How to Improve Your Hatch Rate Part 2: Preparing Eggs for Incubation

In this video I discuss how to improve your hatch rate by properly preparing your eggs for incubation.
This is the second video in my "How to Improve Your Hatch Rate" series with two more videos to go. Please let me know if you have questions that you would like to have answered in a future video.

[@squeek7658]

I love this! I hatch chicks out every week, quails, chickens and guinea fowl. Was starting to loose hope as one of my weeks I got 2 out of 24 eggs hatch. Since using this process I am now getting upwards of 90% hatch rate 👍. Great info 😊 Squeek the Aussie 😁

[@Slightlyrednecked]

awesome. Thanks so much for the kind comments and so glad that things are working well for you.

[@DM-gz7ue]

I have ordered the incubator you recommended, and the eggs are coming from Kansas City QF. I would have never known about a float test or spraying them 2x without watching your videos. Learning so much. Thank you for doing what you do. Subscribed.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for watching. I am so glad that you find my videos helpful. Good luck on your upcoming hatch.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

NY Tigress I am unable to respond to your comment for some reason (youtube glitch of some kind). didn't want you to think I was ignoring you though. Thanks for watching and for commenting. I am glad you found it useful.

[@chadkarels3981]

I find your videos very useful and have learned a lot. This is my first time of having quail. I had three given to me. Two females and one male

[@jessicasamra8037]

So excited I just got all of my incubator kit put together and I am going to be float testing and spraying them today to go into the incubator 😍

[@timetime6937]

How did it go?

[@Elainaria]

Soaking in the water doesn't remove the protective barrier? You are my go-to person for advice. Love your videos and learn so much from them!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

no. If you scrub them it will for sure but just float testing wont. Thanks for the kind comments by the way

[@JasmineCherie]

I was wondering the same :)

[@honestyfaithful]

Slightly Rednecked thank you Chris I was wondering this as well...... I do appreciate all of your videos you have taught me quite a lot. Have a blessed day 🌻🐝🌻

[@triop_king6815]

The reason I subscribed is because if you ask a question in the comments is because he will reply in less than 5 hours if you have a question thank you Well maybe more then 5 hours he will try to answer ASAP if you have a question You should probably visit the weekly live if you have a question

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Well, I do my best to reply to all comments but it isn't always that quick. Thank you for subscribing though and hope you can be patient when I am too busy to respond quickly. :)

[@ceciliashevlin1152]

This is great information, thank you! I just tried hatching California Valley Quail. I received 40 hatching eggs, put 7 under a broody silkie and and 34 in my incubator. Two hatched the day before Easter and 10 more hatched Easter Sunday. pure luck, not planned. Two more hatched the following day. I found 4 dead babies near the silkie so I think she killed them. I ended up losing all but 5 healthy chicks. It is heartbreaking, and I may not have tried again but I had already pre-ordered 30 hatching eggs that are due to hatch out next week, I hope I have better luck this time. I am so glad I watched your videos, I will try your techniques next time. Thank you again!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for the kind comments. I am sorry to hear about the poor results but I am sure you will see much better results on the next hatch. Good luck.

[@RejuvenateYourHealth]

Wonderful information and great video! Attempting my first hatch today. Glad to see you are using the same styrofoam incubator I have, so info is most relevant to my situation. Hubby did purchase the turner so I'm relieved. He's also planning to add a computer fan to circulate air. I did not put my eggs into cartons immediately, but they have been indoors and less than 7 days old. Will float test, sanitize and then praying for good results. God bless!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks for watching and glad you liked the video. Good luck with your upcoming hatch.

[@punkyroo]

This is some great advice. I'm not currently hatching my own eggs, but next spring I will be attempting to hatch A LOT. :) So I appreciate this series of videos on the topic.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks for the kind comments and glad you are finding the videos useful. I would have the third part of this series posted already but my incubator went out on me so it will be out soon.

[@punkyroo]

Looking forward to it and future videos. I subbed. Keep up the great work!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks so much. I appreciate that.

[@rickyf8808]

Love how you ended the video!! Good stuff man. Keep making awesome videos. I’m in the process of building my first quail cages. Love your videos

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for the kind comments. I am glad you liked the video.

