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By Jessica Lane | Last updated on October 1, 2020

How to Incubate and Brood Coturnix Quail

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The internet would have you believe that incubating and brooding Coturnix quail is difficult. I’m here to let you in on a secret… it’s not.

The internet would have you believe that incubating and brooding Coturnix quail is difficult. I'm here to let you in on a secret... it's not.

Forget fumigation and floating techniques. It’s really no different than incubating a chicken egg. The only difference is that it takes less time and you might as well forget about candling. You simply pop your eggs in the incubator and start the clock (well, if you have an egg turner, otherwise you do have to turn them).

Incubating Coturnix Quail Eggs

Coturnix quail go from being an egg to laying eggs in 8-9 weeks. Crazy, right? The first 17 days are spent incubating and days 18 and sometimes 19 are spent hatching. Much like chickens, there is no calendar in that egg, so quail chicks may begin to arrive as early as day 16 and as late as day 20. If you have chicks hatching before or after that window, you will want to confirm that your humidity and temperatures in the incubator are accurate.

Temperature and Humidity

Humidity levels are one of the first issues with incubating your Coturnix quail eggs. Less is more. In fact, many people have great success doing a dry incubation with their quail eggs. If you choose a humid incubation, aim for 45% humidity for the first 15 days and increase to 65% for the final three days.

For temperatures, quail eggs incubate at a similar temperature to chicken eggs. If you are running a still air model incubator, aim for a temperature of 102ºF and rotate the eggs around the incubator when you turn them. In a forced air model incubator, aim for a temperature of 100ºF.

Turning Your Quail Eggs

If you do not have an egg turner (which is a highly recommended investment if you plan to hatch quail eggs with any regularity), eggs need to be manually turned at least three times a day, though five times is better. Marking one side of the egg with an X and the other side with O makes it easier to confirm you’ve turned them all.

Quail eggs are very small and you often set a bunch at a time, so it helps to mark them so you can confirm you've turned them all. An egg turner with quail rails makes this even easier!
Quail eggs are very small and you often set a bunch at a time, so it helps to mark them so you can confirm you’ve turned them all. An automatic egg turner with quail rails makes this even easier!

Candling Quail Eggs

Although you can try to candle as early as day 6, I personally never could see anything and stopped looking. My method is to let them sit in their turner until day 15 and just let them do their thing. On day 15, when I remove them from their turner for hatching, I hold them in my hand for a moment or up to my ear. The shells are very thin and often you can hear or feel them moving inside. I also noticed that infertile eggs weigh noticeably less than fertile eggs. Of course, if you are unsure, just let them stay in for the duration. Quail eggs have less risk of exploding than chicken eggs.

Hatching Day for Quail

I had read that hatch day was like watching popcorn popping in the microwave. Not much happens and then all of a sudden they all get popping out at once. There is some validity to that, but it’s not 100% accurate. There are always a few that are early to the party as well as several that are late to arrive. The ones in the middle do seem to go from unpipped to out at a startling rate. I’ve looked in and seen no action whatsoever and then an hour later looked in to find a dozen running around. Quick little buggers they are.

Once everyone is hatched and fluffy, it’s time to move on to brooding. Remember to have your brooder set up several hours in advance so it has time to warm before the chicks need to be moved.

Brooding Coturnix Quail Chicks

Much like the incubation process, brooding Coturnix quail is not any more difficult than brooding chicken chicks. I think people get nervous because the chicks are so tiny. I’ll admit that it seems a lot could go wrong with a chick the size of a half dollar coin. The biggest fear I had was making sure none had died and I hadn’t noticed. Quail are usually hatched in large batches and it’s a challenge to count 50 chicks that look exactly the same. Mine are grown now and I still have trouble doing head counts.

Quail Brooder Size

You may think that a brooder for such a tiny bird could be small, and you’d be correct for about a day. Coturnix quail do everything quickly and growing is no exception. Although they will look dwarfed in a large brooder for the first day, by the end of the first week, they’ll be wing to wing. Your Coturnix quail will look considerably different at the end of the day than they did when you woke up that morning. 6″ square per bird is adequate, but the larger the better.

