Why didn't all my eggs hatch?

After 21 days, your quail hatch is complete. But why didn't all your eggs hatch? There are many possible causes.

First, know that having some unhatched eggs is completely normal. Some eggs just don't hatch. Even if there's a rooster around. Even if the chick appeared to be developing normally in the egg. It's part of the reason why birds lay so many eggs! 

But there are other reasons you'll get non-hatchers (sometimes called quitters). Your eggs may have been mishandled in shipping. Or your incubator may have cold spots or hot spots. Or your humidity may have been off. 

At the end of your hatch, you can candle and/or break open you unhatched eggs to figure out what happened.

Here's our guide to performing "egg-topsies" so you can pinpoint any issues your eggs (or incubator) may have had. 

1. Chicks didn't develop at all (egg is 'clear' when candled)

Two possible causes:

shipping issue
Likely cause if more than 5% of total eggs are clear, usually due to dislodged air cells from rough handling or prolonged exposure to extreme temps -OR-

infertile eggs
Likely cause if total number of clear eggs is less than 5% of total

 

2. Chicks started to develop, but died (blood ring may show candled)

Inconsistent incubator temps or prolonged exposure to 99+ degree temps in shipping, which can cause eggs to start developing while in transit

 

3. Chicks developed but didn't pip 

Incubator humidity is too high so the air sac is too small at hatch, which means there's not enough air for chicks to breathe while they pip

 

4. Chicks developed and pipped, but didn't hatch

Incubator humidity too low

 

5. Chicks hatch early (before day 17)

Incubator temp too high or has hot spots

 

6. Chicks hatch late (day 20-21 or later)

Incubator temp too low or has cold spots

 

7. Chicks have deformed feet/legs

Late hatching due to low or inconsistent incubator temps

Tip for Success: Calibrate your incubator
Incubators frequently lie about the temp and humidity. Even a degree off can be detrimental to a hatch. We always recommend a second temperature and humidity gauge (such as a Govee) to see if you need to adjust your incubator settings. Learn how to calibrate here.

We hope this list helps you better understand what happened in your hatch so you can make adjustments and get a better hatch rate next time around.

Happy hatching! 

-Jenna & Zack