Egg Turner for Quail Eggs: Which IncuTurn Tray Do You Need?

Choosing the right egg turner for quail eggs is one of the most important decisions when setting up a quail egg incubator, and for HovaBator owners, that decision usually comes down to one question: which IncuTurn tray actually fits your flock. The IncuTurn™ egg turner works great out of the box, but the tray that ships with it was never really built with quail in mind. It was built to handle everything from a chicken egg down to a partridge egg, and quail eggs are the smallest thing it turns. That "universal" design is convenient, but it leaves capacity on the table if quail are your main focus.

This guide breaks down exactly what the IncuTurn's default quail egg incubator tray does, what the dedicated Quail Tray adds, and how to figure out which one your setup actually needs.

Quick Answer

The IncuTurn Universal Tray holds 70 quail eggs, while the dedicated Quail Tray holds up to 116. If you hatch quail exclusively, the Quail Tray is the better choice for capacity and egg fit.

The IncuTurn™ egg turner ships with a Universal Egg Tray that holds 70 quail eggs (along with 42 chicken or 28 goose eggs, since it is built to flex between sizes). If quail, especially Coturnix quail, are your primary or only bird, the Quail Tray for IncuTurn™ is a purpose-built quail egg turning tray that raises capacity to 116 quail eggs, a 66% jump, by using cells sized specifically for small eggs instead of universal slots. It is sold separately and does not include the turner motor, so you need an IncuTurn already installed before you buy it.

Table of Contents

• What the IncuTurn Actually Turns
• Quail Egg Incubator Tray Comparison: Universal vs. Quail Tray
• Does the Quail Tray Improve Hatch Rates?
• Which Tray Does Your Setup Actually Need?
• Installing the Quail Tray on Your IncuTurn
• Hatching More Than 116 Quail Eggs at Once?
• Not Using an IncuTurn? Other HovaBator Turner Options
• Why Egg Turning Matters This Much for Quail
• FAQ

What the IncuTurn Actually Turns

The IncuTurn™ Automatic Egg Turner is the standard motorized turner for current HovaBator desktop incubators. Instead of pushing eggs from side to side like an old rocker-style turner, it rolls each egg along its long axis six times a day, which is close to how a hen actually repositions eggs in a nest. That rolling motion keeps the yolk centered in the albumen and prevents the embryo from sticking to the shell membrane, which is the main reason unturned or under-turned eggs fail partway through incubation.

Out of the box, the IncuTurn comes with the Universal Egg Tray. It is designed to hold whatever you put in front of it: 42 chicken eggs, 70 quail eggs, or 28 goose eggs, all in the same set of slots. That flexibility is genuinely useful if you are hatching a mixed flock. It becomes a limitation the moment quail are the whole point of the incubator, because a slot sized to also fit a chicken egg is never going to pack quail eggs as tightly as a slot built only for quail.

Quail Egg Incubator Tray Comparison: Universal vs. Quail Tray

The capacity gap is the headline number, but the real difference is purpose. The Universal Tray is a compromise that works across egg sizes. The Quail Tray is a dedicated quail egg turning tray, so every cell is sized and spaced for a quail egg specifically, which is how it packs 66% more eggs into the same footprint on the turner.

Does the Quail Tray Improve Hatch Rates?

Not automatically. The Quail Tray does not turn eggs any more often or more gently than the Universal Tray. Both run on the same IncuTurn motor and the same six-times-a-day rolling schedule, so turning frequency itself is identical between the two.

