Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Quail Eggs on THE 14 days!

So I have been incubating these eggs for 14 days now using an auto-turn hovabator monitoring temperatures at 37.5 +- 0.3 degrees (more like +-0.5 though) and humidity around 60%, with the addition of a thermal sink (consisting of a 1 litre plastic bottle and paper tape). I do have piccies but they are still in the camera. Now since it is on 14 days, I took them off the auto-turner and placed them in takeaway containers so that they aren't lying directly on the wire which is wet. The temperature will be kept around the same with an optimum humidity at 70%. It is currently sitting on 66%. Now we wait 3 days. I am ready for none to hatch though due to:
  • Mailed eggs
  • Inexperience (though all temperatures have been monitored carefully, so I have really done it to the books, I guess postmortems will tell what could be wrong. hehe sounds like I'm already making excuses for myself)
  • On a few occasions the auto-turner didn't turn as it should due to the thermometer obstructing the passage, and/or the plastic bottle pulling away from the tape nesting warmly against one of the egg containers immobilizing the whole mechanism, though I have made sure the eggs have been at least turned more than twice properly each day (which is the amount recommended for manual turning).
Fingers crossed though as quail eggs are said to be very hardy. We'll find out soon!

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