How to breed ducks?

[Donnigan]

We are getting rid of our Pekin drake, Filmore, but we think we might like to breed him with our 2 females before we get rid of him to get a few more female ducks for eggs.


1. How long after mating does it take eggs to be fertile?
2. How long after mating will the ducks lay fertile eggs?
3. How long will the eggs be hatchable after they are layed?
4. Do i put them in the incubators egg turner in the same position as chicken eggs?
5. I heard that ducks take 28 days. When does lockdown start?
5. When should i candle them for the first time?
6. How often should i candle them?
7. Will i see the same thing when i candle a duck egg as when i candle a chickens?
8. How long do i leave the duck in the incubator after it hatches?
9. Do they eat chick starter or do i need to get some kind of duck starter?
10. How long after hatching should i wait before i feed it?
11. Do they always hatch right on day 28?
12. How many days after day 28 should i wait before throwing it out?
13. Can they go outside( in a brooder) immediately after hatching if it is 80-100 degrees?

As you can see i know nothing about breeding ducks! Thanks

 

[Pyxis]

1. Usually one or two days.
2. Up to three weeks.
3. About ten days before they begin to lose viability.
4. Yes, same position as chicken eggs, fat end up.
5. Lockdown starts on day 25 for duck eggs.
5 (again). I usually do my first candling on day 5.
6. Usually every seven days is good, but more often won't hurt them.
7. They look very similar, here is a chart:

8. Until they're fluffy is usually good. They can survive for up to three days on their yolk if they have to, so leaving them in won't hurt.
9. Duck starter is preferable if you can find it, but chick starter works too. You may need to add some niacin however because ducklings need more niacin than chicks and the amount in chick feed may not be sufficient.
10. Offer food as soon as they're in the brooder. They'll eat once they're hungry.
11. Not always, especially if the temperature during incubation is low. Ducklings can also take up to 48 hours between external pip and when they zip.
12. I usually give them an extra day or two. By the time you're five days over they're very likely not going to hatch.
13. Yes, I've done that before and they do fine in an outdoor (in the coop) brooder when it's warm out. Just make sure that they are able to get away from the heat source if they have to so they don't overheat.

Hope this helps!

 

[Donnigan]

1. Usually one or two days.
2. Up to three weeks.
3. About ten days before they begin to lose viability.
4. Yes, same position as chicken eggs, fat end up.
5. Lockdown starts on day 25 for duck eggs.
5 (again). I usually do my first candling on day 5.
6. Usually every seven days is good, but more often won't hurt them.
7. They look very similar, here is a chart:

8. Until they're fluffy is usually good. They can survive for up to three days on their yolk if they have to, so leaving them in won't hurt.
9. Duck starter is preferable if you can find it, but chick starter works too. You may need to add some niacin however because ducklings need more niacin than chicks and the amount in chick feed may not be sufficient.
10. Offer food as soon as they're in the brooder. They'll eat once they're hungry.
11. Not always, especially if the temperature during incubation is low. Ducklings can also take up to 48 hours between external pip and when they zip.
12. I usually give them an extra day or two. By the time you're five days over they're very likely not going to hatch.
13. Yes, I've done that before and they do fine in an outdoor (in the coop) brooder when it's warm out. Just make sure that they are able to get away from the heat source if they have to so they don't overheat.

Hope this helps!

Thank you so much!

 

[Pyxis]

You're welcome