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Incubation

How to incubate quail eggs:

Note: Before you put your eggs into the incubator, please allow them to sit for 12-24 hours to let them settle. Otherwise, your hatch rates will suffer!

You should also have your incubator set up to the correct degree (99.5* F) and the correct humidity (40%) a day before your eggs are supposed to arrive.

  1. Unpack eggs VERY carefully! If there are any broken/cracked ones, you can melt wax and repair them, or just pitch them.
  2. Load eggs into cartons, maybe the ones sent? *hint hint*, or into the auto turner's egg trays.
  3. Incubate at 99.5* and 40% RH for 14 days.
  4. On day 14, take eggs off the turner and put into cartons and elevate RH to 60%. You have just entered 'LOCKDOWN'.  Do not open the incubator, fiddle with the temperature, or breath too hard next to it.
    1. NOTE! Many people debate the use of cartons when hatching. They DO significantly increase your hatch rate! You can get at least 5-10 more chicks if you do this!
  5. Wait three days, then they will start to hatch!
    1. Do not open the incubator until ALL have hatched!
    2. Do not help them out of the shell! When they die in-shell, it means the chick was not strong enough to live, even if it had gotten out of its shell.
    3. 24 hours/Until all are dry, move them to the brooder!


BROODING: