Incubating Quail Eggs Without An Incubator
I was sent a comment asking about how to incubate quail eggs without an incubator.
There are a number of options:
- Get the quail hens to hatch to sit and hatch the eggs.
- Use a broody hen to hatch the egg.
- Build your own incubator using recycled material.
“hi I would like to hatch my 16 japenese quail eggs from 3 of my 11 month hen quail and my 2 year old cock bird without an incubator any ideas and by the way you gotta cool site” Junior
Hi Junior,
Thanks for your complimentary comment and my site it is appreciated when I get feedback.
Thanks for your complimentary comment and my site it is appreciated when I get feedback.
You could try getting your three quail hens to sit on them. They can probably sit on 5 or 6 eggs. If you keep the eggs in the hut with them it encourages them to sit.
If that is not an option then finding someone with a broody hen, perhaps a silkie hen or a bantam who can sit on the eggs and would make a good mother.
You could also make your own incubator using a cardboard box, wood or a polystyrene box and a heat lamp and making your own wet bulb for the humidity.
Check out these links:
http://www.cyberquail.com/incubators.html
http://www.cornsnakefanclub.co.uk/incubator.html
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/eggs/res20-incubator.html
http://www.cyberquail.com/incubators.html
http://www.cornsnakefanclub.co.uk/incubator.html
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/eggs/res20-incubator.html
Hope this information is useful. Let me know how you get on.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends
If anyone has any handy hints and tips for hatching quail eggs without an incubator then please leave a comment.
one of the quail hens turns the eggs but never sits on them but why doesnt she sit
Comment by junior — July 30, 2008 @ 9:20 am
Hi Junior,
Thanks for dropping by and leaving another comment. I have tried emailing you but the email bounced back.
Quail are ground nesting birds and can be quiet and timid birds. it maybe that you need to create an environment for the quail hens to start sitting. I know that my guinea fowl will not sit on their eggs if they are in the hut but will when they free range outside.
I would create a corner of your hut or aviary where the quail hens can have some privacy. Create an environment like their natural habitat. I would place some branches up against the corner of the hut and then cover the branches with foliage to create a hdgerow type of environment. I would place sawdust or straw on the floor so that the hens can create a nest shape for their eggs.
I hope this information is useful.
Let me know how you get on.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends
Comment by Sara @ Farming Friends — July 30, 2008 @ 9:27 am
thank you
also my grand dad hatched 10 button quail but his quail were mother raised
thankyou for your help
Comment by junior — July 30, 2008 @ 11:19 am
what does a japenese quail natural habitat look like?
thanks
keep me posted
Comment by junior — July 30, 2008 @ 2:01 pm
sorry to bother you again but what plants could i put into my aviary as you know i got 4 quail but i also have 2 10 week old hens 50 odd finches 4 canarys 2 french partridges 2 diamond doves 2 java sparrows in aswell as them and 3 male guinea pigs should i separate the male and my hen most likely to be broody or will they be ok also my mothers friend says that japenese quail will only sit on her eggs if she was reared by other quail but the longest becky sat on her eggs was 12 hours i got her and the other 2 of a farm and some eggs most of the quail hatched and 1 out of 6 bantam eggs all of them died because they could not walk i’ve looked at your splayed leg issue and think it may have been that i’ve constructed a natrual habitat part and put 2 of there eggs in it becky my quail that sits 12 hours leaves the eggs but goes back every 6 hours to turn them seems quet interested but only time will tell
Comment by junior — July 30, 2008 @ 6:30 pm
Hi,
We had quails for some years though never hatched any. I am going to purchase some eggs to hatch. If i am successful in hatching them what do i do then? what do i feed them? do i house them the same as i did the adult quails? what age do they start to lay?
Thanx
Comment by Antonia — August 8, 2008 @ 2:28 pm
Hi Antonia,
Good luck with your quail egg hatching. If they are japanese quail eggs they will take about 17 days to hatch. http://www.farmingfriends.com/incubating-coturnix-japanese-quail/
When the eggs hatch they can be kept in the incubator for up to 24 hours and then they need to be moved to a brooder (box or bought brooder). The brooder should have litter http://www.farmingfriends.com/litter-suitable-for-brooders/ on the floor such as straw or corrugated cardboard that will stop the quail from slipping and getting splayed legs. http://www.farmingfriends.com/splayed-legs-in-quail/
The brooder should also have a heat lamp to keep the temperature warm. The temperature is reduced each week and by week 4 they can have the heat lamp off in the day.
