How to Improve Your Hatch Rate - Part 4: Incubating Eggs

[@HoosierHmstrdr94]

THANK YOU! I just completed my first hatch and because of your video series, I had a 100% hatch rate!!! I couldn't have done it without you! Bless you!

[@gregbabin365]

Just had my first hatch, 30 of 39 with your tips. Not sure what should be expected, but I was happy with the results. Thank you!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

That is a great hatch rate. Well done.

[@duckmanjoel]

You can get a 100% hatch of fertile eggs if you turn by hand and all the eggs are touching each other. The eggs actually communicate with each other, synchronizing their heart beats. In the wild, that is how the eggs all hatch within hours of each other. But you are correct. You have to have the basics first like sanitizing etc.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

interesting. I have never heard that before but I have had plenty of eggs that were touching each other but hatched a long time apart. I might do some experimenting with that and see what happens.

[@duckmanjoel]

The eggs should be grouped in a circle. When I turn the eggs, the outside eggs become the inside eggs. Try to mix it up so the eggs are touching at least two different eggs each turn. Turn at least four times a day. Only practical with 10 to 15 eggs.

[@duckmanjoel]

www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2011/12/02/143063453/study-finds-turtle-embryos-communicate-to-synchronize-hatching Found this article but hard to find anything on poultry. But same principle. I remember studying it (a professor mentioned it) when I was at UGA. Got my degree in '84 in Poultry Science. But if you move em around and keep em tight together (like in a nest) they will synchronize.

[@Goldi-Luc]

This is super interesting thanks for sharing!

[@carlbeane9227]

I can communicate with eggs

[@VaughnMalecki]

I've read a lot of your comments. You're a very helpful person. I'm so happy to see so many people being so self sufficient. God bless you and all your endeavors.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for the kind comments.

[@janerossfield]

I enjoyed very much watching this video. I have incubated chicken eggs for a few years now but a friend has given me 40 quail eggs I thought I should do a bit of research to see what the difference is. Your video is very clear and you are easy to understand so, thank you for all the information.

[@justinalynn2223]

Thank you for your video series on the incubation process; it was the most informative one I could find and by far the best narrated. You explained the details in such a way that I can confidently finish building my incubator based on the information you gave. Have a great day, and keep up the excellent work!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

thanks so much for the kind comments. I am so glad you found my videos helpful.

[@davidchamlee8805]

Thought I'd pass along something we've been doing for the 40 years with great success. We have been adding a double layer of hard-stone Pea Gravel to the lower area of the incubator. Under the screen, but not touching it. Air is harder to keep at a consistent temperature, so the gravel is there for the hard mass. We Start the incubator 3 days before adding the eggs to allow the gravel mass to get up to 100*. We also add some water at this time. Not much just some. This is the time we monitor the temperature to be sure the thermostat is correct. We also use the "triple thermometer" method. Since the heavy mass looses heat slowly, it keeps the inside of the incubator at level heat. In the past we have lost power, once for 4 hours. The internal temp was 98* when we checked. We helped it back up a little by adding a cup of very warm water to the rocks. Even with that power outage we didn't loose any/many eggs. 44 of 48. We normally have a couple non-hatch per batch anyway, so the average was exactly the same. I've never seen anyone else with this system. Perhaps you'd like to try it, and give thoughts/results. We use the Hovabator. A couple dozen years ago I added a pancake computer fan. Switched from the massive 4" down to a 2" when it came available. That was a good idea. No still-air for me.

[@voodooexotics230]

That sounds a good bit like how we put soda 2liters, filled with water, at the bottom of our snake egg incubators, to help maintain the heat, for just in case we have any kind of power outage, helps hold the temps we need then to remain at.. Great idea, though, I'm going to do this with out parrot eggs, chicken, turkey, and duck eggs, I can't wait!! Thanks!! This gives me such relief, as our power went out during the storms a couple days ago, and it was out for 4&1/ 2 hours, I'm terrified that we might have lost some babies due time this. You're the best, thanks for this awesome idea! 🥰

[@AboodRahim]

hi there sir I am so grateful to you! i lost do many exotic eggs from my 1st experience and after watching your videos "How to Improve Your Hatch Rate" my 2nd batch of eggs showed great results. Your videos are really easy to understand. Thanks again. really appreciate

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Fantastic to hear. So glad things are going well for you. And glad I was able to help.

[@patriotu.s.elections7879]

Very nice No BS , to the point with no dumb music. Thanks

[@johndufford5561]

Mr. Chris, been doing this for awhile now, but am about to order more eggs & watching your incubation series again was a good idea. For you old hands out there, I would recommend re-watching these before incubating each clutch. Reminds us of the basics & reminds us all of the enthusiasm we all had with our first hatch. It makes it as fun as the first time & we should all thank Chris yet again for taking the time to teach us. So do that!

