What is consider a successful hatching rate for homemade quail incubator?

[phantastic]

First batch I had a 70% hatching rate. But my 2nd batch I had a 40% hatching rate. What's consider a good rate?

 

[kuchchicks]

That depends on you and where you are getting your eggs from. From my chickens and quail I get about 90% on average. If you are using shipped eggs 60% is probably pretty good. Also your hatch rate will improve over time as you figure things out.

 

[gpop1]

Most people do not have a base line to show how the incubator is preforming. I add and remove eggs every day from my incubator so I have the advantage of being able to watch my own eggs hatch rate.

my own quail stable flock 95%

eggs from young birds that just started to lay 60-75% (improves after a month)

bought local eggs 80%

shipped eggs 0 to 70% (have had one batch at 100% but that was a oddity)

 

[phantastic]

Thanks kuchchicks and gpop1. I have about 30 quails and they lay about 13-18 eggs a day. I've been grabbing random eggs. Should I just look for the larger eggs? Should I have them sit for a few days and then put them in an incubator

 

[gpop1]

Thanks kuchchicks and gpop1. I have about 30 quails and they lay about 13-18 eggs a day. I've been grabbing random eggs. Should I just look for the larger eggs? Should I have them sit for a few days and then put them in an incubator

That depends on the weather conditions of where you live. Im in florida so I either have to get the eggs fresh or consider that the incubation has already begun due to the outside air temperature.
As the hens start laying the eggs start of small then slowly increase in size over a period of a few weeks to a month, The smaller ones are viable if the male has been doing his job. If you can not incubate all of the eggs then pick the largest freshest eggs.
Depending on your incubator and future plans you may want to store the eggs before running a batch which reduces a lot of hassle after hatching.

You may need to look at your breeding stock as there are problems especially with certain genes. Ive never read the report but my wife told me that gold cortnix are not meant to breed together.

Try to look at every batch as a learning lesson rather than a pass or a fail.