What is your earliest and latest hatch days?

[Oilytoe90]

Hi. Just a little curious. What are your earliest and latest hatchings (eg. Day 15 or 21) for coturnix quails. Just really curious

Mine are day 17 and 18 but I've only done one hatch so far

 

[Nabiki]

17 is normal. If they hatch before then (day 15 in your example) the temperature is probably a bit high. If they hatch after that (up to day 21), your temperature is probably low.

Never trust the readings on your incubator. Always have a calibrated thermometer or three in there.

 

[Oilytoe90]

That's actually good to know. Thankyou

 

[Oilytoe90]

Would hatching early or late affect the chicks when they hatch? Love learning everything about anything lol x

 

[Nabiki]

Yes, early or late hatchers are more likely to have problems. That doesn't mean that you won't get perfectly healthy chicks if they hatch early or late, but the chances of problems is higher.

 

[Oilytoe90]

Yes, early or late hatchers are more likely to have problems. That doesn't mean that you won't get perfectly healthy chicks if they hatch early or late, but the chances of problems is higher.

Ahh I see. Thankyou

 

[007Sean]

Yes, early or late hatchers are more likely to have problems. That doesn't mean that you won't get perfectly healthy chicks if they hatch early or late, but the chances of problems is higher.

I agree, @Nabiki but will add usually late hatchers have more problems than earlier hatchers.

 

[Susan Skylark]

Mine usually go day 16 with a rare day 15 and a couple day 17. My first hatch my incubator was a degree cold and they went day 19/20. I haven’t noticed issues with late or early hatchers, seems like if they can hatch they have a great survival rate but if you help them out those are the ones that don’t make it. Shipped eggs, eggs exposed to heat or cold preincubation, eggs older than 10 days at incubation, and turning issues can really screw up hatch rates, have an incubator with a steady temp and be kind to your pre incubated eggs and they are pretty good hatchers! I’m on day one of a ‘week in the mail during freezing weather with saddled/detached air cells hatch,’ I’m already planning on a disaster: dead in shell, failure to hatch, weak and mutant chicks. But even then I got a 25% hatch rate on similar eggs last spring so maybe I’ll get 3 birds out of 13 eggs! Hopefully you get a nice hatch though!

 

[Oilytoe90]

OMG

Mine usually go day 16 with a rare day 15 and a couple day 17. My first hatch my incubator was a degree cold and they went day 19/20. I haven’t noticed issues with late or early hatchers, seems like if they can hatch they have a great survival rate but if you help them out those are the ones that don’t make it. Shipped eggs, eggs exposed to heat or cold preincubation, eggs older than 10 days at incubation, and turning issues can really screw up hatch rates, have an incubator with a steady temp and be kind to your pre incubated eggs and they are pretty good hatchers! I’m on day one of a ‘week in the mail during freezing weather with saddled/detached air cells hatch,’ I’m already planning on a disaster: dead in shell, failure to hatch, weak and mutant chicks. But even then I got a 25% hatch rate on similar eggs last spring so maybe I’ll get 3 birds out of 13 eggs! Hopefully you get a nice hatch though!

omg how were they in transit for so long!? I really hope u get a good hatch rate. I'm now on day 15 with lots of wriggles but no external pips yet