What the Quail Tray changes is egg fit, and egg fit affects incubation consistency in ways that are easy to underestimate. In the Universal Tray, quail eggs sit in slots sized for a range of egg dimensions, which leaves room for eggs to shift, tip, or wedge at an angle during the roll. In the Quail Tray, each cell is sized specifically for a quail egg, so eggs stay positioned correctly through every rotation. In practice, that tends to mean:

• More secure positioning, with less chance of an egg rolling into a neighboring cell or sitting cocked on its side
• More consistent rolling across the whole tray, since every egg is the same size relative to its cell
• Less egg shifting between turns, which matters most in the first week when the air cell and embryo are still establishing position

None of this guarantees a higher hatch percentage on its own. Hatch rate is driven more by fertility, storage before setting, and getting temperature and humidity right than by which tray holds the eggs. But a tray that keeps quail eggs seated correctly removes one more variable that can work against you over a 17- to 18-day incubation, which is the practical case for the upgrade beyond raw capacity.

Which Tray Does Your Setup Actually Need?

Most people in this position fall into one of three groups.

You hatch quail alongside chicken or goose eggs in the same incubator. Stick with the Universal Tray that came with your IncuTurn. You lose the extra quail capacity, but you gain the ability to run one incubator across egg sizes without swapping trays between batches.

You hatch quail exclusively, or quail make up most of your hatches. The Quail Tray pays for itself quickly. Going from 70 to 116 eggs per cycle on the same footprint means fewer incubator cycles to reach the same hatch numbers, which matters if you are running a Coturnix quail incubator on a production or semi-production schedule.

You are just getting your first incubator and are not sure yet. Start with the Universal Tray that comes with the incubator or IncuTurn kit. It is the more flexible option while you figure out whether quail will be a side project or your main focus, and the Quail Tray is easy to add later without buying a new turner. If you have not settled on an incubator yet, the quail egg incubator collection shows which HovaBator combo kits already pair with the IncuTurn and where the Quail Tray fits in as an optional upgrade. You can also browse the full range of egg turners if you want to compare the IncuTurn against other turner options before deciding.

Installing the Quail Tray on Your IncuTurn

One thing that trips people up: the Quail Tray is not a standalone product. It is a replacement tray for an IncuTurn you already own, so the motor and mounting bracket are not included in the box.

1. Power off the incubator and unplug the IncuTurn motor before touching the tray.
2. Remove the existing Universal Tray from the turner base.
3. Set the Quail Tray in place and secure it with the single screw provided. No tools beyond a screwdriver are needed.
4. Load quail eggs into the cells, small end down, and confirm the tray sits flat and rotates freely before closing the incubator.
5. Power the turner back on and check that it completes a full roll on schedule.

If your existing IncuTurn motor is worn out, sticking, or making noise before you even get to this step, it is worth replacing it rather than mounting a new tray on a failing motor. The IncuTurn Parts collection has the motor and mounting hardware sold separately.

Hatching More Than 116 Quail Eggs at Once?

The IncuTurn and its Quail Tray are built around HovaBator-style tabletop incubators, so 116 quail eggs is close to the ceiling for that platform. If you are scaling past tabletop volume, the jump is usually to a cabinet incubator like the GQF 1502 Digital Sportsman, which runs on a completely different turning system: multiple turning racks instead of a single tray.

The Set of 6 Plastic Quail Egg Trays for Cabinet Incubator is built for that setup. Each tray holds up to 114 quail eggs, and each turning rack in a GQF 1500 or 1502 cabinet accepts up to 4 trays, for roughly 456 quail eggs per rack. With three racks in a fully loaded 1502, that is enough capacity for a serious small hatchery, not just a backyard batch. This is a different tray system entirely from the IncuTurn Quail Tray, so it is not interchangeable, but it is the natural next step once tabletop capacity stops being enough.

Not Using an IncuTurn? Other HovaBator Turner Options

Everything above is specific to the IncuTurn system. If you do not already own an IncuTurn and are shopping for a turner from scratch, HovaBator also sells an older-style automatic egg turner that uses swap-in plastic egg racks instead of a single molded tray. It is a separate product line, and its racks are not interchangeable with the IncuTurn.

The Hova-Bator Egg Turner with 6 Universal & 6 Quail Egg Racks bundles this turner with both rack types included, so it is a reasonable starting point if you want quail turning without building around the IncuTurn system specifically.