Quail grow very quickly, so be sure to set up a brooder that can handle them at full size. They'll be huge in no time at all.
Quail grow very quickly, so be sure to set up a brooder that can handle them at full size. They’ll be huge in no time at all.

Food and Water

As with any chick, feed and water need to be made available at all times. Water containers need to have marbles or rocks in them for the first week to prevent drowning. After the first week, any shallow water container will work. Quail need to be fed a high protein feed to keep up with their rapidly growing bodies. I like to use turkey/gamebird starter for the first 4 weeks, which is 28% protein content. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find this starter in mash consistency. It often comes in crumbles, which is too large for quail chicks. I purchased a coffee grinder at a thrift store and use that to grind the crumbles for the first two weeks. After two weeks, the quail seem to be able to handle the size of crumbles.

Proper Brooding Temperatures for Coturnix Quail

Temperature needs for brooding Coturnix quail seem to vary depending on the time of year and where you live. The general consensus is that they should be kept at 95ºF for the first week and lowered by 5º each week. I’ve successfully gotten away with less. Most texts say that you need to keep lowering the temperature weekly until the brooder temperature is the same temperature as where you will be housing them, but I haven’t found that to be true.

Moving Your Quail Outdoors

I removed the heat at three weeks old (so they were at 65-70ºF) and moved our quail outdoors at four weeks old. I had a heat lamp on in their outdoor housing and none of them used it, even on colder days. In fact, on their 5th day outside it was raining cats and dogs and they were out in the rain scratching for goodies. I think they are hardier than people give them credit for.

Regardless of where you live or what time of year it is, your Coturnix quail will be ready for their new home by 5 weeks. They’ll also be preparing to start laying at that same time. Find out why we raise our quail on the ground instead of in raised cages.

The internet would have you believe that incubating and brooding Coturnix quail is difficult. I'm here to let you in on a secret... it's not.

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Jessica Lane

I am a non-traditional homesteader. What is a non-traditional homesteader? I'd like to think we are the people who don't fit the mold. I am a busy mom on a small bit of property with not a lot of financial resources, but I am figuring out how to live the life I want. A homesteader's life.
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Latest posts by Jessica Lane (see all)

  • Burn Barrel 101: Why You Need One on Your Homestead - November 24, 2020
  • How to Incubate and Brood Coturnix Quail - October 1, 2020
  • Can You Freeze Spaghetti Squash? Yes! Here’s How - October 1, 2020
  • The Big List of Chicken-Safe Plants for In & Around Your Coop - October 1, 2020
  • Help Livestock Deal with Summer Heat on the Homestead - March 25, 2020

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Raven says

    August 27, 2020 at 2:34 pm

    Thank you for a good detailed post. There is sure a lot of information on the net about quail breeding, or partridge as they are also called here. I bookmarked this since it was informative and apears to work good for you.
    I have absolutely no experience in quail breeding but I do some ancient practice in common hen and turkey breeding. I’m old and retired but in decent health and really need a new hobby that my back will accept without major problems. I’m currently in the process of building a simple incubator and might be able to score some white colored eggs. Wish me luck and thanks again. God bless.

    Reply
    • Robin Hill says

      October 27, 2020 at 1:40 pm

      Thank you for all the information. I’m watching one quail egg hatch now. Watching through the incubator of corse. It’s so exciting. I’m new at this so any information is great. I enjoyed yours best. I’m pretty sure I should leave them in the incubator for at least 24 hrs, right? My red heat lamp for brooder is 125 degrees. I’ll put that on one side of brooder. Is it to hot though? Thank you, Robin Hill

      Reply
  2. Dub says

    April 26, 2020 at 11:03 pm

    Thanks for the article, we just got our first batch of coturnix quail hatching today. Quail eggs will be a great addition to our farm/homestead. They sure do pump out the eggs from what I’ve read.