[@Touchofaweepingangel]

Thank you for this!! I've been having problems with my chicks getting stuck in their eggs. I feel like quail eggs dehydrate a lot faster than chicken eggs!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Hey there, thanks for watching another video and for commenting again. :) I have an incubation video coming up soon (as long as all goes well, came home to a breaker out today but I think still ok). Got another week and a half before they hatch though.

[@brunocarolyn6669]

Can I use the same procedure with chicken eggs. Your channel is so informative thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Yes. This works for all poultry eggs. Thank you for watching my videos, I am so glad that you find them helpful.

[@tropicallivingoverseas5202]

Fantastic information. Can't wait to try it. My hatch rates have been dropping.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Let me know how it goes and if you have any questions. Thanks for watching.

[@nytigress5098]

I learned something new =) thank you!

[@shean7890]

Thank you 🙏, excellent teaching, obviously born out of experience, joy to watch, and I wish to do this as a small business just enough to make a reasonable income, like being able to sell 300 adult quails every week to a customer who can purchase from me all in bulk.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

So glad you found the video helpful. Best of luck on your upcoming hatches. Wish I had someone that would buy from me on a regular basis.

[@machinegreen1911]

There ya go, teaching me something again. Thanks Chris

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you for watching. I am glad you found it helpful.

[@cleverkimscurios3783]

We finally got quail! They're about 4 weeks so I'm hoping by the time they're acclimated to living here, they'll also be old enough to start laying. Couple things- do you dechlorinate the water before soaking them? And if you don't have a video on setting up the incubator/how long to run it before actually using it (or whatever it is that people do to test temps), I'd love to see that in the series.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

lol. I am litterally working on that video as I type this. I should have it up tomorrow or the next day (Boy Scouts tomorrow so may be crunched for time). Good timing. I don't dechlorinate the water. Probably not a bad idea to do that. Definitely won't hurt. It doesn't seem to cause a problem with my eggs though.

[@bri0013]

Great video man. Never done the float test. I thought that if they were submerged for longer than a minute that the embryos would suffocate.

[@aftabbashir3586]

I am new in hatching quail eggs and this video really helped, thx

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Awesome. I am glad to hear that you found it helpful. Thanks for watching.

[@RabbitryGirl123]

Great video I can't wait to get my incubator tomorrow I actually have a lot of eggs I will try this method and let's see how many eggs hatch!! Thanks for sharing

[@RabbitryGirl123]

Do you use warm or cold water??

[@Slightlyrednecked]

room temperature water. I let the eggs and the water sit on the counter next to each other for several hours so they are about the same temperature. I hope that helps. Keep me updated on your hatch rate. I have eggs i just set yesterday and will have a new video on the incubation process out in about 20 days (when they hatch). Good luck on your hatch.

[@RabbitryGirl123]

+Slightly Rednecked thank you

[@Slightlyrednecked]

no problem.

[@McDowallManor]

Great info. Thanks for sharing!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks for watching. Glad you liked it.

[@honestyfaithful]

Good series Chris. Blessings

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much. I am so glad you are finding them helpful.

[@darkshaman7087]

If eggs have been put in water it will take the natural bloom coating off then bacteria could penetrate the pours of shell killing chick, also when eggs are in incubator then you only hydrate eggs by adding water to incubator

[@XxRoFuSxX151]

Exactly... I do not ever even sterilize my eggs... I use a syringe to place water... one tray one vent from day 0-17 3 trays no vents day 18-22 clean and repeat... water shouldn't touch chicken or Quall eggs like that even a duck egg 🤔

[@XxRoFuSxX151]

Let alone any sterilization liquid... mother hens don't have this

[@brianguichet4047]

They have done studies on the sterilization liquid and it increases hatch rate

[@gardenerjei]

All the same steps for duck and chicken eggs? I'm really enjoying your hatching series.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Yup. Pretty much. They incubate for different lengths of time but the steps are the same. Thanks for watching. I am glad you are enjoying the videos.

[@emmaopedal8262]

Thanks for the advices 😊 But we don't have that kind of antibacteria mouthwash in Norway, so if you could give som other examples, it would be great! And thanks for everything! I've learned a lot about keeping quails trough this channel. Keep up the good work 😊😊

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for the kind comments. I have heard of people using hydrogen peroxide with similar results. You can try that, it should work just fine.