[@georgezink6338]

with your help. i hatched out over 2000 last year .thank you

[@Slightlyrednecked]

awesome. Congratulations and well done.

[@caperald]

Hello Chris, This is to give you credit for your awesome videos. I did follow all your tips on how to improve hatch rate of coturnix quail eggs. I put in 96eggs in my incubator. After 14days just before lockdown, I candled and discarded 2eggs that weren’t fertile. At the moment 81eggs have hatched. Hopefully I get some more to hatch within 24 - 48hrs. 81 eggs hatched gives me a hatch rate of 86% all thanks to your elaborate videos and tips. Did I mention that I am from Benin (West Africa) Thanks again.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Awesome. Congratulations on your hatch and well done. I am glad to hear that my videos were helpful for you.

[@iloabuchijoseph1528]

BRO were in Benin

[@bridgetbissen1820]

This video answered so many questions that I didn’t even know I had!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

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

[@rezotydnic]

Good info for a newbie. First chick hatched this morning! Exciting.

[@elleeh4235]

Thank you for the information. I ordered incubator and quail rack. now I need eggs.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

There is a discount code in the description of all my most recent videos for ordering quail eggs. you can get 15% off your order.

[@CrisdeeLuDeen]

I wish i found this video before i put my quail and guineas in the incubator! very very helpful! will definitely use this for my turkeys! thank you!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for the kind comments. I hope that you have a great hatch rate with your turkeys.

[@jiskerrealz3620]

I got 33 eggs in my incubator, going into lockdown on Sunday. I have candled them and can see chicks in 32 of them, one is too dark to see into. Hope they all hatch that would be a fantastic hatch rate. Had 36 eggs at first but had 3 infertile ones.

[@Maya-di4qy]

What were the results

[@jiskerrealz3620]

@@Maya-di4qy from the 33 fertile eggs hatched 30 healthy chicks. From the last 3 eggs hatched one chick that died a few hours later for unknown reason, one chick didn't hatch but was developed in the egg and one had issues with its legs so I utilized it. I gave 8 healthy chicks to my friend who had bought them so I had 22. Turned out to be 13 hens and 9 roosters. I'm very satisfied with the hatch 😊

[@Maya-di4qy]

Jisker Realz I would be too!

[@hillsandhollars4436]

Well I just set my first quail eggs Monday evening. From the comments that the person I got the eggs from made(after money had exchanged hands and we was back in our vehicles) I am not really optimistic about my hatch rate, but I may be surprised. I have watched this video 3 times now and I am glad I have it as a reference! Thanks again! Clay

[@Slightlyrednecked]

maybe they have poor hatch rates because they haven't watched my videos. :) Either way, good luck and I hope it turns out great. If you need some good quality eggs make sure to check out my video on where to get quail eggs. Thanks for watching.

[@duckmanjoel]

If you lay a folded dry wash cloth on those windows, they won't fog up. Then you can peek in to check temp, watch hatch etc.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Good suggestion. thanks for sharing.

[@dalebourgeois8843]

Hey there friend, It's Dale Bourgeois from Louisiana, I just wanted to give you an update on my quail hatch, and of course, Thankyou for sharing your experience with us. I ordered 116 jumbo coturnixs, candles on 8 days, 98 were fertil. humidity ran 44 Ish at night, and 55 Ish during the day. lock down was about 85 Ish. On day 17 there were three that hatched, day 18, all but four eggs hatched. Glory to God, God is GOOD. Today is 5/1/2017, Have a Great Day, and Thanks Again, God bless You

[@Slightlyrednecked]

awesome. Sounds like you had a fantastic hatch. Congratulations.

[@RehoKevin]

Hi Chris, I'm about to take the plunge into quail keeping and wanted to say thanks for so many awesome, informative videos. Your videos are very instructive and easy to follow, great job. I am a long time chicken keeper and have a hovabator Genesis 1588 incubator with the standard egg turner. The egg turner works well for chicken eggs, do you think it would also work for quail eggs ( standard or jumbo ) or do you think I should replace the chicken egg rails with quail egg rails? Thanks in advance for your help and thanks again for providing so much helpful information.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for the kind comments. I have used the chicken rails before and they worked just fine for me. You just can't get as many eggs in there as you can when using the quail rails.

[@RehoKevin]

@@Slightlyrednecked Awesome ! Thanks Chris.

[@MrKevyrev]

I build my own incubators with foam coolers and use digital temp controllers, works great and very cheap! I'm making a video on my channel and will post soon. You are 100% spot on about putting the date on the incubator! I have a million times tried to keep track in my head, forget it, life happens and you get busy. Next thing you now you have no idea exactly when they went in. Great info as usual!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks so much for the kind words. let me know how the homemade incubator works out.