    Reply
  3. David Hilmy says

    April 13, 2020 at 9:03 am

    Good morning from Belize (and apparently 5 years after you wrote this, so I don’t actually expect a response, but we’ll see!) I breed curassowa and other endangered gamebirds for release back into the wild. I recently acquired some quail which of course are now laying- already using a hova bator and hand turning, my actual question is do you/can you introduce chicks that are now ready for outdoor life into an enclosure with adult birds? I don’t with curassows as adults are aggressive and just too big, and of course I never do ioth laying hens, but if it works for quail, I won’t need to construct yet another enclosure! David

    Reply
    • Kevin says

      June 20, 2020 at 3:21 pm

      I can’t speak for all quail but I can say for Japanese Coturnix like I have, adding birds that are 5-6wks old has worked fine for me as long as they are not males added to a male’s enclosure. I only let males live with other males they grew up with and without females. When you add females, they begin to get territorial and can be aggressive toward each other.

      Reply
      • Sebastian says

        July 10, 2020 at 10:51 pm

        I have all my males housed together with the girls, a little fighting at first but nothing to worry about. The fighting stops after a little while, they all work out who’s trouble and who’s not.

        Reply
  4. Ethan Stevenson says

    April 21, 2019 at 9:51 pm

    Hey, I am a teen and am thinking about hatching eggs and selling chicks to make some money. What would you recommend I do to start? I have raised quail before and am somewhat familiar with them but have never hatched them myself. Please help, thanks!

    Reply
    • Jim says

      March 10, 2020 at 2:11 am

      Just get a good incubator and fertile eggs and it’s that easy good luck I Ben raising them for 2 years now they are very fun birds and easy to hatch and sell good luck to ya Jim Graff Portland maine

      Reply
  5. Jessica G says

    March 28, 2019 at 11:21 am

    my daughter has been incubating 30 quail eggs, but we are now on a week or so over the hatch date. She realized about a week in that she didn’t have the temp high enough, but only by a few degrees. She insists they are still growing, but I am not so sure – can you answer that question? None of them have hatched. We are using an incubator that turns the eggs but the humidity has been harder to control, going anywhere from 37% to 45%. Thank you in advance – any help is appreciated!

    Reply
    • Anonymous says

      January 10, 2020 at 9:37 am

      Candle them. Set on flashlight and look inside for a bird

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        January 31, 2020 at 10:08 am

        whats does this even mean..

        Reply
        • Jessica says

          January 21, 2021 at 3:28 am

          Seriously, just google “candling eggs” and figure it out. It’s hatching eggs 101.

          Reply
          • Not Crabby says

            April 4, 2021 at 2:57 am

            So candling is a process in which you use a light to check on the embryo. If you light it up and there’s just sloshy going in there, the egg is likely a dud.

            Sorry that other person was a snarky jerk. It’s not hard to be kind.

  6. Maria says

    August 15, 2018 at 11:40 am

    I fell into quail by a fluke of luck. Last year, a member of our poultry group announced he had some ready and I opted for 4 chicks. Not knowing anything about them, I failed that clutch miserably. This year my quail keeping is much different and I am keeping 20 at this time and am starting to incubate eggs. My first hatch resulted in 8 out of 21 eggs. I’d like to improve this number and hatch as many as possible. Like you, I have a small piece of property and am working towards my homesteading goals a little at a time. Thank you for sharing your expertise. I appreciate the data you’ve included in this article!

    Reply
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    August 10, 2018 at 12:59 am

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    July 25, 2018 at 12:12 pm

    Hello. I see that you don’t update your site too often. I know that writing content
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  9. Sarah Chapman hughes says

    April 26, 2018 at 6:09 am

    Hi,

    We’ve successfully hatched 10 quails, the only problem we’re having now is we’ve moved them to a brooder from the incubator once they were all fluffy. The temperature is around 35c there’s shallow water and food yet they seem to be getting weak. We’ve dipped their beaks in the water so they don’t dehydrate and they’ve been eating. What could be the problem?

