracy of tht. Do u have an independent hydrometer/thermometer inside ur bator? I have a couple of the ones with attached sensors tht I've hot glued to the outside of my bator so I have 3 screens to check n my bator screen runs hotter than my independents and is slower to climb. I also have a 3rd normal hydro suckered inside the bator so I can keep an eye when I open it.

I've found the bator thermometers are never accurate xx

 

[ugachickenmama]

Do u have an independent hydrometer/thermometer inside ur bator?

Yes, I have a Govee wifi in there … that’s how I could look back and tell you that … when I set the eggs I cleared the data so I could track the whole 18+ day extravaganza. Ha.

I was also surprised it took that long to restabilize.

And that’s also what has me scared to open it. That said, I’m not opposed to trying it now and seeing how long it takes.

Just not sure if it’s worth it since I haven’t touched them since Fri AM and have only done the tilting business.

I need a magic crystal ball!!!