Incubating Bobwhites

[areadshaw]

I am a high school ag teacher and for one of my classes, Animal Nutrition & Reproduction, we are hatching and raising bobwhites. The eggs were donated from a local (and very reputable) partnership.

I set the eggs in an older little giant incubator with a new turner. There are 118 eggs altogether. The temperature has stayed relatively stable (at the recommended 98-99 degrees) and the humidity is usually 60%.

Problem is, it is currently day 22 and there is absolutely nothing happening. How much longer will I have to wait?

[JohnInDixon]

Should be soon.  None of it is exact...

http://www.gbwf.org/quail/quail_chart.html

Might help...

G'luck

John

[areadshaw]

Thanks John...it's hard to be patient yourself when over 100 students are not patiently waiting for these little buggers to hatch!

Abby

[aKirA]

Yea it should be around 23 days.

You can always candle them. Take a little flashlight and candel them. Should be able to see them moving etc. Good luck.

[CharlieHorse]

Let me guess...............day 23 is on the weekend?

[RedOakGamebirds]

Yes looks like you will be busy this weekend.  I have eggs getting ready to hatch now myself in the elementary schools but I set the hatch date for Monday night.  Bobwhites generally take 22-24 days give or take depending on your temperature.  If you notice pecks on the eggs then you will most likely have the hatch soon-probably Saturday.  If its an older model Little Giant and doesnt have a fan kit then 98 degrees is a little low.  Still air is around 100-101 degrees.  If thats the case your hatch may be off by a couple days.  Many books call for 103 degrees for still air but for an incubator with a fluctuating temp I'm always reluctant to go that high.  Good luck.

Larry

[areadshaw]

I was not at school yesterday, but had some students on "quail watch" with instructions to call me ASAP if they were hatching. No phone calls yesterday. This morning I came in to check on the eggs and I had 20 little buggers running around the incubator with a bunch more making their way into the world.

Thanks for all of the reassurances!

[JohnInDixon]

Congrats!  Start passing out the cigars!!!

[posilock]

i need guidance i have been only hatching cortinux but now i thought i give bobwhite a go! i bought a rcom incubator i put in 7 bob eggs and now im going on day 21 nothing yet! it always says 37 degrees celcious one problem i pushed the quail button on it and after 14 days it stopped turning eggs! this is fine for cortinux but will it screw up bobwhites? that they have not been turned in 7 days? bobwhites take longer to hatch so the machine treated them like cortnux will my bobs not hatch now?

[CharlieHorse]

i need guidance i have been only hatching cortinux but now i thought i give bobwhite a go! i bought a rcom incubator i put in 7 bob eggs and now im going on day 21 nothing yet! it always says 37 degrees celcious one problem i pushed the quail button on it and after 14 days it stopped turning eggs! this is fine for cortinux but will it screw up bobwhites? that they have not been turned in 7 days? bobwhites take longer to hatch so the machine treated them like cortnux will my bobs not hatch now?

How did it turn out?

[posilock]

one hatched out of seven eggs it only lived 2 days but i think it died of loneliness. other eggs were duds i am now waiting on button quail eggs to arrive!