Hatching Coturnix Quail Eggs.

We are in the most difficult phase of incubation. Waiting! Today is Monday, and it’s day 15 of our current incubation. Thursday is hatch day! So far it’s been wait and do absolutely nothing. The eggs sit in the “Little Giant” brand circulated air incubator for the first 15 days, without interruption.

We chose the circulated air incubator, as it moves the air around to prevent hotspots and cold spots. So far it has been a great success for us, we’ve been able to have good success with about a 65-75% hatch rate. We recommend it as a great choice for your first time hatching eggs!

The automatic egg Turner, also made by “Little Giant” is a wonderful addition. It means you don’t have to move the eggs by hand. Since you don’t have to open the top of the incubator, the heat levels stay more stable. The egg turner is designed for chicken eggs, so you will need to purchase “quail rails“ which swap out with the chicken egg holders.

it’s typically necessary to rotate the eggs several times a day. Rotating the eggs can increase your chances of a good hatch. Studies online report showing a 10% reduction in hatch rates among eggs that are not rotated. Don’t worry if you don’t see any movement in your egg Turner. You will not be able to see the egg Turner rotate. It moves so slowly. If you really want to see it, I’ve had good success by leaving my phone camera set for “time lapse”.

Now it’s finally time for egg lockdown!

Tonight is “Lockdown” it’s preparation for hatch day. The egg turner will be removed from the incubator and the eggs placed on their side, back in the bottom of the incubator. Then the waiting begins again! Thursday will be hatch day, day 18. But we generally expect to see a hatch or two the night of day 17. They hold to a pretty strict schedule!

Be sure to leave the hatchlings in your incubator for a minimum of 24 hours after the first check hatches. I like to wait 48 hours to keep the humidity and heat stable for the remaining eggs. Don’t worry, they can still get plenty of food and water by picking up the eggshells that they just hatched out of. They’ll be fine. This will give them time to dry out before moving them into your brooder. And of course, don’t forget. They’ll need to be in the brooder for a minimum of three weeks so they have time to grow their adult feathers, before being moved to a cage or aviary.

I have found that the warming plate gives much more success, and is much safer than a heating lamp. My chicks seem to be much more content, as the heat is more even. I always struggled with having it at the right distance. They would get cold and start crying. So then I would move it closer and they would get too hot and begin to get lethargic. But the warming plate allows for a distribution of heat.