[@mrsgbee]

Homesteading inSC showed me on his video how to make these incubators and I made one and the eggs are pipping today. Cost £20 and works very well. Thank you for the info about Lock Down, I didn't know that.

[@coffeecup3080]

First hatch didn’t go well. Only 4 out of 25 eggs hatched. I’ve been watching you to learn from my mistakes. I’ve been using room temperature water or sink water.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am so sorry to hear that. I use tap water as well but try to use warm water to keep it from dropping the incubator temp too much. Make sure you aren't putting too much water in and raising the humidity too much.

[@tiffanybecker1591]

Thank you!! I am about to put my very first quail eggs into the incubator and I have been so nervous!! This video gave me the confidence to do it! We should actually have quail the same week our rabbit kits are due so it will be a busy week!!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am so glad to hear that. Thank you so much for watching and good luck on your hatch and your upcoming busy week.

[@sierrarazevich1962]

How long can I store the eggs before putting them in the incubator

[@Slightlyrednecked]

About 10 days at most. I try to incubate within 7 myself.

[@carlosperegrin5935]

No more than 3 days

[@joelacevedo7373]

About 10 days, make sure your turning the eggs twice a day with in those 10 days

[@saltlifegull4091]

Wow, Chris, great video, you delivered a lot of info quickly and efficiently. Never tried quail eggs, only duck and chicken. Thanks for sharing!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you for watching. I am glad you liked it.

[@stephencombs378]

We are powered by generator that unexpectedly broke down during the night of day 20 on my chicken hatch. By the time we had it up and running again (about 45 minutes) the temp of the incubator was down to 90. Do you think I will have any survivors?

[@minecraftingbroskey]

Yes you will be fine. You won’t get a high hatch Rate but you’ll have a bunch that will hatch

[@landocalrissian3738]

Stephen Combs, how many hatched?

[@eduardoc976]

Thank you very much. You video is very simple to grasp and now I am crossing the fingers waiting. I will give you guys an feedback with two weeks or so. Thanks again.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks so much for watching. Glad you found it helpful. Good luck on your upcoming hatch.

[@slowmochicken]

My entire flock was wiped out, by a weasel with the exception of one hen & 2 pekin females (they were badly injured but recovering). It also killed my male duck. I never intended to hatch any eggs because i wanted to use a broody hen. Because i had such a bond with my flock, i bought an incubator and I'm going to try hatching all the eggs i had, especially the eggs laid right before the slaughter. Im so heartbroken. Is it OK to hatch my chicken and duck eggs together? Also, is it true that the eggs my hen and pekins lay for 2 weeks post mating are fertilized? Thank you for your very informative video!!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am not a duck or chicken expert but eggs generally stay fertile for about 10 days after being laid and hens can generally continue to lay fertile eggs for about 7 days after being bred. As for incubating them together, I believe duck eggs require a much higher humidity than chicken eggs and that they both require different incubation times so that may be a little tricky but you can give it a try. So sorry to hear about your loss and good luck with getting the eggs to hatch.

[@doubledranchmi01]

Thanks so much for these videos! We got our first hatching eggs today! Doing a fun summer project with the kiddos :)

[@benniboy2835]

I don't have an egg Turner but I turn them myself 3 to 5 times a day.. And good thing is i live in dubai so humidity in a room is already 50% 😂 Out of 15 eggs only 2 didn't hatch .. But anyway thanks for keeping time and making videos ..

[@HoosierHmstrdr94]

I've watched this series over and over again. I set my first set today! Thank you for the vids! Cheers!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much. I am so glad to hear that it was helpful for you. Good luck with your hatch.

[@christopherconner6151]

Showing my niece Skylar about eggs. She has a guinea egg and wants it to hatch. Sorry did not realize I was on that profile.

[@lgstrombolli]

Just starting with my homemade incubator....your info was very helpful .....Thxs

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Awesome. So glad you found it helpful.

[@TheLaLaFarm]

Good video. I was to put 40 chicken eggs in this past weekend and Hovabator I purchased did not work right out of the box. What type of incubator are you using? I subscribed to follow along. If you get a chance, check out our small family farm and consider subscribing. Thanks!!!!

[@sarajamiemiller4323]

wow i loved to see those cute little quail. i have quail eggs in the incubator right now and i'm learning everything from you.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for watching. I am glad that you are finding the videos helpful. Good luck with your hatch.

[@valeriechancelor]

Should always mark eggs with a pencil. Markers are toxic.

