How long will quail hatch?

[galaxie428]

I have hatched 3 batches of quail now and all have hatched about 4 days late. This last batch hatched even later than that and I still have some hatching. The first ones hatched 6 days late and I had 5 more at 7 days and looks to be a couple more trying to get out of their shell today at day 8. I am new to this but this doesn't seem normal. I just have one of those cheap little giant still air incubators and my temp stays around 99.5 pretty well. I do keep the eggs down in the basement for 14 days which stays around 60 give or take a couple of degrees while I collect enough eggs to incubate.

I know 60 is not optimal but I never had issues with the other hatches. Why are my chicks hatching so late? Is there going to be something wrong with them when they finally do? How many days do you give the eggs a chance to hatch after the hatch date.

I will add that I have only had 45 chicks hatch out of 70 eggs and my previous hatches have been much better than that. I think my last batch I had 68 out of 80 hatch.

Thanks for your help.
Jason

[NH/Pete]

What kind of quail?
Is the thermometer calibrated?

[slider]

Jason I do not think that you are doing anything wrong. In those small units you can never get things perfect and it is hard to in a big one. I have chicks hatch out 3 days after the hatch date at times and some in the same group hatch 2 days early..That is why I give them a couple of days after the biggest portion of them start hatching..I will say this..the ones that hatch real late you are more likely to have problems with them like bad feet and being able to walk.  In my last group of Valleys one little guy hatched 4 days before the hatch date and the rest hatched right on time....go figger...Good Luck to you!!!!1

[wildergamebirds]

  Are you turning the eggs, often during storage?  I consider three times per day  to be minimum.   Storing this long, at slightly higher temperatures would tend to make them hatch slightly early, if anything.

  Still air temperatures should be higher, this could be part of the problem.  Although this may not be as critical in small incubators.

  Another possibility, is the egg source.   Do NOT   use the chicks from these late hatching eggs as breeders.  By doing this, they will get later every generation.

  Eggs toward the end of the laying season, tend to produce slightly lower hatch rates.

[NH/Pete]

I agree with what the other guys are saying.
But.... I would still check the thermometer.
I use the Little Giant and the late hatch seems to be low temp.
Just my opinion. Good luck.

[galaxie428]

What kind of quail?

I always forget to mention that they are bob's. I am from the midwest and that is all I ever grew up hunting and all I really know so I guess I figure there are no other quail. I guess I figure you folks are so good that you can read my mind.

Is the thermometer calibrated?

No, it is the thermo that came with the incubator. I have a couple of them and usually put both in there to get my temps set and they both read pretty much the same thing.

Are you turning the eggs, often during storage?  I consider three times per day  to be minimum.

I have them in an automatic egg turner from day one. I got to be a bit time consuming so I bought an extra turner.

[wildergamebirds]

I have them in an automatic egg turner from day one. I got to be a bit time consuming so I bought an extra turner.

   Hey !!  You stole my idea.  I've actually thought of using them in an egg cooler, but they get pretty pricey, if you need a half dozen, or more.

[galaxie428]

Hey !!  You stole my idea.  I've actually thought of using them in an egg cooler, but they get pretty pricey, if you need a half dozen, or more.

Yeah, the get you for the turner and then the quail racks.

I only have two so even though my wife was not keen to the idea of buying two, it sure beats turning all of them by hand. I only incubate about 80 eggs at a time so I can't even imagine how you do all of yours. Do you hand rotate all of yours Wilder?

For your application of several hundred eggs, it probably wouldn't be that difficult to make your own turner probably for much less than you could buy all the equipment for. It would just take some time to build it.

[wildergamebirds]

  For one thing, I buy most of the eggs I incubate, most of the time.

  Any that I store for more than 36 hours (whether laid by my birds, or bought from others) are kept in the trays in which they will be incubated.  The Cooler, which is owned by a friend who raises chickens, has some of it's racks sloped, plus blocks at the back side.  The stacks of trays are picked up, placed on a table, turned 180 degrees, and placed back in the cooler.

  The only problem with this set up (other than the location) is that he gets to coveting the sloped racks, for his hatching eggs.  Not usually a big deal, since he has plenty of hens, and only one incubator.

  I have my eye on a 40'X100' chicken house, half way between us, that should make a good layer house, as well as brooder space.  That way, I won't have to go all the way to him, to feed the layers, only to put eggs in the cooler.

  I've also considered moving one incubator, to his place, or to another fellow, to free up some of my time.  If I was smart, I'd stop messing with hatching.  If I was really smart, I'd move to a place with lots of wild birds, and stop messing with pen raised birds, all together

[CharlieHorse]

I do not think that you are doing anything wrong. In those small units you can never get things perfect and it is hard to in a big one. I have chicks hatch out 3 days after the hatch date at times and some in the same group hatch 2 days early..That is why I give them a couple of days after the biggest portion of them start hatching..I will say this..the ones that hatch real late you are more likely to have problems with them like bad feet and being able to walk.  In my last group of Valleys one little guy hatched 4 days before the hatch date and the rest hatched right on time....go figger...

I totally agree with that........that's why I wished that I had started out with a cabinet style incubator. The small ones will hatch eggs, but the cabinets make a world of difference all the way around. 

Moving the thermometer location a little in any direction horizontally will usually change the reading in those incubators also, makes for a pain in hind end to get tuned in to a happy medium. I'll also rotated the eggs when I candled them to help try to even things out.

"If I was really smart,"

Admitting it is the first step.

I wouldn't be makin' any big plans any time soon on it getting any better if I where you.........Sorry. Someone had to tell ya.

 

[galaxie428]

Depending on how this year works out, I would like to invest in one of those Sportsman incubators or something like it. They sound like they work pretty well. Of course that will have to get "the bosses" approval. She seems to think I spend to much money on what she calls "toys". I call them necessities!

[mobe_45]

Galaxie,
I'm fairly new at incubating/hatching. But, the 99.5 is the temp I read both here and in the book that came with my hovabator for circulated air to hatch in 23 days. All three of my hatches have been 22-24 days. What I've read says still air like the little giant is to be 100.5-101.5 for days to be right. If this is wrong I hope one of the experts here correct me soon as I have some eggs in my sons little giant still air. Today is day 17 for them.

[wildergamebirds]

What I've read says still air like the little giant is to be 100.5-101.5 for days to be right. If this is wrong I hope one of the experts here correct me soon as I have some eggs in my sons little giant still air. Today is day 17 for them.

  Thanks, mobe, I thought I had mentioned that (or at least that is should be a degree, or so, higher.  Maybe that was in a different thread.  They say the memory is the second thing to go, or is it the third, I forget.

[mobe_45]

Got home an hour ago. Twelve of the fifteen fertile eggs in the still air incubator had hatched. From the looks they hatched about 15-30 minutes before I got home. All still quite damp and lying there resting. Two more are pipping. The last one not doing anything yet.
First time I used a still air bator. Was wondering when they'd hatch as the temp seemed to rise and fall 1-2 degrees every day between day and night. I think the little giant foam is a bit thin.