When the chicks are first born they can eat chick crumbs and then when they are a few days or older they can have some shredded lettuce aswell.
Once the quail are older from 4-5 weeks they can start to eat layers pellets. They don’t necessarily need special quail food but a layers pellets suitable for indoor birds.
When I have newborn chicks I place marbles in the water drinker to stop the chicks from drowning in the water.
By week 4-5 the quail can be moved from the brooder to a more suitable housing. probably the same housing that you used for your adult quail.
It is amazing that quail start laying at about 6 weeks of age. http://www.farmingfriends.com/quail-chicks-development/
I hope this information is helpful.Let me know if you have anymore questions and let me know how your eggs get on.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends
Comment by Sara @ Farming Friends — August 9, 2008 @ 10:55 am
Thankyou for such a quick response.
I am very grateful for your advice and help and will certainly keep you posted on the success of my hatching.
Thanks once again.
Antonia
Comment by Antonia — August 9, 2008 @ 6:45 pm
Hi Antonia,
I am delighted that you have found the advice of use and I look forward to hearing all about your quail. Let me know if you have anymore questions.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends
Comment by Sara @ Farming Friends — August 10, 2008 @ 7:16 pm
Hi sara,
Just a quick query. If all the quail eggs havent hatched out by the 17th day how long do i leave them before you know they arent going to hatch, if you know what i mean?
Regards
Antonia
Comment by Antonia — August 22, 2008 @ 6:24 pm
Hi Antonia,
This is a good question. I would leave the eggs in the incubator for up to 10 days after the hatch date as lots of factors can affect the hatch. http://www.farmingfriends.com/reasons-for-eggs-hatching-late/
Hope this helps.
Let me know how you get on.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends
Comment by Sara @ Farming Friends — August 22, 2008 @ 8:07 pm
Hi Sara,
Well i hatched out 6 from my dozen eggs, they are cute little things. I made the incubator myself and am surprised that it actually worked, think i’ll move onto hens now. Thanks for all your help.
Regards
Antonia
Comment by Antonia — September 8, 2008 @ 12:12 pm
hi i have a question. i have two female button Quail and two male button quail. they are seperated into pairs so i get two eggs almost every day. i also have a female bantam and a female silky. im pretty sure they will sit on button quail eggs.i want to save the eggs my quail lay until i have about ten and then i want to give them to my chickens to sit on. how can i preserve the eggs until it is time for them to be incubated? by the way,this site has been very useful!
Comment by Rachel — September 27, 2008 @ 2:02 pm
Hi Rachael,
Thanks for visiting farmingfriends and leaving this comment and I am glad that you find the site useful.
It is important for eggs that are not to be incubated straight away to be stored correctly.
Cracked, poorly shaped, soiled, thin shelled, unusually large or unusually small eggs should not be kept for incubation.
Only select clean and undamaged eggs for incubation.
Eggs should not be washed.
Try not to handle the eggs too frequently.
When handling eggs make sure that hands are washed to avoid bacterial contamination.
Before incubation eggs can be stored for up to 7 days.
When storing eggs before incubating, make sure that they are kept at a constant temperature of 13-18 degrees Celsius or 55-65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Do not store the eggs at ordinary room temperature or in a refrigerator.
Avoid placing the eggs in a draft when in storage before incubation.
Store eggs with the small end facing down.
Try to keep the eggs at the correct humidity prior to incubation which is a humidity of 84-88% for quail.
Make sure the stored eggs are turned twice daily before they are incubated.
Keep the stored eggs in an egg carton and prop up one end at a 35 degree angle.
Hope this information helps. I have followed this information myself and had guinea fowl and quail eggs hatch out.
I have recently set up a forum with a section on quail. It is free to join and you can chat about your quail or ask questions and myself and other quail enthusiast are there to help. http://farmingfriends.com/forums/forum.php?id=4
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends
Comment by Sara @ Farming Friends — September 28, 2008 @ 8:31 am
thankyou for the info! it has beeen very useful! i was amazed at how quickly i got an answer!
Comment by Rachel — September 28, 2008 @ 1:52 pm
Hi Rachael,
I am delighted that you have found the info useful. keep us posted about your button quail. Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends
Comment by Sara @ Farming Friends — October 9, 2008 @ 4:37 pm
Hello, I wrote to you recently about my Quail disaster and i would like to write to you and all your readers about my most recent accomplishment. The first time we tried to hatch Quail we didn’t realize how precise things had to be, we had some left over Quail eggs that were in our aviary and we thought we would put them in and see what happened. 4 hatched and 4 died.