    Reply
    • Gail Hamilton says

      October 26, 2018 at 11:12 am

      Mine don’t eat at first, they have a reserve of yolk in their system from the egg. I’ll bet they eat in a day!

      Reply
  10. Olivia says

    March 19, 2018 at 7:48 pm

    How do you take care of them in the Winter?

    Reply
    • Anonymous says

      January 31, 2020 at 10:09 am

      you bring them inside.

      Reply
  11. Laina says

    February 8, 2018 at 11:16 am

    Hi I have botj common quail and the white bobwhites in at the same time.
    I read online that its good to keep the humidity up to 60% for the jumbo breeds. So its been between 55-60% from day one. They are now on day 15. Do you think they will be fine? Wont drawn? The temp is set at 98.5 f. Thanks for your help!
    Do i need to raise the humidity?
    I also read that bobwhites and california quail hatch on day 22-23. Is that true?

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Ann Egan says

      June 21, 2020 at 7:21 pm

      Irrespective of breed type, they need lower humidity during incubation so the air sac grows larger and they have air to breath between internal pip and external pip (when they breath outside air). Higher humidity prevents the air sac from growing larger. Check out Coturnix Corner on YouTube or Slightly Rednecked. These two people have a lot of experience and I’m sure will answer any questions you have. I learnt about lower vs higher humidity from Coturnix Corner.

      Reply
    • Ashley D says

      July 27, 2020 at 9:18 am

      Also, while it’s too late for the OP, everyone should know that 98* is too low – bump that up to 100*.

      Reply
  12. Srinu says

    January 30, 2018 at 5:16 pm

    Hi Jessica,

    Recently I bought Hova Bator 1602N, I started incubating my question is on the top of the incubator RED vents do I need to remove or keep it.
    Please let me know.
    Thanks in advance.

    Reply
    • Jessica Lane says

      February 6, 2018 at 12:35 pm

      You add or remove them based on the humidity in your incubator. If you notice it’s too dry, add them. If the humidity is too high, remove them. Keep an eye on the temperatures while you do this.

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        September 2, 2020 at 9:34 am

        Do you turn the temperature up

        Reply
  13. Pritam Bahadur Thapa says

    January 27, 2018 at 10:39 am

    Hi there nice to meet you I am a beginner for raising quial I have read all your suggestion for incubating quial eggs thank you very much.

    Reply
  14. kira says

    January 19, 2018 at 10:55 pm

    I want to incubate quail eggs but i’m not sure what kind of incubator I should get they can range from under $20 to $200 and i’ve never hatched eggs before nor has anyone that I know so could you please tell what kind of incubator you have and where I can get one from that would be very helpful

    Reply
    • Anonymous says

      January 25, 2018 at 3:23 pm

      Hi! I ordered an incubator off of amazon. It looked like this http://amzn.to/2s8Rrug

      Enjoy!

      Reply
    • Anonymous says

      June 18, 2020 at 12:27 pm

      I tried the cheap styrofoam ones from tractor supply, my chickens hatched but my pheasants died. I splurged and got a Brinsea 28. Every egg I’ve put in so far has hatched. It turns them controls humidity. It’s great! My quail are in now. Can’t wait to see them.

      Reply
      • Of Goats and Greens says

        September 16, 2020 at 7:27 pm

        I bought a cheap Styrofoam one from Tractor Supply. It was missing parts. So I went back and got a replacement. It was missing different parts. So, I simply ordered one from Lumia, and although it cost more, everything was there, and I feel much better knowing this isn’t Styrofoam, either. I am now incubating my second batch of eggs. On my first batch, I got about a 60 % hatch rate, but the eggs that didn’t hatch weren’t fertile, or at least had no embryos – I checked at the end. Everything with an embryo hatched, although one died within an hour.