[@jjaustin6340]

Hey Chris I just wanted to say thanks for this and really all your quail videos. I stole about 95% of your grow-out pen design to build mine and it’s been great for my 8 girls and 2 boys,. Getting ready to put my first batch of eggs (61) into the incubator following most of your instructions as well as I can. Fingers crossed all goes well but honestly I’ll be happy if I get 5 or 6. Really just appreciate the heck out of you for taking the time to make these videos and for being so attentive to detail from start to finish. Really helpful to a new keeper. I promise I will toast you heartily at the first bbq we have with bacon-wrapped quail, whenever that turns out to be.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for the kind comments. I am so glad to hear that you find my videos so helpful. Good luck with your hatch. I am sure you will do better than just 5 or 6 birds.

[@mike1968442]

Hi Chris, Hope all is well. Watched your videos over and over. Order the beta hover incubator and got 30 cq eggs from GFH. Added cold tap water, turned the machine on and within 2 minutes temp began to increased. Added eggs to the auto turner and so far were at day 4. Check it everyday. Added water once (were in Tucson, Az) so everything is bone dry and warm. After this cycle goes into the brooder, I will order more eggs. Just wanted to let you YOU know how well things are going thanks to your shared knowledge on quail. Will keep you advised on the hatch rate and success. Thanks again.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for watching my videos. I am so glad to hear that they have been helpful. Good luck with your hatch and I am glad to hear that things are going well for you.

[@wisconsinfarmer4742]

Your guidance helps a lot. My hatch rates have always been under 60%.

[@ChrisHardwickanimaladventures]

Great video! I've hatched thousands of chicks in the last 15 years and my hatch rate has always been around 50%. I just realized today that since I'm at a higher elevation of 9000 feet above sea level that I should adjust my humidity, instead of 50% I should be at 65%. That may increase my hatch rate! I actually sold all of my chickens last year and I'm getting back into it this year. I'm using an RCOM 20 PRO incubator, just program it and hit 'start' and come back in three weeks and you have chicks! It automatically adjusts the temp and humidity and stops the turning at the end, pretty amazing.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you for watching. Hopefully increasing your humidity will help with the hatch rate. Sounds like a pretty interesting incubator. I am not familiar with it.

[@OurSavageGaming]

Great instructions! Very knowledgeable, thank you!

[@coinhunter19]

I am so glad I decided to watch your video once again! I thought that they went into lock down on day 17 for some reason. I am so glad its day 14 for me right now! Was able to get all my eggs into the incubator and ready for lock down just in time! Thank you for the great video!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for watching. Glad you found it helpful.

[@coinhunter19]

Slightly Rednecked really glad I did that last minute! Eggs started hatching day 16! Already about 20 out!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Awesome. Congratulations.

[@largefamilyruralliving7434]

I just put ours under lockdown thanks for this four-part series it helped me not to be too afraid of incubating chicks for the first time. We've got chicken eggs in there 35 were fertile. I heard some peeping when we were putting them in lockdown so far so good.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Awesome. Congratulations on your hatch. I am so glad that you found my videos helpful.

[@birdbreeder2434]

Hi Chris~ Second time posting....first time was under your "What To Feed" video. We are first time quail hatchers but experienced with poultry & waterfowl incubaters/hatchers. We wanted to share our first experience with you and all your followers. We found someone local that was selling eggs - a mix of colors but all Coturnix. We were charged $5 per dozen and bought 6 dozen. Once we got them home, we followed your sanitizing suggestion with the Listerine and water mixture. Usually we use a commercial 'wash' sold by Brinsea for washing/disinfecting eggs and incubators and all other 'equipment.' We did not have any on hand so your suggestion came in handy. After close inspection, we had to discard 2 eggs leaving 70 in the incubator. We had quail racks so they were turned automatically. They were set on Sunday 6/4 and we stopped turning them Monday 6/19; they started hatching 6/20! Instead of laying them in the incubator, we used a quail "tray" that held them all in an upright position and that is how they stayed until they hatched. So far, we have 56 out of 70 chicks hatch! What do you think about that percentage for first time hatchers with local eggs? They were too crowded in the incubator (due to the tray taking up floor space) that we took them all out a little while ago and added some more water and kept the incubator running to see if any of the remaining will hatch. We are ECSTATIC over the hatch results!! One observation...there are a bunch of chicks that are all 'yellow' so guessing they will be white when feathered but some of them have RED EYES? Like Albino? Have you ever seen this? They don't appear to be blind - they are walking all around. We are starting them off with cooked yolk from chicken eggs for 24 hours and then will be adding 30% protein Purina startena and will continue offering the yolk. We look forward to your comments/suggestion. Keep up the great work! We will be back soon to post on other videos. THANK YOU from New York for making this first hatch a great success!!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Hey there. Thanks so much for sharing. Sounds like you had a pretty good hatch. I think you did the right thing by adding more water and letting the unhatched ones go a few more days. I have had several birds hatch out that way. I have never used any cooked egg yolk myself, I just start all my birds on gamebird starter from day one but nothing wrong with your plan. So glad that you found my videos helpful.