This made us very confused about what had happened, I decided to do lots of research before we decided to do it again. My research showed me that after the eggs have hatched the lose 2% nutrition A DAY! so if you leave them for quite a while and then put them in an incubator, The odd are they will hatch very weak or have problems with their toes and/or feet. (Like my first batch did) I learnt that you had to leave the eggs to get to room temperature before you put them in, and facing point down. I learnt you had to turn them 3 or more times a day and lots more. They are fascinating creatures and like things to be perfect.
If your not going to put the effort in then don’t try and hatch them!
My recent accomplishment was when i bought 12 Chinese painted quail eggs and 12 Japanese Quail eggs and tried to hatch them together, Remarkably they both started to hatch at 17 days together! I am now left with 7. 3 big ones (Japanese) and 4 small ones (Chinese) The hatch rate wasn’t good but then i did buy them off eBay! We checked the other eggs that were left by doing ‘The floating challenge’ - You put the eggs in hot-warm water and if they wriggle, then you got a live one, & If they sink, its Adulled. most of them were adulled apart from one small one and one big one, They were fully formed but both dead in their shell. Anyone know why this would be? Maybe a change in temperature from taking the other quails out of the incubator?
Apart from that, they seem fine, chirping and pecking and remarkably the little ones get on with the big ones! The only trouble is, the small ones think the big ones are their mum.
Comment by Jodie — October 30, 2008 @ 4:21 pm
Hi Jodie,
Thanks so much for posting your tips on incubating. Incubating is a very difficult thing to achieve the right conditions, I have been lucky with incubating quail eggs but have found incubating guinea fowl more difficult.
Congratulations on your hatch of quail. I think quail are lovely quiet yet friendly little birds with a lovely call and beautiful eggs with a creamy yolk.
I have found the information about the nutrition interesting and I have read that if quail have curled feet it is a lack of minerals (I think manganese) in the diet of the adult quail.
You asked why you get fully formed chicks in the shell and end up dead in their shell.
Eggs in an incubator can sometimes have fully formed chicks inside which do not hatch out. Possible reasons for this may include;
Improper storage of eggs whereby the eggs become too cold.
Eggs not turned correctly.
Temperature incorrect - too low or too high.
Humidity incorrect - too low throughout incubation.
Improper ventilation.
Infection or disease.
Poor diet or poorly conditioned breeding stock.
Here are some handy tips to help achieve successful hatching;
If keeping eggs prior to incubation then store in the correct conditions. http://www.farmingfriends.com/choosing-and-storing-eggs-before-incubation/
Turn eggs regularly prior to and during incubation (turn eggs at least 3-4 times a day and remember no egg turning in the final three days of incubation). http://www.farmingfriends.com/final-day-of-egg-rotation-for-different-species-of-birds-eggs/
Make sure eggs are stored and placed in the incubator with the small end facing down.
Regularly check the temperature in the incubator. http://www.farmingfriends.com/a-temperature-guide-for-different-species-of-birds-eggs-in-the-incubator/
Try to maintain the correct temperature in the incubator at all times.
Regularly check the humidity in the incubator. http://www.farmingfriends.com/humidity-levels-for-egg-incubation/
Try to maintain the correct humidity levels in the incubator at all time.
Note that the required temperature and humidity levels are not the same throughout the whole of the incubation period.
A wet bulb thermometer maybe a good purchase to help accurately measure the humidity and temperature levels in the incubator. http://www.farmingfriends.com/a-wet-bulb-thermometer/
Check that the incubator is working correctly and has a constant temperature throughout the whole of the incubator.
Make sure that there is ventilation in the incubator and incubation room, but avoiding drafts.
Check breeding stock are healthy and free of infection and disease.
Feed poultry on a healthy and balanced diet - commercial pellets usually provide the poultry with their dietary requirements and grass/green vegetables provide added vitamins and minerals.
Ensure that the incubator is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected prior to use.
I hope that you find this information useful. It sounds like you are really doing your research before you incubate.
Do you keep your quail in an aviary or a hut?
What do chinese painted quail look like?
I look forward to hearing more about your quail.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends
Comment by Sara @ Farming Friends — October 30, 2008 @ 4:55 pm