Consistency is an factor that determines if your bobwhite quail eggs will successfully hatch from the eggs. Consistency is the most importance factor for bobwhite quail hatching. Even if you have the best eggs and even if you have set up your incubator in the most best way possible, if the temperature of the incubator drift from the set temperature or if the humidity within the incubator fluctuate, the eggs will not hatch.
For many peoples who experience problems with their bobwhite eggs not hatching, the issue is not with the quality of the eggs, but instead in the fact that the conditions for incubation were not correct. The incubation period for bobwhite quail eggs is between twenty-three and twenty-four day, which is longer than the incubation period for other species of quail. Because the incubation period is longer, there is a greater chance for problems with incubation if the conditions is not correct.
How to Care for Bobwhite Quail Eggs in an Incubator
During the first few days of incubation, the embryo develop within the egg, but you must turn it regularly to ensure that it does not become stuck against the shell membrane. During the middle portion of incubation, the embryo develops quick and the air cell in the egg expands. During the last few days of incubation, the embryo utilizes the yolk sac for nutrient and begins to pip the shell membrane to eventually emerge from the shell.
During each of these stages, the same settings should be used within the incubator. Temperature is the factor that cause the most problems in incubating bobwhite eggs. The forced air incubator must maintain a specific temperature range for the first twenty-one days of incubation.
During those same days, the still-air incubator must be set to a more higher temperature than the forced air incubator, since still-air incubators do not have the same even distribution of air as forced-air incubators. Because bobwhite eggs are small, they tend to lose heat at a higher rate then larger eggs. Thus, it is important to monitor the temperature of the incubator at the same level as the eggs, as the display that is set up for the incubator may not reflect the temperature at the level of the eggs.
Humidity is also an important factor to consider in the incubation period of bobwhite eggs. During the early portion of incubation, it is important to maintain the humidity within a middle range, so the eggs do not lose too much moisture. However, during the lockdown period, it is important to increase the humidity of the incubator, so that the membrane surrounding the embryo remain flexible so that the chicks is able to pip the membrane and emerge from the egg shell.
It is also important to turn the eggs several times each day. An automatic turner will turn the eggs for you, but if you are manually turning the eggs, you should use an odd number of turn each day to ensure that the embryo does not remain in the same position in the shell each night. After the eggs reach the lockdown period, you should stop turning them.
Additionally, you should increase the humidity in which the eggs are placed during the lockdown period. During this time, you should not open the incubator to inspect the eggs, as this may lead to a drop in both the humidity and the temperature within the incubator. Most chicks will be fine if you do not open the incubator, so leave the chicks alone within the incubator.
Candling the eggs allows you to observe what is occurring within the incubating eggs. At day seven of incubation, if the eggs are fertile there should be a network of blood vessel visible within the egg; if not, the eggs will remain clear. By day fourteen of incubation, the embryo has grown and should fill more of the egg; movement within the egg can be seen.
Any eggs that remain clear, or that only have a bright ring of blood vessels, will not hatch on their own; it is best to remove these eggs so that the other eggs may have the bestest chance of hatching. Because the shells of bobwhite eggs are speckled, you should use a bright light within the incubator and candle the eggs within a darkened room. Many problems with the chicks after they have hatched were caused during the incubation period.
For example, either too low humidity level during incubation, or the humidity dropping too soon during the lockdown period caused sticky chicks. Similarly, there may be early deaths of chicks due to temperature spike within the incubator, or due to the eggs existing within the flock for too long prior to beginning the incubation period. Additionally, some chicks may have legs that is splayed when they emerge from their shells due to issues with the floor of the brooder pen in which the chicks will be placed, or due to potential nutrition issue within the parent flock.
It is important to keep a log of the humidity and the temperature within the incubator at least twice a day so that you can prepare for and prevent these problems in the future. The final period within incubation is difficult to manage once the chicks have begun to hatch from their shells. After the chicks have pipped into the air cell within the shell, they will pip the shell completely and eventually emerge from their shells over a period of several hours.
During this time, you should leave the chicks within the incubator until they are completely dry. Once you move the chicks to the brooder where they will reside after they have hatched, you should begin with high temperature within the brooder, and then lower the temperature each week after the chicks begin to grow. The same attention to detail required during the incubation period is required to care for the chicks once they have hatched and entered the brooding period.