[@mariadefatima6469]

I have 13 adults now I have 14 babies and 48 eggs hope they hatch a lot learned a lot from u thanks from egypt

[@colene77]

My quail are in lockdown!!! 120 eggs...this is day 2, tomorrow morning is the big reveal!!! There are a bunch in there!!! Another 90 eggs in another incubator..lockdown starts Friday!!! Thanks so much for your videos, I've learned a lot!!!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

wow, that is a lot of eggs. Good luck on the hatch.

[@jpturner]

Extremely helpful. Thanks for the videos sir. You have serious helped me and my 3 little boys out a ton.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am so glad to hear that. Thank you for watching.

[@jimyoung144]

You answer a lot of questions about incubation than you once again. Enjoy watching your videos

[@nugsymalone1247]

Very informative, I greatly appreciate the time to make this video and answer questions. I've raised chickens my entire life and never used an incubator, but now am going to start.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for watching. I am glad you found this video helpful.

[@georgecarson7466]

Hey man just wanted to say thank you that series was a wealth of information for me I’m just starting out with Coturnix Quail and starting my first hatch tomorrow.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Awesome. Good luck with your hatch. I am glad you found these videos helpful.

[@TomBartram-b1c]

Really good, really waffle-free and useful detailed info. I want quail but I'm scared to go and buy any right now due to the distance involved (corona). Now I'm confident order the eggs and geat to grow my own. Thanks from ths UK.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you for watching. I am glad you found this video helpful. Good luck with your upcoming hatch.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you for watching. I am glad you found this video helpful. Good luck with your upcoming hatch.

[@the.annamoon]

Very informative! I have kept quail, chickens and ducks but only have experience hatching duck eggs. I’m definitely looking forward to hatching some coturnix!

[@Rachelholtell5820]

Wow! I am going to be incubating my chicken eggs for the first time soon, and u are the best teacher to learn from, u have great tips man, thanks so much 🙏 👍 😀 😊 ❤

[@stewartrogers494]

Proxcide and water similar 50% mixe .......... seems to work well and some what cheeper ......... is what I've been having a great deal of success ........have had 87% hatch rate .......... love your channel........ keep on Quailing .........S

[@Slightlyrednecked]

That is a good suggestion. I have also heard of people using rubbing alcohol the same way with good results.

[@czarsss]

hi chris i did not know about that listerine 50/50 water to santized them good info again

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks you so much. Glad you found it helpful.

[@czarsss]

it would be really helpful.

[@brendadoyle4261]

3% Hydrogen Peroxide also works well. 👍

[@JAD1DAD]

Just like the previous comment, I had the first 2 of 60 hatch on 4-14-19 on day 16. Two more hatched over night. So far today, 2 more have hatched. I hope most of the rest hatch today and tomorrow. Certainly, most will have to go to the brooders on Wednesday because the first hatchlings will need water and food.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

That isn't that uncommon actually. When it is time to move them to the brooder box just be as quick as you can and move all of them that are dry and fluffy and then close the incubator back up. You might get more to hatch after that. Good luck and I hope it goes well.

[@JAD1DAD]

@@Slightlyrednecked, 48 of 60 so far. 28 hatched while I was at work yesterday and another 14 overnight. Looking forward to this endeavor. I've learned a lot from your efforts. I pray your wife has been recovering nicely. Though I enjoy the rabbit and quail content very much, those with your wife are my favorites because the two of you know that know matter what, God's got this.

[@johnliberty3647]

I am finishing up my first hatch, just a test run with chicks I don't exactly need but are welcome to the flock. Glad I found this before my next serious hatch later this month

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Good luck on your current hatch and I hope you find the videos helpful.

[@WhoisMichelleCollie]

since we love inkbirds, get one for your incubator, I got a humdikit and used the inkbird for the heat.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I use an inkbird to control my heat lights for my brooder boxes. They are great.

[@WhoisMichelleCollie]

@@Slightlyrednecked I have one right now on my hova-bator that does temp and humidity. so glad you did a video of it, now I use them for almost everything, next is one for a cheese fridge. when are you going to start making cheese chris?

[@nancyfahey7518]

Nice videos. I had some Bob White for pets and had them in a large planted up shade house more like a natural environment. 16' x16' x8' high. The male would dig a hole and the female would inspect it. If she liked it she would lay her eggs and life was good. When the male died from a respiratory disease I had to release her. I know, but I did anyway. About 2 weeks later she came back bringing a whole flock of bob white with her. She knew there'd be food. The others wouldn't come close but I set food out every day for them. I was honored.😊

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Nice. Our native Bob White population has really declined in my area. They are starting to make a come back though.