        Reply
  15. Richard may says

    June 24, 2017 at 6:50 pm

    Can you help me my quail eggs are in an automatic turner do i just pull the plug from the turner on day 15 and leave eggs pointed down in trays or lay them on there side on bottom and remove yellow turner my 1st time

    Reply
    • Anonymous says

      June 18, 2020 at 12:30 pm

      You have to keep going with the heat and bring humidity up. Definitely take the turner out and lay them on the bottom. Don’t have to be standing up.

      Reply
  16. Tori Fischer says

    February 21, 2017 at 2:24 am

    Okay so I am about to start hatching my very first Quail that are flying in from across Canada. I have thought about making my own incubator since its worked for my friend apparently. But I need help on one piece of information…

    My friend says to leave the eggs alone for the incubating period yet 90% of people say that you MUST turn the eggs everyday. She said that her eggs would go bad everytime she opened the incubator. I’m so conflicted with this info. Will my Quail eggs die if I open the incubator to turn the eggs???

    Reply
    • Jessica Lane says

      February 22, 2017 at 8:51 pm

      I always turn mine, but I have an automatic turner, so that might be why it’s successful. I wonder if having the lid off to turn all those tiny eggs by hand is why your friend doesn’t have much luck.

      Reply
    • Raven says

      August 27, 2020 at 3:39 pm

      As far as I know all bird eggs need to be moved during incubation until the last couple of days when embryo is positioning itself for popping. Your quail eggs will not go bad because you open and turn them. Start small and work up your experience. Don’t kill yourself and throw it all away if you fail. This is not rocket science and the information here is good, it’s based on experience and not calculated facts. Experience is the key to everything, anyone can read a book and think they know all about it. I’m a retired mechanic tought by those who knew from experience long before internet. Qails are sturdy little buggers and I’m sure you can be an excellent quail breeder rather quickly. Success comes from effort. Good luck and god bless.

      Reply
  17. John says

    January 26, 2017 at 4:04 pm

    Do eggs need to rest in the incubator before turning it the unit on to its 100degree temperature

    Reply
    • Jessica Lane says

      January 27, 2017 at 10:20 pm

      Some say you should, but I’ve never had that problem. If they were shipped, I’d err on the side of caution and let them rest for 24 hours.

      Reply
      • John says

        January 27, 2017 at 10:37 pm

        Thanks for the reply and help!

        Reply
      • John says

        February 20, 2017 at 3:41 pm

        Hey Jessica I have the same incubator as you, and I have 2 different readings on 2 dye thermometers at 101 on the one side of the bator and than 99 on the opposite side, while the middle hygrometer is reading 97.9 directly in the centre under the fan… Its been running for over 24 hours.. How do I calibrate so that it distributes evenly ?

        Reply
        • Jessica Lane says

          February 20, 2017 at 4:08 pm

          If you have a fan in place, you’ve done all you can. Mother Nature isn’t perfect and neither are incubators, unfortunately. That isn’t a huge extreme. If you’re turning by hand, try rotating the eggs around the incubator. If you are worried that it really will cause a problem (though I don’t think it will), you can cut cord grooves in all four corners (you know how there’s one in the back right already). That way you can rotate the base daily and the lid will still shut.

          Reply
          • Anonymous says

            February 20, 2017 at 7:12 pm

            Okay, so you think those temp difference should be fine? I’m using my automatic egg turner, I figured Id rotate the eggs from left to right through the middle every 3 days or so when I added water. I just worried the middle may be to cold

          • Jessica Lane says

            February 22, 2017 at 8:48 pm

            I think you should be okay.

  18. John says

    January 26, 2017 at 3:55 pm

    Hey, from all my reading and from what it even says with the hovabator, the quail eggs take roughly 21 days to hatch. My question is, what day should i remove the quail from the egg turner ? and also, if I’m picking my eggs up, is it recommended to turn my incubator off before they go in leave them in the egg turner for 6-8 hours before turning it back on for them to acclimate to the higher temp?

    Reply
    • Jessica Lane says

      January 27, 2017 at 10:21 pm

      I’ve never had them take that long (even 19 days is rare). I’d still take them out of the turner on day 15. They chances of them sticking before hatch is very unlikely.