[@MatthewMarshall-i5v]

How do you set the thermostat

[@adrianavalos4861]

Great info thanks 🙏🏼

[@SeragElayouby]

Hi you said in the other video you cannot use the water to wash it but when you do the test it's almost like a washing

[@carloxx8]

I think he meant scrubbing the egg while washing it

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am sorry for the confusion. Juan Nicolas Hernandez is right. You shouldn't scrub the eggs but submerging them in water is fine to do.

[@tiffanygarrison-dunn8487]

Thank you for asking this and thanks to the vlogger for answering, I was wondering this as well! :)

[@rickieslider3925]

Another great video thanks

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks for watching. I am glad you are finding them helpful.

[@jbmaxwell6547]

I forgot the water test before incubating the first time but will definately use this tip from here on

[@reneebrown2968]

Should i do this with eggs shipped to me??

[@shahrozmoin1657]

Your my best you tuber I liked and also subbed

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks again. ;)

[@ImASurvivorNThriver]

Great tips! Thanks for sharing. :-)

[@Slightlyrednecked]

thanks. Glad you liked it. :)

[@triop_king6815]

I just bought some quail eggs on eBay and I did the float test and all of them laid on their side and then I light candle them some you could see through very few

[@bobcole3852]

This popped up today. You never mention float test in Livestream. You still do this?

[@daphnepng5873]

I should have watched your video before putting my eggs in the incubator! This is very helpful. This is Day 0. Fertilized bantam chicken eggs were delivered this morning. I left them out for about 3 hours to warm to room temp, then set them in the incubator. I saw another video that says the eggs should have been put aside for 18-24 hours before setting (which I didn't do). Do you know the significance of putting the eggs aside for almost 24 hours before setting? Also, is it too late to do the water test?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

The practice of letting the eggs sit for 24 hours or more before incubating is to let them settle. I wouldn't worry about it too much. It is a best practice but I am sure your eggs will be fine. It is too late though to take them out and float test them. But that is ok too. I am sure you will do just fine with your hatch.

[@daphnepng5873]

@@Slightlyrednecked Thanks for the reassurance, and thank you for the informative videos! Kudos!

[@nancypetty6590]

I had someone tell me your not suppose to get your eggs wet .I am new to this I been hatching loosing more then I hatch..I get the first video I watch how you spoke of how to kill germs on the eggs.i enjoy videos.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I have heard that too. What it really comes down to though is you don't want to scrub the eggs or wash them because that washes off the protective coating that they have and can lead to bacterial issues. Just getting them wet doesn't do that and spraying them with the Listerine mixture kills the bacteria. Good luck on your upcoming hatches. Hope they go well.

[@annaschroeder1538]

I will be setting duck eggs ,but they are quite dirty ,how should I clean them ?

[@joshbeaupre6996]

What’s the alcohol percentage in your listerin that you use on the bottle? I’m thinking I could just dilute a solution of rubbing alcohol down to the same percentage that you use in your 50/50 blend. Cheers!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am not sure but you don't need to make it that complicated. You can dilute alcohol down to 50/50 water as well and use it. Or even Hydrogen Peroxide for that matter.

[@MrKjet256]

Hi, what is your success rate?

[@abeliever1843]

Thank you for this... But how old are these eggs? When they are 10 days old the float test is completely different as they are ment to float and move? So when to do what, should I trust them to float or sink at 10 days old?

[@elenakurus2010]

Thank you

[@camchau7850]

In your first video, you mentioned not to wash the egg with water because they have a protective coat. Doesn't soaking in water wash the protective coat away as well?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Good question. I should halve clarified that in the video. Unless you are scrubbing the eggs, it doesn't really hurt them to submerge them in water. Sorry for the confusion.

[@AwakenOhSleeperGaming]

I’m new to I’m incubating and heard that if they even get wet by rain water they’re no good? So confused! 😞

[@tamifasgold3794]

Do you know if I can apply your ideas on quail eggs to turkey eggs? Appreciate your videos, my quail hatch rate improved tremendously because of following your direction.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Yes..the same process works on pretty much all bird eggs. Just a longer incubation time.

[@tkn1715]

Hi Chris, floating the eggs and adding water to the incubator..should this be distilled water, I have a well..so not chlorinated, Thanks so much for you detailed videos.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

It doesn't need to be distilled water. I use just regular tap water (and it is chlorinated) and it works just fine.

[@paraskevipolychronaki8102]

Hi Chris, could you please advice me how can I clean my eggs from the sand bath :) of their mothers before I put then in the incubator? Many egg has sand stuck on their shells but I hesitate how to clean them...

