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[PamsPride]

Well, he is still alive but he can not stand up or pick his head up off the ground. No other pips from the other eggs either. I am going to give them two more days. I honestly don't understand what the problem is. I have hatched eggs before in the past and have done really well! If this one dies I will be 0 for 74 (including the ones my mom tried to hatch.) I feel like I am wasting eggs! I would HATE to put turkey eggs in the 'bator and loose them too!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

How has your humidity and temps been during the quail hatch??

PM Tori (Mrs. Ak-Bird-Brain) on BYC and talk to her about quail hatching. She is the one who has helped me with my chick hatching, and I blame her for enabling me! (not that my DH has held me back any )

I just got 18 test eggs from her today in the mail. Alaska has been super cold, but her chickens have been laying like crazy!! So she wanted to run a test and see what this hatch will be like, so she'll know for next year if she can ship in cold weather.

I haven't hatched quail yet, but I've hatched chicks. Have you tried chicks? Tori told me until I got the hang of hatching chicks to hold off trying to hatch quail! They are much more tricky, from what I've been told!

Not sure what I would do with a bunch of quail anyway LOLOL

 

[PamsPride]

I have done two batches of chicks with no problem and a batch of quail with no problem before...a couple of years ago. This time I have had NO luck with either! My temp as between 99 and 102 this time...never below or above. The humidity was 40% until hatch time then I got it up between 45-60%.
I know MY eggs are fertile. So. I have no idea why they didn't develop. I mailed some to NH and she got 6 out of 8 to hatch. I kept the incubators in my bathroom because the room temp stays pretty constant in there. The incubator this batch of quail was in was brand new and I had it set up and heating to stabilize the temp for over a week. The only thing I did different from my other hatches is I put them in egg cartons which people on BYC swear improves their hatch rate.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I never use the egg cartons!!!

Are you using paper or styrofoam egg cartons?

Here is why, the styrofoam ones can sweat, even if you cut the bottoms out, and drown them in the egg.

The paper ones can actually absorb the water out of your 'bator, and again, drown those babies! I found this one out the hard way last October when I drowned my kids science project eggs. We only got one to hatch out of 8! She's still out there, and thankfully was a hen!!

I am using an egg turner this time for my chicken eggs, we just bought them...but when I put them to hatch, I'm going to lay them on their side for 2 reasons, one I don't like the egg carton method, and 2, I feel laid on their side is more natural method.

Mama hens do not stand those eggs up pointy end down for the babies to hatch! and the other chicks bang the eggs around in the nest as they hatch...it's natures way!

Egg turner and incubators is as unnatural as I am willing to go! My ideal is to have broody hens hatch my peeps.

That's just my opinions and my experiences, though

 

[PamsPride]

Next time I am definetly going without the egg cartons because this is the first time I have ever used them and this is the worst hatches I have ever had. I was not even strict on the temp and humidity in my other hatches like I was these times and I had good hatches.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Next time I am definetly going without the egg cartons because this is the first time I have ever used them and this is the worst hatches I have ever had. I was not even strict on the temp and humidity in my other hatches like I was these times and I had good hatches.

I am never strict with humidity/temps! And this time I am even more relaxed about it than my first hatches...last hatches I didn't have a good hatch rate at all...this time around, the mutt eggs are 30/35...and still going strong! and that was WITH a power outtage on day 3!!!

I've not done a lot of handling of them since adding the egg turners on day 5, either. I candled day 7 and then on day 13, other than that, I've only opened the 'bator to add water when needed. My temps have dropped one to two degrees, and spiked to 100-101...I don't freak, just adjust the knob and walk away.

 

[PamsPride]

Another reason I love having boys...but, of course 4 yo DD is in on the action too. 9 yo is icked out so he is not in there.
I had 13 yo start opening the eggs...with So far they have opened 8 of them and only two out of the 11 had developed. 9 so far have been only yolks. The two that were developed are already dead. They are still opening them. I think they have 4 more to go.

ETA: They opened two more...they were develop and dead. (So, that is 4 D&D.)

Update: Final count....4 D&D, one still hanging on, and 10 yolks.

 

[keljonma]

All this talk of incubators makes me love my broody hen all the more!

 

[Okiemommy]

One of my cochin pullets started going broody right when she started laying. Problem was, she was laying them on top of the pine shavings bag, and they were falling off. I still have never achieved getting any of my 4 hens to lay in the next boxes DH built them

So we moved them Big mistake. She wouldn't set on them after that. Did I ruin her for good? Or was she just not a broody to begin with?

(If you feel like I'm hijacking PP, Please tell me and I will take this to a different thread. I thought it might be good info for all of us, so I went ahead and asked it on your thread)

 

[PamsPride]

Never had a broody hen so I have no idea. I always just used an incubator. I don't even know if any of my BJG's will go broody.