[@nancyfahey7518]

Slightly Rednecked. I believe the decline is due to ants. As soon as the first chick started to hatch the ants take over in hords. I found out that the ants can't tolerate pine needles so I used that on the sandy floor. Worked great.

[@romoshka1]

Restarting quail after few years off and browsing utube stumbled upon your channel. I like the listerine spray. One thing I used in my past to increase humidity was use baby food jars with a sponge sticking up and out of the jar full of water. When I bought the QCF Sportsman I saw that was the technique they used.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

That is a great suggestion. Thank you for sharing.

[@vancematters431]

hey chris thanks for all the info i see were iv made some mistakes in my first tow hatches your info will help alot.with in the next few weeks i will hatch a batch with your method,and i will let you know how it works for me.i have one thing i do is i have two incubators one has a turner and the other is what i put my eggs in for lock down. again thanks for all the info im sure it will help.talk to you soon, VANCE MATTERS

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Awesome. Thanks so much for watching and please do let me know how it goes.

[@fangproductions2326]

Defiantly subscribing, thx for the rlly helpful tips for when my incubator comes in the mail!!!

[@fangproductions2326]

Just to make sure for chickens. You spray the eggs with listerine and water and spray them. You then keep them at room temperature and turn them twice a day until you kept the incubator on for 3-4 days. Then you do that water test and spray them at the end, and when they go into the incubator, it's at 99 degrees the whole time. On day 18, you fill it with water and take out turner and don't open the door any time after day 18. On the day the chicks hatch, you leave them in there for three days then put them in a brooder right?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Sounds like you got it. Don't stress too much it really is pretty simple once you do it. Good luck and thanks for the kind comments.

[@gingerreid8569]

Thanks for the video and information! Wanting to do both a broody hen and an incubator as well...

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am so glad you found the video helpful. Good luck with your hatches.

[@gonzaf250]

Thanks for this video. I have about 25 chicken eggs in the same incubator as you. Helped me a lot. Now gotta wait 21 days. Wish me luck.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Awesome. Thank you for watching. I am glad to hear that the videos were helpful for you. Good luck with your hatch.

[@danieliellewis]

folks i have the little giant deluxe and that control unit is completely off i played with it and got a perfect reading but on the control board i punched in 101.7 and after warming to the proper temperature and humidity for the entire incubation period it held at 99.6 up to.7 according to my inside thermometers

[@jennasantos8849]

This is definitely the most informative video I've watched on how to incubate quail eggs! Although, my incubator is really not clear on a few things; where exactly do I put the water? My incubator is a HHD automatic incubator, and it's fan is on the bottom where the water should go so I'm definitely confused on where to put it. Any help is awesome. Thanks for the video!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am so glad that you found the video helpful. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with that incubator so i am not sure I can help much. I saw a video of it though and it looks like it has some channels in the bottom under the tray for water to go in. I hope that helps.

[@jennasantos8849]

Thanks! Also, I just remembered, it has the fan on the bottom, and I was wondering when I take the egg turner's out and put the eggs on the bottom, is it okay that it's directly above the fan? Will they dry out? Should I put them to the side?

[@nadoosh60]

I have new incubator rcom pro 20 do I put the eggs and after 7 days the eggs felt very hot went around 42 C. No sign of life show when candled so I throw them away. The display show 37.5 C and 45% H

[@mattgarber2238]

Hey Chris, Just Discovered your videos! Very Helpful! Thank you!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for the kind comments. and thanks for watching.

[@mattgarber2238]

Slightly Rednecked Set 15 Chicken Eggs, following your method, Got 12 Healthy chicks! Pretty good Hatch rate!

[@sheamariecalouro4674]

What is the temp and humidity during lockdown?? Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!

[@amiestark9850]

Thank you for sharing this video. It was helpful before my daughter to do hatching herself. We are doing turkeys. It was very informative.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for watching. i am glad you found it helpful.

[@Bolajan]

Thanks for sharing this video .have a question is there any different between quail eggs and chuckar bird eggs ? The quail eggs and chuckar partridge eggs are looks the same I tried to put the chuckar partridge eggs under chicken but hatched only one from 13 eggs

[@Slightlyrednecked]

They should incubate with the same process. The only difference is the time they incubate. I believe that chuckar take about 24 days to hatch so you would go into lockdown on day 20. I hope that helps.

[@IndyKTX]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you for watching. i am glad you found this video helpful.