[@Steve-ps6qw]

Such a great video. How did you come up with the listerine/water mix? Do you recommend buying eggs or day old chicks?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

It is an old trick. I am not sure who to give credit to for teaching it to me. As far as eggs or chicks, it depends. If you can get them locally chicks are a good way to start but if you have to ship go with eggs.

[@dunestaniszewski2300]

Also depend on how much money you want to spend... hatching eggs and incubators are usually expensive, while chicks are usually really cheap. But, if you get baby chicks shipped, you take the risk of having some quail die.

[@amiestark9850]

I don't have gold Listerine will blue Listerine work

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am not sure honestly. You can use just regular old rubbing alcohol or even peroxide instead though. Just dilute them down to about 50% with water.

[@raymccarty4612]

It would probably make them look like a celadon egg with spots.

[@angelawood9610]

Won’t that wash the protective coat off.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Not as long as you don't scrub them.

[@ganstahazzardoggangstahazz1406]

is this the same for chicken eggs?

[@sosbazillionaire6343]

Thank you for the knowledge shared. Really insightful and easy to understand. But I want to ask a question. What hatch rate did you get after doing the floating test and disinfecting your eggs?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

This video is pretty old and I don't remember exactly. But I pretty regularly get 80% or better hatch rates.

[@sosbazillionaire6343]

@@Slightlyrednecked oo okay. Thank you.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

No problem.

[@hillybeaner9689]

I read online that floaters do so because bacteria inside them gives off gases which make them float more than just their normal amount of air. Have you marked the partial floaters that you allow to rehydrate just to check the hatch rate on those? I'm always willing to learn something new and hopefully the article I read was wrong?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Well, there is some truth in that probably but it is not an absolute. Eggs have an air sack in them that grows as the egg loses moisture. It can be caused by bacteria but even without bacteria the air sack will grow. I have had good results using the method described in this video and haven't ever had any problems with bad hatches as a result. I know that isn't a definitive answer but I hope that helps a little.

[@therrienmichael08]

Saw this one just in time. My eggs are at the post office.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Awesome. Good luck.

[@hdhdbbandd1278]

When do you do this

[@salemthorup9536]

How important is the listerine spray? We definitely don't keep listerine on hand. Or any of that kind of mouth wash. We use a mineral and colloidal silver mouthwash.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

You can skip that step if you want. You can also use diluted rubbing alcohol or diluted hydrogen peroxide.

[@ShannaMScott]

If I float test and rehydrate any of my eggs and they've air dried is there a time span that they should go into the incubator? Or can I do this step one afternoon and incubate the next morning?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Your plan would work fine. They don't really have a specific time frame that they have to go into the incubator. Hope that helps.

[@ShannaMScott]

Thanks! I love your videos! #strongwork

[@dustinbruner8189]

What is the temperature of the incubator while you are in lock down? thank you

[@RedPillDosage]

Does this also apply to chicken eggs? I apologize if this question has already been asked.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

no need to apologize. It is a valid question. It applies to pretty much all poultry eggs. :)

[@johnrosson5627]

I spray them with the 50/50 mixture like you said. I have 80 eggs in the incubator and there are on day 18 and none have hatched do you think I did something wrong. I know it can take up to 21 days but not usually.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

hard to say but day 18 is nothing to panic about. Be patient and wait. If they start hatching late it is an indicator that your incubator may be running a little on the cool side. I would expect them to start pipping today or tomorrow though. Chances are you will wake up to birds chirping in the incubator. Good luck.

[@ganstahazzardoggangstahazz1406]

can i use any kind of listerene? or just the OG flavor?

[@monicamalan3802]

thanks for the cool video. been having a low hatch rate. worse on my chikens then quils tho. this method can it be used on chicken,geani fowls and duck eggs to?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks for watching. This can be used with any type of poultry egg and should help to increase your hatch rate. I hope you have better luck going forward.

[@monicamalan3802]

+Slightly Rednecked my fist batch hatched 3 days ago. out of 60 only 3 hatched😣this is the one with this method i dont thinkbits the problem think there something wrong with my incubator

[@abrahamvalencia6896]

About how many times do yo need to turn the incubating chicken eggs every day?

