That Quail Place Forum
Production and Business => Gamebird Business Aspects => Topic started by: bluemoose on June 19, 2009, 09:08:41 PM
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This is our first year incubating gamebirds. We have a homemade incubator built in the style of a GQF incubator. We ordered eggs from a local bird raiser and he told me to incubate the pheasants, chukar, and quail all together. He told me to quit turning the eggs at 19 days for a 21 day hatch. Research on the internet told differently. I would like to know if it hurt the eggs to quit the turning process two days too early.
Our hatch rate was not quite what we expected. We would like to incubate more eggs to get our bird numbers up, but we want to know if the fertitlity rate for eggs is very good this late in the season? Could anyone give us some advice? Thank you!
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Bluemoose, I see a problem right off the bat; Pheasant, Chukar and Bobwhite Quail hatch in 23 to 24 days. Not 21. Normally you will take the eggs off turner 3 days before the hatch date. This gives the chicks time to set up for pipping. I assume you know what pipping is.
If you set the eggs for a hatch too early the chicks will not be strong enough to break out. If you do this to late the chicks will have expended their energy from the yolk and give up. In my opinion, you are better off taking the eggs off turner a day early than a day late.
I hatch Japanese Quail and Pheasants IN the turner all day long. They pop open whenever they seem fit to do it! I hope this helps, Ghost.
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Its not late in the season here in the U.S. and you are going to have to do alot of reading and alot of hatching to get good at it. Hatching eggs is an art and your just going to get some time behind you and ask away on here but do alot of reading before you ask the basic questions...Good Luck, but you make your own...
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Slider .Is right, Keep try ,Its not to late
Don't give up ,,Hatch as many as you can ,And do lots of reading
,,Jay