Originally Posted by
CelticOaksFarm 
Sorry for not being around much. Saturday's are customer day so I am slammed until 3.
Ducklings when they internally pip can take 24-48 hours to externally pip then another 12-36 to hatch.
Many times not knowing this will cause us to panic and over react.
Humidity for incubation should be roughly around 40% or as low as 30.
Humidity at lockdown should be minimum 70%
Forced air temp is 99.5-100.5 as a safe range. No lower, I have seen people talk of dropping temp at lock down, don't do it.
Candle at days 6-10-lockdown discard any eggs with staining that appears, large cracks that weep or clear eggs, as well as blood rings ect.
Do NOT candle every other day. It isn't good for the development. Resist the urge, it's hard but better for the eggs.
I go into lockdown in the mornings, that evening I candle to check internal pipping. Once they internally pip I bump up that humidity and NEVER open it again until they are zipping and out.
I don't rush to remove newly hatched chicks or ducks or goslings. They are fine for 48 hours post hatch so I leave them be.
IF an egg was candled and internally pipps and 36 hours passes with NO progression. I candle again.
When I candle it is fast and I keep a spray bottle filled with fresh hot water with me. I candle the egg or eggs in question, mist with water and return to the bator that I also spray with hot water. This helps reduce the humidity shock to the eggs being handled.
I never handle a duckling then another egg. I never handle eggs I collect outside or other hatching eggs then eggs that are on lockdown.
I never pet a dog or cat or even hold my 1 year old son and then touch an egg for hatching.
I wash my hands with anti bacterial soap before handling eggs and between each egg being candled if I have to pick them up.
When doing day 6-10 candling I lift the holding rack out, candle ONLY from the top of the eggs with them in the rack and return the entire rack to its shelf.
If a hatchling ends up needing help I have seperate manicure scissors and tweazers I use to slowly lift she'll and membrane. These items get cleaned in hot soapy water then wiped with bleach water and air dry.
The key to incubating is to not introduce germs, you do this by not rushing the hatching process and by using only the cleanest tools.
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Customer just pulled in so I will be back in awhile again. Have newly breeding geese who need a nest too so busy day here.
SM... I would be happy to walk you start to finish through a hatch. Can you take pictures of everything you use currently? I will look at them later and try and give my opinion. I am also willing to hatch and ship to you what ever you would like to raise. We can order a swan shipping box as they have stall mini boxes that fit inside them. So we can 4 or 6 mini stalls inside one large box. Think about it, if you don't a slew of breeds or what not we use a pigeon shipper with single stall dividers too.
Shellie