      Reply
      • Anita Rook says

        April 20, 2017 at 8:10 pm

        When you remove them from the turner are you basically just removing the turner from the incubator and placing the eggs back in?

        Reply
  19. susan st louis says

    December 18, 2016 at 8:46 am

    I had 22 eggs in the incubator 1 hatched on day 17 on day 18..this is day 19 and still no more chicks..I know there were chicks in all of them..these eggs were left at cool room temperature for about 3 weeks befor going to incubator..do you think He rest will hatch?feeling anxious

    Reply
    • Jessica Lane says

      December 19, 2016 at 9:36 am

      While it’s no uncommon for eggs to hatch as late as day 19 (usually because the temperature is set too low and it delayed hatching), my concern is the age of the eggs. We try to collect eggs for no more than 5 days before getting them in the incubator. Three weeks will seriously reduce hatchability.

      Reply
  20. Chelsea says

    November 18, 2016 at 7:22 pm

    Is there any specific incubator you recommend for Coturnix quail?

    Reply
    • Jessica Lane says

      November 27, 2016 at 9:10 am

      I have the Hova Bator with fan and I’ve had great results from everything from duck eggs to quail eggs. I highly recommend using an egg turner with quail. They unusually come with racks for chickens and ducks, but you can get quail rails separately.

      Reply
      • Chelsea Mahoney says

        November 29, 2016 at 1:00 pm

        Ok! I have a Little Giant still air incubator but I can buy the fan, egg turner, and quail rail attachments no problem 🙂

        Also, I can’t seem to find this info anywhere. Maybe I’m searching wrong. Is there a way to store eggs so I can incubate them all at the same time? Say, 1 week of eggs going in at the same time, so I’m not trying to separate 2-3 eggs for lockdown each day?

        Reply
        • Jessica Lane says

          December 3, 2016 at 12:29 pm

          With duck and chicken eggs you rotate them daily and store them at room temperature. I don’t worry so much with my quail eggs. I just keep them in an egg carton and give them a little tilt from time to time until I’m ready to put them in the incubator. No matter how far apart they were laid, day 1 of incubating will still be 24 hours after putting them in the incubator. Just keep in mind that hatch-ability declines after 5 days.

          Reply
  21. susan st louis says

    November 12, 2016 at 2:22 pm

    I have d 2 quail hatch this am.still 12 left to hatch .is it OK to put od in the incubator and leave the 2 chicks in there and for how long. will the humidity hurt the 2 chicks?

    Reply
    • Jessica Lane says

      November 13, 2016 at 7:46 pm

      The humidity won’t hurt the chicks, it will just prevent them from fully drying which isn’t a big deal if they are put right into a warm brooder when removed. I leave chicks up to 24 hours, especially if only a couple have hatched. It’s best to move a minimum of 4-5 so they can huddle in the brooder if they need to.

      Reply
  22. Bernard Bempah says

    October 16, 2016 at 1:46 am

    I have just started with i first hard 10 3 weeks birds . I know have 400 day old chicks they have started purging just after the 2nd night , what is the cause?

    Reply
  23. B Janssen says

    September 27, 2016 at 9:15 pm

    Just starting out with Coturnix, have only 5, not even sure of the male/female ratio. They lay 3 eggs everyday and I would like to incubate and brood. What would you recommend for equipment? Thanks.

    Reply
  24. Becca says

    September 12, 2016 at 2:46 pm

    Hey Jessica! Attempting my first hatch in a still air incubator with hand turning. I am on day 19 with a couple wiggly eggs but no chicks yet. I was going to chuck the lot as I thought maybe they were bad but when I picked up the one I swore was wiggling yesterday there was a small hole through which I could see the chick’s side moving as it breathed. I put it back and thought the one beside it was wiggling too. I had trouble with the incubator the first couple days, so maybe that delayed the hatch? And is it normal for that one egg to have a hole in the shell with the chick still inside? At what point/day do I just consider the whole thing a failure? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Jessica Lane says

      September 12, 2016 at 5:44 pm

      Don’t begin to worry yet. Still air incubators can cause cold spots which are made worse by opening the incubator. Hands off for the next 24 hours and see what happens.