[@bobbyemmons2754]

Thanks for this video will help me a bunch

[@abelgjr2193]

Hi Chris, thank you for taking the time to produce your video series on improving the hatching rate. I discovered your videos at the end of the incubation process....Question, you might have mentioned it but once the hatching begins, does the temperature needs to remain the same, 99.5? ...btw I'm in Houston, Tx....thanks again for your valuable information. ..I will use your videos as my guide on the next go round. ...Peace....

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for the kind comments. Yeah, keep the temp the same the entire time, even after they start hatching. I hope that helps. I used to live in Nacogdoches....been to Houston many times.

[@barrynorthmississippiprepp5777]

New sub bc this series was very informative covering all I needed thanks a ton. Great job

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much. I am so glad you found it helpful

[@amandaforeman703]

This is a great video on incubation! Thank you so much for this !

[@Slightlyrednecked]

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

[@tropicallivingoverseas5202]

Great video series! The only thing I'd add is to do everything to ensure your eggs have been fertilized to begin with. A. Males are producing foam. B. Females aren't too old. C. No large communal pens. D. Check for inactive males. E. Always autopsy your non hatching eggs to see where/when things went wrong or if growth even began. But you may have covered that in another video...?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Those are all good suggestions. I have covered some of those things in other videos but should have pointed them out here too. Thanks.

[@nytigress5098]

great vid, Chris! =) I do the same with unhatched - perform eggtopsys. It was hard at first, but over time, it has got easier =) Every hatch is a learning experience =)

[@riversidecountryclub2211]

great hatch! excellent how-to...I like my Little Giant bators. I have the egg tuner and fan in mine. Makes the job easier! when I upgraded my bator, I kept my old one ,used it as a hatcher. then loaded the first one back up for another hatch ! just constant rotation, worked great! I was hoping I could get a look at your broader...couldt tell much bout it tho ! thanks for another great video !

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks for the kind comments. I am glad you liked it. I just use a large rubbermaid tub for my brooder. Cut half the lid and put hardware cloth over it for ventilation.

[@riversidecountryclub2211]

Slightly Rednecked I kind of thought that's what that look like. If people would just use their knocking they don't have to buy all this high dollar catalog sparkly equipment . Where there is a will there is a way. ! :)

[@lucietalavera6895]

very very good advices thank you so much!!!!!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks for watching. I am glad you liked it.

[@sophiehumphreys1286]

Thank you so much for this series of videos ! Very good for me as were about to get into the world of hatching !

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you for watching. I am glad you found them helpful. Good luck with your hatches.

[@martinperaro2644]

Thank you for making this video and teaching people I have been asked a lot about how to incubate eggs different eggs around the world and I told them to watch people on KZbin there is plenty of my friends and make KZbin videos and we'll teach other people thank you for teaching

[@MrEsnyders]

Hi Chris, awesome videos we learning so much from your experiences thank you very much Mate

[@HollisNancysHomestead]

Hi Chris, What do you clean the incubator with between hatchlings?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Scrub it out real good with dish soap. If it is summer time or a stretch of nice days i will set it out in the sun for a few days to kill off bacteria. Or you can wipe it down with a very diluted bleach mixture but make sure to let it sit out and air dry for a few days to get rid of fumes. Hope that helps. Maybe i should do a video on that sometime soon.

[@zanzouuy8553]

@@Slightlyrednecked umm I think scrubing will make the bacteria go in side the egg according to A Chick Called albert from the video of saving the crack duck egg

[@KMDeur]

15 new quail chicks in that last 13 hours. 15 to go! This is our first hatch...very exciting.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

awesome. Congratulations on your hatch.

[@qwilfish66]

Thanks for the info as I’m going to hatch Quail eggs,they are so cute 😍🐣🇦🇺🇦🇺🦘🦘

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks for watching. Good luck with your hatch.

[@qwilfish66]

Thank you 🐣🐣

[@martiwoodchip4518]

Great video and some very good info., Which end of the egg points down while in the egg turner?, I did not see your other videos so I am guessing the pointy end from the looks of how your eggs were setting?.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

yup, pointy end down. I should have said that in this video shouldn't I? :)

[@cornerstonefoundationbulga9835]

Hi, I just put my first ever in life batch of quail eggs in a brand new incubator. I am as new as a person could be.. Thank you for the video. Could you please point me to a good video what to do with the quails after they hatch, you mentioned a brooder? Maia (Bulgaria)

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Nice. Good luck with your hatch. Once they hatch you will want to move them to a brooder box with a heat lamp or other heat source and keep them at about 100 F until they feather out. Wait to move them out of the incubator until they are dry and feathered out. I usually wait about 48 hours from the first one hatching, then move all that have hatched and are dry to the brooder, add water to the incubator if it needs it and close it back up. I will generally get a few more to hatch over the next 4 or 5 days that way. Here is a video showing my brooder box and discussing a little about that process. I hope it helps. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2SUiHaMhbV0h7M

[@cornerstonefoundationbulga9835]

@@Slightlyrednecked Thank you, I like your comment at the end of the videos "God bless" :)

[@connieblasingame7996]

Simple, practical instructions....Great video....