[@holliekeenan8453]

Would a float test be beneficial to do for mail order eggs? After sitting 24hrs after arriving? As soon as arrived? Does it add some needed moisture? Or does it simply just test if good to incubate?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

It is a good practice to do with any eggs. For shipped eggs I would do it as soon as they arrive.

[@aqsakanwal3719]

2 quails egg heated by the bird dove from before 25 days may i hatched by own or not kindly guide please and sorry for my poor english

[@keving6298]

Aqsa Kanwal it is 👍

[@user-ov4lf7ng6p]

Do you always do a float test?

[@jeromeroberts7538]

Hi Chris, I’m a big fan! Can I ask. If the eggs float. Does that mean they aren’t fertile? Or are they just duds?

[@jackgaming5360]

Jerome Roberts yes

[@birddogone9716]

When you say discard eggs that float. Do you mean throw them away or can you still use them for cooking?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

toss them out. Floating eggs aren't fresh. You could eat them if you wanted to i guess but I don't.

[@mannesenrafaelromero2578]

Hello mate is this will work too for pigeon eggs? Thanks.

[@ordinarymanggo6971]

If the eggs float to the top can you keep them to eat?

[@matilyn7329]

Probably not because usually when they float they are rotten

[@irinab7524]

@@matilyn7329 I ate such eggs - they are not rotten

[@matilyn7329]

@@irinab7524 they are because whenever you incubate them they go rotten and you cannot eat them

[@irinab7524]

@@matilyn7329 well, I didn’t incubate them - just made an omelette from them. They were good

[@matilyn7329]

@@irinab7524 yeah as long as you don’t incubate them lol

[@AnneGoggansQHHT]

What ratio of males to females do you suggest?

[@faizanhayat708]

3 Females and 1 Male

[@douglasdishroon1834]

I have 8 roos and place them with 4 hens each. I tried the roos with 3 hens and the roos wouldn't leave the hens alone. I have a 95% hatch rate.

[@mohamedelbasha829]

can i use Dettol in stand of this antiseptic

[@loscaberniculas2816]

24 eggs in today have my humidity at 50 temp 99.5 on 2 thermostats. I dont have egg turner how do i turn eggs without messing much with temperture and whst day do i start lock down

[@Slightlyrednecked]

To turn them manually, you can just open the incubator and roll your hand over the top of the eggs to turn them and then close it back up. You can also tilt your incubator slightly on one end and then just tilt it the other way slightly to "turn" the eggs. Lockdown should be on day 15. Good luck with your hatch.

[@benlilley7774]

Am I correct in assuming that it would be too late to eat the discard eggs from this process? Just got our first 2 eggs today!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

It wouldn't be too late necessarily but the eggs probably wouldn't taste very good. As a general rule of thumb, i throw out all eggs that float.

[@1safeplanet785]

Great Video with advise from the expert. My quail eggs are coming tomorrow in the mail a day late due to the post office closing today and its got really cold. Figures with my luck. I got twenty jumbo brown and twenty Texas A & M. Would a diluted solution of Hydrogen Peroxide work as well as the Listerine? I am not sure but I imagine that is the bacteria killing ingredient in Listerine. I am asking because I have that on hand. Also how long do the eggs have to rest after you receive them in the mail. I've heard 12 hours but that seems a long time for the eggs to get to room temperature. I am assuming I should turn them every couple of hours. Don't know if I will get chicks this time around but I will get some experience with my new incubator and see how that works.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks so much for the kind comments. Yes, hydrogen peroxide should work just fine. As far as how long to let them sit, I like to give them 12 to 24 hours. It isn't as much about getting to room temp (although that is part of it) but also about letting them settle. You only need to turn them once or twice a day though so no worry about that part of it. Good luck on your hatch. I am betting you will get at least some to hatch out.

[@1safeplanet785]

Thank you so much for your quick reply. My eggs arrived before 8:00 am this morning. Good thing I saw the mailman leave them at the side door. He never rang the doorbell to let me know he left them. I will let you know if any hatch. They all look good. I am encouraged.

[@exotickeeper4181]

@@1safeplanet785 howd you fair?

