Incubation of quail eggs at home: conditions, terms

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

During domestication, female quails have lost the ability to incubate eggs. When planning their maintenance, you need to familiarize yourself with the process of breeding these birds. It is important to consider that obtaining chicks is possible only under conditions of artificial incubation of quail eggs. For this purpose, they are taken from females 2-8 months of age.

Selection of quail eggs for incubation

Eggs are collected within one week. They are stored at a temperature of 8-12°C.

They must have the following characteristics:

• Smooth shell.
• Medium pigmentation.
• Correct form.
• Clean.
• The largest.

If you have an ovoscope, you can shine them on it, rejecting those that have air chambers at the sharp end, notches in the shell and two yolks. The location of the yolk is also visible - it should be approximately in the center, closer to the blunt edge, which appears on the ovoscope as a fuzzydimming. The integrity of the shell, the presence of blood is also checked. If dark spots are found under the shell, the presence of mold can be assumed. Quail eggs are taken for incubation very carefully from both ends to avoid erasing the shell membrane. If there is no ovoscope, you can use an ordinary bright flashlight.

You can also make it yourself. For this, a small cardboard box is taken, a lamp is placed inside, and a hole is cut on top, into which an egg is inserted, most of which will be on top.

If you need to get quails, then select eggs weighing 9-11 g. If you need meat quails, then the weight of the eggs should be 12-16 g.

Some experts advise against wiping and washing them, while others believe that if eggs are contaminated with droppings, they should be cleaned with bleach or a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

The incubator is also cleaned and disinfected either with special products or with the help of a household ultraviolet irradiator. The last treatment is carried out for 5-8 minutes from an approximate distance of about 40 cm.

Preparing for incubation

Storage of quail eggs should be carried out in optimal humidity and temperature conditions. The first indicator should be 75-80%, and the second - 8-12 ° C. If the room is very dry, then you need to keep the water in a wide bowl on an ongoing basis and periodically wet the floor. Windows should be curtained, quail eggs for incubation at home should not be exposed to directSun rays. Carbon dioxide is released through the shell, which must be periodically removed by airing the room.

The percentage of hatchability depends on how many females per male. It is recommended that their number does not exceed 3-4.

Obtaining offspring depends on the correct feeding of the bird. The amount of crude protein should be at least 25%. During the laying period, crushed shells are added to the diet. The feed must include grain, otherwise the birds may stop laying.

Eggs are stored on open shelves on their sides. Every two days, in order to prevent the embryo from sticking to the shell, they are turned over. For incubation, take those of the eggs, the shelf life of which did not exceed one week. It can be increased if, immediately after laying, the eggs are placed in cellular boxes, after which they are placed in polymer bags, which must immediately be sealed. This will allow them to be stored for up to 12-15 days at an incubation temperature of quail eggs of 15-18°C and humidity not reaching 60% in a darkened room.

To increase the shelf life up to 20 days, they can be placed in an incubator for half an hour daily.

Feeding females

To implement the incubation of quail eggs at home, it is important to maintain optimal feeding of quails.

The diet may include the following ingredients:

• Chalk
• Shells.
• Yeast.
• Potatoes.
• Carrot.
• Beets.
• Cabbage.
• Cottage cheese.
• Eggprotein.
• Sourdough.

Be sure to have herbal flour and greens.

In addition to the conditions of incubation of quail eggs, feeding also affects obtaining he althy offspring. The quality of the feed given should be high. It affects:

• Resilience of offspring.
• Development of the embryo.
• Nutritional composition of the egg.

Incubator device

The most popular are the following models:

• "The mother hen".
• Universal-50.
• Universal-45.

The first model will be discussed in more detail below.

The mode of incubation of quail eggs in it is supported in a case measuring 70 x 50 x 40 cm, which is made of pressed foam, can be lined with metal or plastic or painted. An electrical cable is connected to the cover. When it is removed, the incubator will automatically turn off.

The removable tray is located inside the case. It is equipped with a mechanism that flips the eggs every 40-60 minutes. For the period of hatching, quail eggs are incubated without turning over using a special toggle switch.

Incandescent lamps are located under the tray, with the help of which heating is carried out. The temperature of incubation of quail eggs is maintained automatically due to the built-in electronic thermometer. It can be set between 25-40°C.

There are two trays above the heater, the evaporation of water from which maintains the required humidity. Air exchange is controlled throughholes located at the bottom of the incubator in the lid. They are adjustable.

Young animals are reared in a box mounted instead of a tray. It uses internal lighting. Young animals with the established rearing regimen can be in this state in the incubator for two weeks.

Devices without automatic flipping will be cheaper.

You can assemble a homemade incubator. It is made of plywood 3 mm thick with an insulated double lid. The walls should be the same. They are filled with sawdust or tow. Holes are made in the lid in the amount of 10 pieces for better ventilation and ensuring the necessary mode of incubation of quail eggs at home, as well as a window for observation. The former should have easily movable slats to regulate air exchange and ensure optimal humidity. The floor is made of plywood, which has 9 holes. A dish of water, 4 light bulbs of 15 W each and a horizontal tray are placed inside.

Quail eggs can be placed in a chicken incubator. At the same time, they are laid in a tray in 2 rows.

Egg placement conditions

Incubation of a quail egg in an incubator, depending on its model, may include:

• Laying them on their side and flipping them 180°.
• On special trays, on which their sharp end goes down. For embryos, an angle of 45° is considered optimal.

Before laying the incubator warms up to 38 ° forat least 3 hours. Eggs from a cold room are transferred to a warm one.

After laying the eggs in the apparatus, the incubation temperature of quail eggs at home is maintained at 38.2 ° for 2 hours, which allows them to warm up faster. After that, standard indicators are set.

