INCUBATING
Most domestic quail don't sit their own eggs so incubators are used. Eggs should be picked up every day and stored in a cool room. The floor of the aviary should be scrupulously clean otherwise the eggs will become soiled or damaged. Don't store the eggs for more than 10 days as fertility starts to drop off. Ideally, only keep eggs for up to one week before placing in the incubator. The eggs should be stored at room temperature and placed pointy end down in egg cartons. The eggs should be turned once or twice per day whilst being stored before being placed in the incubator.
The size and breed of the quail, and the size of the egg determines how long incubation takes per species. I recommend incubating Japanese eggs for first-time breeders. These will take approximately 17 days to hatch. Experience counts for a lot especially with the rarer and more expensive quail. Slowly work your way through the cheaper, more easily available species before tackling the expensive and scarcely seen species as they have a higher price tag for a reason. The easiest species to start off with are Japanese, Chinese, Bobwhites and Harlequin, moving on to Californian, Rain, Gambels, Mountain, Elegant, Mearns, Roul Roul.
If you are looking to purchase an incubator, I would recommend an automatic turning model rather than a manual turning model as ideally, eggs should be turned at least 5 times per day, most people won't be around this often if they have a busy life-style. You need to stop turning the eggs 1 - 2 days before they are due to hatch. The eggs should then be moved to a hatcher with the water fully topped up. Then leave well alone until the chicks have hatched. Wait until the chicks have fluffed up before moving them to the brooder. This normally takes a few hours.