[@1safeplanet785]

@@exotickeeper4181 I ended up getting 11 hatched, two started to develop but died early on, 7 were fully formed and never pipped and the rest were sterile. So not so good. But I am very pleased with the birds that did hatch. I have 4 A&M 5 Jumbo Brown, 1 cinnamon and a tibetan. Those last two were probably in the extra eggs I was sent. My incubator proved to be a problem. I have a Rite Farm 3600 and the temperature is way off on it I've now realized up to 2 degrees. I am going to purchase a scientific thermometer because the digital thermometers are all reading different. I also didn't like the way you have to add water to it which was very inconvenient. So I drilled a hole in the side of it and placed clear tubing and siliconed it to the bottom well so now I won't have to open the incubator to add water. I ordered a hovobator with circulating fan and incuturn egg turner which seems to be a good idea but I will have to test it out before I try hatching anymore eggs. It came with two thermometers, one digital and one standard. Its a learning experience. Thanks for asking.

[@tulipsmoran5197]

@@1safeplanet785 I've experienced some bad luck with hatch eggs and USPS. So what I do now is call the USPS a couple days BEFORE the eggs are to arrive and indicate I'll come pick them up. The now call me 6-7 a.m. to let me know and I'm down there within an hour or two.

[@rugerguy8190]

Is the shaking the water off after you check for floating damage any of the eggs?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

no. As long as you don't shake them to vigorously.

[@B2Hives]

A new use for Listerine, developed as a floor cleaner, did not sell well, Then sold as mouth wash success, and now an egg disinfectant. Good product.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

It does have a very interesting history.

[@jupitertheargentinetegu]

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but... Are the eggs that float good for eating, or do they just need to go in the garbage? Ty

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Not a stupid question at all. I wouldn't eat them myself. Any egg that floats gets thrown out. I hope that answers it.

[@nooryassin9978]

thankyou

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks for watching. Glad you liked it.

[@jarrettstahlman463]

Should i put the eggs that I order from eBay in the water and test and rehydrate them?

[@johndowd7010]

Trust the natural bloom...

[@mohsinshah-Aviary]

Hi cud u plz tell me h many times u sprayed listerene first u spray then u float in the water then again u sprayed m I right ?? And do tell first u sprayed then h many minutes u leave that Eggs before going to floating step ?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Don't stress about it. It doesn't have to be that strict. I spray them when I collect them (and store them up). Then once more before going in the incubator. I hope that helps.

[@dixsigns1717]

Should you use clean utensils and hands and distilled water? I just incubated 52 eggs (after candling at lockdown) and only 28 hatched.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am sorry to hear about your poor results (although they aren't that bad). I never bother with distilled water but it is a good idea to wash your hands first. You might also look at your thermostat in your incubator and make sure it is reading accurate. That is usually the biggest factor in a poor hatch.

[@dixsigns1717]

@@Slightlyrednecked Thank you, I have learned so much from your videos.

[@sqwrrl]

So you sprayed the eggs while they were in the carton and the spray only reached half of each egg. Would you not turn the eggs and spray the other side?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I don't find it necessary to do that. The liquid does tend to run down the egg to the other side. But it won't hurt to turn them and spray the other side as well.

[@donmafu365]

I have seen other videos in which people state that eggs for incubation should be clean from poop and debris. These look pretty dirty. Will that effect the hatch rate?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I try to brush off any debris and feces but you don't want to actually scrub them. I suppose it could affect the hatch rate but washing them will as well. If an egg is overly dirty (lots of feces and that won't brush off) I discard it and don't incubate it. Hope that helps.

[@SmokinQuixote]

Doesn't putting the eggs in water wash off the protective coating?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Probably some but as long as you don't scrub them it really doesn't hurt them. Good thinking though.

[@tyliful]

Can I use the blue listerine? Is there a difference?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am honestly not sure if blue listerine would work or not. The gold listerine is so easy to find I have never tried any of the others. You can probably look them both up online and see the ingredients list. My guess it he big difference would be with flavoring but not sure if that would affect the eggs or not.

[@miguelski65]

I thought eggs should not get wet?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Getting them wet is fine. You just don't want to scrub them.

[@cbartleyjr20061]

Just one question do you do your chickens eggs with the water test?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I don't hatch chickens myself but the same thing works for chicken eggs.

[@mrluv8711]

Hi Buddy. Does this procedures works for village chickens please?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

This works for all poultry eggs.

[@mrluv8711]

Thanks a lot ;)

[@brandonmonroe7050]

Does it matter if I rehydrate the eggs in RO water or Spring water or Distilled? I'm in Texas there's no way I can use our tap water I wouldn't give that to my worst enemy

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Those are all fine. I just use tap water and it works fine for me.