Quail egg incubation mode

There are no uniform recommendations for these processes. Some believe that the incubation temperature of quail eggs should be 37-38°C for 15 days, others - 36.8-37.6, others believe that it should remain stable at 37.7°C. When transferring quail eggs for hatching, the temperature can be in the range of 37, 4-40 ° C, the number of coups varies from 1 to 5 per day. Some advise cooling eggs 1 to 5 times a day for 2-3 minutes.

Features of the procedure

Egg turning starts from day 1. On the 3rd day, during the incubation of quail eggs, they begin to ventilate and humidify the room. If manual overturning is carried out, ventilation is not required. Moisturizing the shell is carried out twice a day, which helps to soften it. This procedure is carried out by spraying 2-3 minutes after opening the lid.

When turning eggs automatically, ventilation must be carried out. In this case, the lid is initially removed for 3 minutes, gradually lengthening this period to 10 minutes.

Embryo Development

Compared to chicks of other species, quail embryos are lesssensitive to temperature changes. Optimal values should be maintained for the first 5 days.

On the 7th day, you need to monitor the temperature of the incubation of eggs at home. The embryos begin to generate heat, causing the temperature inside the incubator to rise.

Their development is controlled with an ovoscope. These observations are made weekly.

In the event of a power outage and shutdown of the incubator, quickly remove the trays with eggs, cooling them to 15-18 ° C. After eliminating the cause of the accident and eliminating it, the trays are placed back, bringing the temperature to the optimum, but it must be borne in mind that the hatching of the young animals will be somewhat delayed.

After the first week, a developed capillary system and yolk are visible. If they are not visible (there is a light edging and a dark middle), this indicates the death of the embryo.

As the 14th day of the quail egg incubation period approaches, the capillary network spreads under the entire inner surface located under the shell. The embryo is a dark spot that occupies about a quarter of the surface.

Final rejection is carried out on the 16th day. In the absence of an embryo, we can say that he died in the first days of incubation, the eggs are visible on the ovoscope. They should not have a greenish tint. In eggs with a normally developed embryo, the contents are dark, only the air chamber located at the blunt end of the egg is visible.

Green tint indicates it has not been fertilized.

Those eggs that have been rejected must be disposed of. The rest return to the incubator until the chicks hatch. This process can begin, depending on the temperature set in the device, on the 16th-18th day.

Hatching Chicks

The incubation of quail eggs at home ends with the appearance of quails, which, while maintaining optimal conditions during the implementation of the above process, appear almost simultaneously. The delay in hatching of individual individuals can stretch for 1-2 days. Incubation is considered successful if the output is more than 80%.

For successful hatching on the 16th day of the incubation period, quail eggs are moved to the lower tray or hatcher with a temperature of 37.2°C, depending on the design of the apparatus. Hatchery trays are covered on top to prevent quail from jumping out through the sides.

Emerging chicks do not immediately get out of the incubator. They should dry out within 12-15 hours. Their mass is about 8 g. The number of males and females is approximately the same.

Poor hatchability may be due to the maintenance of non-optimal incubation conditions. Humidity should be optimal. If the air in the incubator is dry, then the shell dries up, which contributes to an increase in its density. As a result, the chick will not be able to get through it.

If the embryonic membranes contain an increased amount of moisture, then the quail will not be able to penetrate them. Besides,possible development of bacterial and fungal infections.

Also, unsuccessful incubation may be due to the following reasons:

• Long transport, which may damage the internal structure of the eggs.
• Failures in gas exchange occur when the internal chamber is overheated, which leads to an incorrect location of the embryo (its head is directed in the opposite direction from the blunt end).
• Untimely implementation of the coup of eggs, which leads to the drying of the embryo to the shell, as a result of which it sometimes dies. In some cases, it may hatch, but due to the fact that the protein was not fully used, the probability of its death after release is very high.
• Lack of ventilation - in the absence of oxygen entering through the shell, the embryos may die.
• Egg overheating, resulting in early hatching, little hairiness, small size, but large belly, which can also lead to their death.
• Insufficient temperature conditions lead to uneven hatching, its delay, hatched chicks do not stay on their feet, are inactive, lethargic.
• Not optimal feeding ration - mostly birds are born, but their lives are short. The main death occurs in the first two months after the hatching process.

Quail care

When dry, the chicks become hyperactive, trying to hide, so they are quickly moved from the incubator trays to the boxes, after which they are carried outrejection.

The following quails are considered poor quality:

• With head thrown back and body pinched.
• Knuckled out.
• With a shortened one of the parts of the beak.
• With crooked curled fingers.

They increase feed consumption, but most of them will die before reaching 2 months of age.

Make a feeder for hatched chicks up to 2 cm deep, covered with a soft cloth.

Feeding is carried out as follows:

• The basis of the diet in the first week is hard-boiled eggs, grated with shells at the rate of 1 egg for 3 chicks.
• Starting from the second day, add some curd.
• Give greens on day 3.
• From day 4, the number of eggs in the diet is reduced.

Drinkers and feeders should be easily accessible to birds. They are taught to use them by tapping on them on the first day. The quail should run up to the noise made. Feeding in the first days is carried out at the rate of 5 times a day.

Drinkers are made small to prevent chicks from drowning. A very weak solution of potassium permanganate is used as a liquid.

On the 4th day, the bottom of the boxes is covered with burlap. On day 7, corrugated paper or newspapers are laid on the floor. Bedding should be changed every day.

In closing

Hatching quail eggs is the only way to get chicks from available adults. Apparatus for this procedure can be purchased or made independently. Must be maintained in the first 15days the temperature is about 37-38° and the humidity is about 60%. The state of development of embryos must be constantly monitored with the help of an ovoscope. It is necessary to periodically turn the eggs, air and moisten the shell.