      Reply
      • Becca says

        September 13, 2016 at 12:30 pm

        I now have 2 chicks so far. Still a little worried that in about 6 hours we will begin day 21 and I haven’t turned the eggs since day 14 but since a couple have hatched so maybe not a big deal? The first one to “zipper” the shell got stuck like that for more than 12 hours and when I finally investigated it was on it’s back in the shell – which had dried around it. I cracked it open just a little and put it belly side down and the next time I checked it had finally busted out. Poor little thing seems really exhausted though. Since they don’t all hatch at the same time how long/many days should I wait to see if the others hatch? Oh, and browsed your site for hours yesterday – thanks for all the information!

        Reply
        • Jessica Lane says

          September 14, 2016 at 9:20 am

          I’d give them until day 21. Do you know how to float test eggs to see if they’re alive? Fill a glass with warm water (not hot) and gently place an egg in the water (making sure the egg hasn’t pipped). If it sinks it’s not viable. If it floats watch it for a moment to see if it wiggles. If it floats but doesn’t move it’s probably not viable.

          Reply
  25. Chad says

    July 25, 2016 at 1:13 am

    We just hatched our first 5 on day 18. Still have 45 left to hatch. So you leave them in the incubator for 24 to 48 hours. Do you put food and water in the incubator for them? I have searched the internet and I can’t find anything.

    Reply
    • Jessica Lane says

      August 8, 2016 at 8:44 pm

      No food and water in the incubator, just in the brooder. They absorb the yolk just before hatching and that provides nourishment that will last for up to 3 days.

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        August 31, 2016 at 12:24 am

        the yolk last them 24 hours not 3 days :/ , you can put water in the incubator from when the 1st one hatches ( i know breeders that have been doing it for years) please before giving any adice out, you do your research….

        Reply
        • Jessica Lane says

          August 31, 2016 at 9:08 pm

          Gallinaceous birds, such as chickens, quail, and pheasants survive up to 3 days without feed or water. The yolk of the egg is drawn through the navel into the stomach of the baby bird before it hatches. This, then provided nourishment for the transitional period from the time the bird hatches, fluffs out, gains strength and becomes active enough to go out and seek food. Chicks continue to grow and develop in the incubator, before they receive food. Of course, they do not gain weight, but they do gain in stature, activity and use of their faculties.

          – Texas A&M University, Department of Poultry Science

          Reply
        • Anonymous says

          August 21, 2017 at 8:11 pm

          Of course they live up to 3 days off the yolk. How else would they survive shipment?

          Reply
          • zeekecav says

            January 3, 2019 at 3:37 am

            You just contradicted yourself. First you say only 24 ours and not 3 days and then you say “of course they live off the yolk for 3 days. I am glad that the information from Texas A&M is the bible for research and facts. I thing you are the one that needs to get the facts straight. No wonder there is so much confusion with this hobby. There is an abundance of incorrect information given out by people who do not have their facts straight and then with You Tube videos it is a nightmare watching what they do to the poor innocent chicks.

  26. Walt B. says

    March 15, 2016 at 1:38 pm

    Is there any difference in incubating A&M jumbo’s and regular cortunix?

    Reply
    • Jessica Lane says

      March 21, 2016 at 11:38 am

      No, they are the same except for bloodlines and selective breeding.