[@daniel51404]

I bought a janoel 12 incubator and I can't seem to get them temperature to hit 98-99 Fahrenheit it only reads 94 Fahrenheit, what is the best humidity for quail eggs? My humility is 33-40%

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am sorry to hear that you are having problems. I like to use 45 to 55% until lock down. Then I bump it up to about 70%.

[@daniel51404]

I brought the temperature to 99 Fahrenheit and the humidity is 42 degrees. Took me all night but I did by wrapping the incubator with an old sweater... 😂

[@jocharll2005]

am from ghana and i bought a bator from the United States but it just couldnt work although i got the temperature right at 37.5 constant . what should i do. am getting frustrated. i lost precious eggs on two occasions

[@Slightlyrednecked]

So sorry to hear about your egg loss. The first thing I would do is get a couple of thermometers. Get non-digital thermometers that can be calibrated. Calibrate them and then put them in the incubator and run it for a while to see if the temp is reading correctly on the incubator thermostat. That is the most likely issue. I hope that helps.

[@griselabruno4814]

Question, I have one egg that leak some green liquid don’t understand why

[@Slightlyrednecked]

That sounds like it has gone bad and ruptured. You should remove it from the rest of the eggs and clean up the mess. I hope that helps.

[@wardjerr]

Your Video are very helpful. I do have a question after you have float tested them and your not ready to incubate them yet. Is it a good ideal to spray them with water every day until your ready to incubate???

[@Slightlyrednecked]

No. You don't need to spray them with water. Probably shouldn't really. Just float test them before incubating, let them dry a little, spray them, let them sit a few minutes and put them in the incubator. Hope that helps.

[@Sabuda80]

can you use the blue listerine?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I don't know what is in it so I am not sure. You can use rubbing alcohol diluted with water

[@wardjerr]

I have some pheasant eggs that have not hatched yet. I did the float test to see if the eggs moved. did not. Some of the eggs sank to the bottom bad eggs?? What is Time for pheasant eggs.. some hatched in 19 days i was told it took them 28 days.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am not an expert on Pheasant but I think they can take 20 to 25 days to hatch so day 19 is not unheard of. As far as float testing eggs after they have gone into lockdown, I don't typically do that but yeah, drops to the bottom is a dud of an egg. I hope that helps.

[@wardjerr]

I had 16 phesant eggs 3 of them hatched at day 19 and 20. I has been 27 days i just went out to break them to find that I had 8 fully formed babies that did not make it. Had 1 that was still alive and no where near hatching still had the eggs yolk attached. What do you think could have happened to them. Thats alot of formed babies to die for no reason that I can think of. ???

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Wow. That can be tricky to track down. I would start by looking at your incubator temp. Get a couple of calibrated thermometers (not digital) and double check that it is reading correctly (Make sure they are calibrated). If that isn't the problem it could be bacterial. Did you sanitize the incubator after your last hatch? Those are the two mostly likely issues. Sorry to hear about your poor hatch but hope that helps track the issue down.

[@amalmaida8005]

i thought you said in one of the how to improve your hatch rate series not to put the eggs in water because they have a protective coat. so water is ok or not?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

sorry for the confusion. It is true that you don't want to wash your eggs. Putting them in water right before you incubate is ok but you still don't want to scrub them and you want to use the listerine solution to help prevent any bacterial issues. I hope that makes sense and clears it up.

[@isamismailhossain3668]

+Slightly Rednecked I'm still confused to use the water some people say don't use the water

[@shifahasan11]

After doing the water test ,when can I incubate them

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Good question. really you don't need to wait at all. They can go right into the incubator. Once in the incubator you don't want to get them wet due to the fluctuations in temperature. I hope that helps.

[@wardjerr]

Is it best to spray with the 50 mixture the day you put them in the incubator. Also is it a good ideal to mix some of your mixture to the water in the incubator or not during hatching???

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I wouldn't add any to the water in the incubator but you can spray the eggs right before putting them in the incubator. Might give them 5 minutes to rest first but it isn't a big deal. Once they are in the incubator don't spray them any more. I hope that helps.

[@kidvinie6491]

I would use 3% hydrogen peroxide for sterilizing the eggs. Mouth wash is just a mixture of chemicals. Nothing stopping you putting a mild hydrogen peroxide solution in the bottom of the incubator also.

[@ChenShaham]

would you dilute it first?