If you already own this older-style turner and just need replacement or additional racks:

• Set of 6 Plastic Universal Egg Racks hold up to 41 quail eggs alongside chicken and other sizes.
• HovaBator Quail Egg Racks (Set of 6) are quail-specific and hold up to 120 small eggs.

One important compatibility note: both of these rack sets are built exclusively for the older HovaBator Automatic Egg Turner. They do not fit the IncuTurn or Little Giant turners. If you already own an IncuTurn, use the Quail Tray covered earlier in this guide rather than ordering these racks, since they will not attach to it.

Why Egg Turning Matters This Much for Quail

It is worth understanding why the tray upgrade is worth doing at all, rather than just leaving eggs in the universal slots. According to Mississippi State University Extension's hatchery management guide, egg turning exists because egg yolk has a lower specific gravity than the surrounding albumen, so if an egg sits still, the yolk drifts upward toward the shell and the embryo can stick to the membrane instead of developing normally. Regular turning keeps the yolk centered and gives the embryo room to develop through the full incubation period.

Quail eggs are more sensitive to this than chicken eggs simply because they are smaller and have a shorter incubation window (17 to 18 days for Coturnix, versus 21 for chickens), so there is less margin for a missed turn to be corrected later in the cycle. That is the whole argument for using an automatic egg turner for quail eggs rather than turning by hand, and for choosing a tray that holds the eggs securely and rolls them evenly rather than one where quail eggs can shift or wedge sideways in an oversized slot.

For the full settings, our complete beginner's guide to incubating quail eggs covers the exact temperature (99.5°F), humidity ranges, and the day-14 lockdown schedule to run alongside whichever tray you choose. If you are still comparing incubators rather than trays, our guide to the best quail egg incubators breaks down which models pair best with automatic turning for quail specifically.

FAQ (People Also Ask)

Q: Does the Quail Tray come with its own motor?

Ans: No. The Quail Tray is a tray-only purchase. It is designed to attach to a turner and mount you already own, so you need a working IncuTurn installed on your incubator before you buy the tray.

Q: Will the Quail Tray fit any HovaBator incubator?

Ans: It fits all current-style HovaBator desktop incubators. It does not fit the older, square-bodied HovaBator models, so it is worth checking your incubator's shape before ordering if you are not sure how old your unit is.

Q: Can I mix quail and chicken eggs in the Quail Tray?

Ans: Not effectively. The Quail Tray's cells are sized specifically for small eggs, so chicken or goose eggs will not sit correctly in it. Keep the Universal Tray on hand if you regularly hatch mixed batches.

Q: How many more quail eggs can I hatch with the Quail Tray versus the Universal Tray?

Ans: The Universal Tray holds 70 quail eggs. The Quail Tray holds up to 116, which is about 66% more eggs in the same incubator footprint.

Q: Do I need to stop turning before quail eggs hatch?

Ans: Yes. For Coturnix quail, turning stops around day 14 to 15 of the roughly 17 to 18 day incubation period. Eggs are typically moved off the turner tray and into a hatching tray or the incubator floor for this final lockdown stage so chicks can position themselves to pip without getting caught in the turner.

Q: What if my IncuTurn motor stops working when I add the Quail Tray?

Ans: Check the mount and connection first, since the Quail Tray uses the same motor and mount as the Universal Tray. If the motor itself is the problem, a replacement is available through the IncuTurn Parts collection rather than needing to replace the whole turner.

Q: Can I use the HovaBator quail egg racks (the 1686 set) with my IncuTurn?

Ans: No. Those racks, and the matching universal racks, are built for the older-style HovaBator Automatic Egg Turner, not the IncuTurn. They will not attach to an IncuTurn motor or base. If you own an IncuTurn, use the Quail Tray covered earlier in this guide instead.

Whichever tray fits your flock, the goal is the same: keep quail eggs turning evenly and consistently through day 14, and let the IncuTurn handle the six-times-a-day rolling nature that would otherwise be up to you.