      Reply
  27. KpH says

    December 10, 2015 at 7:27 am

    Hi there, hoping you might have some advice on hatching quail – we have hatched a little batch of 14, and 9 have hatched so far – they are running around inside the incubator but looking very damp still, though two hatched last night (at least 18 hours ago) – there is condensation on the inside plastic window of the mini incubator, should we maybe wipe it dry, clean out the damp paper, and put them back in to fluff up? It is a still air incubator and I don’t understand how they are supposed to get fluffy in high humidity?! Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks for your no fuss advice above 🙂

    Reply
    • Jessica Lane says

      December 10, 2015 at 9:51 am

      Congratulations on your hatch! It sounds like your humidity may have climbed a bit, which is normal when there are a bunch of wet chicks running around. Happens to me almost every time. Do you have a humidity gauge in there with them? What I suggest is removing a few plugs from the incubator (if it has them) or tilting the just a bit to release a bit of the humidity. Just make sure you are checking the thermometer and changing it as necessary. Often when you vent to release humidity, the temperature will lower. Let me know how it goes and don’t hesitate to ask more questions.

      Reply
  28. Cynthia says

    October 15, 2015 at 3:21 pm

    Thank you for getting back to me so quickly! I had 14 hatch and after 24 hours I moved them to the brooder and two more habe hatched since then. Unfortunately one is upside down in the rail with this wings and head through the hole at the bottom. Do you have any advice on getting him out?

    Reply
    • Jacob says

      November 30, 2015 at 5:58 pm

      I was out of town and got to day 16 with my egg turner still in the incubator, walked in the door ran in to check. One was hatched and fluffy. The second one was like Cynthia’s stuck in the vents of the bottom of the egg turner. I carefully removed the bird by pushing him through. All he needed to do was tuck his wing in to make it. Luckily they are both healthy and I’m waiting for the other 46 to hatch. I think the first two hatched late on the 15th day.

      Reply
      • Jessica Lane says

        November 30, 2015 at 7:24 pm

        I’m so glad it turned out well. Even with seemingly nothing that could cause issues, I always have one that gets stuck somewhere (usually it gets stuffed under the thermometer and needs rescuing). Good luck with the remainder of your hatch.

        Reply
  29. Cynthia says

    October 13, 2015 at 6:16 pm

    Thanks for the article! I have a question today is day 16 and I have 48 eggs in my incubator and two hatched today. Do I remove those birds after 18 to 24 hours and wait for more to hatch? (hopefully more will hatch)

    Reply
    • Jessica Lane says

      October 13, 2015 at 6:45 pm

      I would wait 48 hours from when the first hatched and then pull out any that are fluffy. Congratulations on your chicks!

      Reply
  30. Russ says

    July 12, 2015 at 9:10 am

    I’ve been thinking about adding quail for a couple of years now. I think reading your stuff may be the turning point.
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Jessica Lane says

      July 12, 2015 at 10:12 am

      They really are great little birds. I feel like I’m becoming a quail pusher lol.

      Reply
  31. Carole West @ Garden Up Green says

    June 30, 2015 at 9:01 am

    Raising the Corturnix was a fun experience. I’m currently raising Bobwhites and that has been so different., loving it and finding out with each breed they are so different. Great tips, I don’t incubate going to let the girls do it for me. Love it when nature takes control.
    Hope you have a great July 4th
    Carole

    Reply
    • Jessica Lane says

      June 30, 2015 at 9:05 am

      Thanks Carole! Happy fourth to you as well (is it just me or did it sneak up on us?)

      Reply
  32. Mike Cline says

    June 24, 2015 at 6:46 pm

    I have raised many Quail… big secret they can’t eat starter feed. Put it into a coffee mill and grind it down to the consistency of powder and put on a plastic lid in the box they will figure it out… water put marbles in to the water so they can’t walk or fall in… they grow so fast after a week they are ready for the started and regular waters

    Reply
  33. tessa says

    June 22, 2015 at 11:55 am

    Is that why people keep quail – because they lay eggs so fast? Is it for eating? I’ve never researched quail so I’m completely ignorant – help!

    Reply
    • Jessica Lane says

      June 22, 2015 at 2:51 pm

      They are often kept for meat and eggs. The reason why quail are gaining popularity is because of the quick turn around for both of these. Also, with a more majestic and less obnoxious crow, people are able to keep breeding stock without annoying the neighbors.

      Reply

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