1st hatch.....I jacked it up

[KAG]

I bought 120 coturnix eggs off of ebay from a seller with great feedback for my little giant w/turner. I read and re-read before I started. its been 15 days and decided to check them. So just to see I opened 3....just warm undeveloped eggs. So I opened 10 more, most the same others white paste like material inside. At this point with close to 10% checked and all not viable I have somehow really jacked it up.

So I guess I will get 120 more and this time spend the extra $$ and get a digital temp and hum to use. I do not think I got 120 bad eggs.....could have but I doubt it. I guess the lesson learned here is attention to detail.

SO honestly, how many of you have absolutely messed up an entire hatch? Oh well on to my 2nd hatch attempt.

[CharlieHorse]

I haven't messed up an entire hatch.   

Candling doesn't require breaking the eggs open and should be done 7-10 days on bobwhites, I'm not sure what the recommendation is on coturnix, someone may chime in with some experience with them.

[jchiar]

AHH----- ebay

[jimmurray3]

                                                             E-Bay     

[mobe_45]

don't wash the eggs
pointed end down?
what temp you got for the bator? 99.5f w/fan 100.5f w/o
How much humidity?
Don't open the bator unless you need to add water.
don't leave it where the sun shines on it directly- it will over heat the eggs.
allow the eggs to reach room temp before setting in the bator.- I set the eggs in the turner outside the bator first and wait til they reach room temp, then set whole thing in bator.
I turn the turner off at 15 days and my coturnix hatch on day 17 most times for me.
I can't see due to the colored shells so don't candle. I tried the first time and couldn't see anything.

[sam-e jo]

I agree with the colored shell thing. When I hatched my turckeys I didn't bother candling them. My quail I only take one or two out to candle b/c I don't like letting the heat and humidity out.

[KAG]

Since I am just starting this.... ebay is my source......I can tell it may not be a good source but I have not been doing this enough to know a good one from a bad one. I really did research each seller for the feedback comments on their eggs. I have been searching and found several websites offering eggs for sale but I figure they are close to the same as ebay except no way to leave feedback on them.

I did rest them prior. No washing. Loaded eggs pointed side down. Temp was right near 100f. Humidity is unk. I have read several places where some people do not add any water and achieve 85% or better hatch rate. I may try that next as maybe I had too much water in the incubator. I filled the rings in the bottom. 

I plan to change the location of the incubator to down in my walkout basement area, buy digital gauges, source eggs from several different places. Not add water this time. For me while totally jacking it up like a football bat is disappointing I am not up set over it and just plan to try again and see what happens.

With that said if it happens again.......I will let my wife do it after that from now on and then just blame her if it fails......Just kidding 

[CharlieHorse]

......I will let my wife do it after that from now on and then just blame her if it fails

     You can blame her anyway, no matter what..........she's bound to have disrupted the process in some manor.  Happens around here all the time with my wife.   

[sam-e jo]

Just keep trying intill you get it right, it's the only way to learn. I used to breed leopard geckos and it took a few times before I could get any to hatch and after I got a process worked out I had a 100% hatch every time or close to it.

[J Thompson]

i candle my jumbo browns about 5 days be for they hatch.....if you candle and cant see light through the egg except for the air sack at top of egg its going to hatch ...if you candle and the light lights up the whole egg toss it....i candle about 5 days befor they hatch just because its easier to tell and i can through the bad eggs out so i aint waiting on them to hatch....this is just my 2 cents    hope it helps

[sam-e jo]

You gave me a good idea, well I hope it's a good idea. When you said about not waiting for rottenones to hatch it made me think back to my last hatch were I waited and most of them were just rotten. I think with my chickens I am going to candle them as I am putting them in the hatcher, that way I don't put any rotten ones in the hatcher and I can just pitch them.

[KAG]

Well the 2nd attempt is slotted to start hatching, I use the word loosely, on Monday. So we will see. I just got my 3rd batch of 120 eggs and they will be going in the 2nd incubator in the am. I have been watching for a good egg supplier but I am still ebaying it as of now. I need another 120 for next week.

[jimmurray3]

Kag, When you say you filled the rings in the bottom of the incubator does that mean you filled  all of them you should fill only 1 slot in the bottom while incubating. Then when it is time to take them out of the turner and lay them on the wire to hatch fill 2 slots with water try this an see if it helps. once they are put on the wire to hatch do not open the incubator.  Jim

[KAG]

Kag, When you say you filled the rings in the bottom of the incubator does that mean you filled  all of them you should fill only 1 slot in the bottom while incubating. Then when it is time to take them out of the turner and lay them on the wire to hatch fill 2 slots with water try this an see if it helps. once they are put on the wire to hatch do not open the incubator.  Jim

Well I guess that would explain why the first hatch completely failed......

The 2nd attempt I did not put any water in it at all.

[jimmurray3]

Kag, You need to fill 1 slot with water they have got to have moisture.  Jim