To successfuly hatch quail eggs, it is essential to manage the temperature and humidity within an incubator. Quail eggs require special care as quail embryos develops quickly within the eggs, and the embryos has specific needs throughout the incubation period. Place the quail eggs into the incubator with a pointed end of the egg facing downwards.
Turning the eggs every four to six hours will prevent the embryo’s yolk from sticking on the shell. If the yolk stick to the shell, the embryo within the quail egg wont be able to move in the shell, and if the embryo cannot move, it will not be able to hatch from the egg. Using a light source, perform candling around the seven day mark of incubation to determine which eggs have viable embryos within them.
How to Hatch Quail Eggs
At this mark, viable quail eggs will have a dark mass with web veins that looks like a spiderweb within the egg. Additionally, the air cell within the blunt end of the egg will be visible. If the egg is clear or has only a blood ring within the egg, remove the egg from the incubator.
Removing infertile eggs from the incubator will prevent the risk of the infertile eggs exploding, which could ruin the other eggs within the incubator. Managing the temperature and humidity within the incubator proper will determine the success of hatching the quail eggs from the shells. Use a forced air incubator and set the temperature to just under 100 degrees.
Maintain a moderate humidity level within the incubator for the first two weeks of incubation to allow the embryo to breathe. On day fourteen of incubation, increase the humidity within the incubator and stop to turn the eggs. Increasing the humidity within the incubator will soften the membrane within the shell, which will assist the embryo in pipping through the shell.
If the humidity in the incubator is too low, the shell membranes will dry out, and if the shell membranes dry out, the quail will become stuck inside the shell. Different species of quail requires different schedules within the incubation process. Coturnix quail take the fewest incubation days, while Bobwhite quail require twenty-three days of incubation.
You must follow the timeline for the species of quail that you are incubating. Once the chicks are out of the shells, you must leave the incubator closed for twelve hours. During this phase, the quail chicks will dry and absorb their yolk sacs.
After twelve hours, you must move the quail chicks to a brooder. The brooder should be at ninety-five degrees and have paper towels on the floor. Using paper towels in the brooder will prevent the chicks from developing spraddle leg.
Provide high protein crumble to the chicks, and begin to decrease the brooder temperature by five degrees every week until the quail is fully feathered and ready for the outdoors. If you find that there is a low hatch rate from your incubation process, you should investigate your breeding flock. Common issues with low hatch rates include the incubator being too hot or too dry.
Low hatch rates may also result from a lack of vitamin within the breeding hen flock. To even out this issue, feed the breeding hens layer pellets and oyster shells. If you provide the breeding hens with layer pellets, oyster shells, and greens, the fertility of the hens may increase.
Thus, managing the breeding hen diet is one way of ensuring that more eggs will be fertile.