[@Ruth.Psalm.23]

i have a diy incubator, do you know what my percentage rate of hatch is? great video will be using it next time hopefully with a bought incubator depending on how this works:)

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am guessing you are not getting good results? I know it can be done with a DIY incubator but it is a lot of work and the pre manufactured incubators aren't that expensive in my opinion. Good luck on your next hatch.

[@Ruth.Psalm.23]

this is my first time hatching! i've only got 12 coturnix in but hopefully at least one hatches, yeah definitely going to save up and invest in one even if it is small say 7-12 eggs, thanks ill let youknow how i get on. ps great vid

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Please do. I would actually encourage you to save and get a bigger one. I have heard bad things about the small 7 - 12 egg incubators. I don't have personal experience with them though so that could be wrong.

[@tonyicke409]

Sexing button quail

[@feathersngreensliang4083]

Your videos are super helpful. I have a question regarding the hatching humidity. If the humidity is too high after I filled the trays after lock down, what do I do since I can't open to remove any water?

[@KevinPerez-cx4qh]

Great video

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks so much. Glad you liked it.

[@WhoisMichelleCollie]

chris have you thought of using water bottles cut in half, I used that and didn't have to refill. and also its tall enough the babies don't fall in the water or get wet if theres too much water on the bottom. Or you can use a humidakit.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I haven't done that but sounds like a good idea. Luckily, I don't have too many issues with humidity.

[@rosebatham3342]

I once put a small bowl in with eggs near lockdown and when they hatched I saved on , he full into the bowl 😱

[@rkade1838]

Anyone who is incubating and has problem with humidity dropping quickly. Don’t put hot water as it evaporates. I had the same problem until I put warm water.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

good point. You don't want hot water or cold water because they will affect the temperature as well. Warm water is the way to go.

[@LucillesParadise36]

I watching your vedio now and this is my first time to do encuvating duck egg to make balut hopefully it works for me until 18 days thank you for sharing your vedio we have same encuvator too your vedio is so helpful thank you again...

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you for watching. I am glad you found this video helpful.

[@hyperdoge1775]

First time egging here 👋🥚 I've ordered some Indian runner duck eggs and I am making my own incubator tomorrow. I'm making it from polystyrene with a glass window to see inside I'm gonna use a bulb fitting but which watt bulb should I use and at what temp do you think I should keep it at and humidity. Thankyou for any info I cant wait for my eggs to arrive. I really hope they hatch

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am not sure what size bulb you need to use exactly. It would depend on how big the incubator is and how well it is insulated as to what size bulb in needs to get it to temp. You want it to be 100 F. I would think a 100 watt incandescent bulb would do that pretty easily but you will have to experiment to find out for sure. You might install a dimmer switch so you can adjust it as needed. Good luck with your hatch.

[@hyperdoge1775]

Thankyou

[@chotii2]

If you make your own incubator out of a styrofoam cooler, you won’t need more that a 25W bulb. However it is difficult to maintain a stable temperature with inexpensive (water heater) thermostats. You are better off buying a disk thermostat (the kind you get in non-digital commercial incubators) or even a digital thermostat. The temperature needs to be solidly at 99.5F (37.5C) in an incubator with a fan that circulates the air, or 100F (37.8C) if there is no fan. These incubators can work - I have made them and have hatched eggs in them. But I love my Hovabator.

[@melovescoffee]

Great hatch rate, Chris!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks. :)

[@LittleMountainLife]

Super informative! Thanks!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you for watching.

[@ozyeozye8556]

I mix duck an chicken in non Turner incubator the temperature don't stay put, it's two weeks now I keep u upgrade

[@kennyharrison6008]

Great video, I have a still air unit and I heard the dry hatch method would be better, have you had any problems with chicks drowning using still air.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I have never had any problems with chicks drowning but I have always used a forced air incubator. I don't see why that would make a difference though. I mean, humidity is humidity.

[@kennyharrison6008]

Slightly Rednecked OK I'll get a fan kit. I live in Alabama, my humidity has stayed at 49% for the last 3 days with no water and no eggs. 50% humidity I think is what you said in the video until day 18, then 65% for lockdown. Would I need to use water before day 18 if my humidity stays at 49%?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I use water from day one but there are lots of people that don't add any water until lockdown. I don't think 49% humidity for the first part of incubation is going to hurt anything and you should be fine.

[@kennyharrison6008]

Slightly Rednecked OK thx

[@Slightlyrednecked]

no problem. glad to help.