Determine hatch date without setting date

[HeatherFeather]

Hi there,

I lost a sticky on my pc that I was recording my hatch info on. My husband is employed as high end govt it wizard and he spent an hour on it last night and gave it up. Says I'd need to go to a recovery specific person...and pay $$.

So....I have a clutch of khaki campbell eggs and I have no idea when I set them. At least a week ago. But maybe as much as 2.5 or even 3 weeks ago. They are totally dark and I can't see into them, save for a little veining on the edges, so I'm guessing it was at least 2 weeks....

I have been hatching a *lot* of eggs lately, and have simultaneous batches running- I started out with a 2 week interval then had fertility problems due to feed issues, so bumped it up to 10 days to try and see if it was an incubating or holding issue.... now I don't remember when I set this particular batch, I *think* there was a decent space in between the batch I hatched this past Sat. and this next group.....but am not sure.

I really want to stop turning as soon as I can, so I don't accidentally end up turning right up to pip. I've had some misoriented ducklings lately and they all died. Not sure if turning too long caused it but that is what I suspected.

Any suggestions for me anyone?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know what the time scale is on ducks. With chickens, the eggs really don't need to be turned after about 14 days. We normally go until 18 days because that's when we go into lockdown. It's convenient to pair the two. You take the turner out and up the humidity. Do whatever you need to do for lockdown at one time.

Turning is important early in incubation because that’s when body parts are forming. The body parts need to form in the right places so the plumbing works. Also, if the yolk or developing embryo touches the sides of the shell, it can stick and can’t hatch. Turning early helps keep that embryo away from the shell. But by day 14 with chicken, the body parts have formed and a membrane has formed around the embryo to protect it from touching the shell so turning is no longer needed. I just don’t know when that happens with ducks. Not much help I know. If you knew within a few days, maybe this could help.

Although they don’t need to be turned after the parts and that membrane have formed, turning should not hurt them even during hatch as long as you don’t position the air cell down. I don’t know how you are positioning them when turning or how you are turning, but putting the air cell down for any length of time during incubation will cause out-of-position problems.

Since you are having position problems, yeah, I’d consider not turning them as late even if I did not think it was the problem, but since you don’t know the date, I’d just keep tuning them until pip. I think it is the least of the two evils.

 

[HeatherFeather]

Thanks Ridgerunner.

Ducks eggs typically take 28 days, although mine have often hatched at 25 days.

I am hand turning so all my eggs are on their sides. Usually the air cell is at one end, but come to think of it on the malpositioned ducks it was partly on the side.

So I will candle these guys and if I see any like that, make sure its turned up then by drawing it on.

I've been using a separate styro box with a horticultural heatmat as a hatcher, but it doesn't have temp control so needs babysitting (I am the thermostat!!). So I can't move them into it until hatch day really. With duck eggs you run a higher humidity all the time, so don't necessarily need to up it at the end. At least that's how I do it. There is certainly more than one way to skin a cat!

Glad for your advice that perhaps turning them up til pip is not a bad thing. I'll just stop turning the ones with weird air cells earlier, turn the rest til I see a pip or hear a peep or peck, and then I'll move em all over to hatch.

Thanks!

H

 

[new14]

Hi i am new at having chickens. My hens are stting on the eggs in their nesting boxes. It has been more than 3 weeks and nothing has happened.

 

[ChickenLove6]

I don't know much about duck eggs but with chickens if you can hardly see inside the egg because it is dark they are on their last week. So I expect it's the same for ducklings. They're probably between day 21-28.

 

[ChickenLove6]

Hi i am new at having chickens. My hens are stting on the eggs in their nesting boxes. It has been more than 3 weeks and nothing has happened.

what day are you on and have you candled the eggs?

 

[HeatherFeather]

Ok, I just got the 'temp spike'. Who knows what day that is? Maybe I can cross post this in the duck forum? Amiga?

 

[new14]

Hi i think i am at day 22. I cracked open one and it looks like a normal egg. We checked the eggs and they are fertil. It has the target spot on it.

 

[ChickenLove6]

Ok, I just got the 'temp spike'. Who knows what day that is? Maybe I can cross post this in the duck forum? Amiga?

I have no idea sorry! Put this in the duck forum I'm sure there'll be more experts there!

 

[ChickenLove6]

Hi i think i am at day 22. I cracked open one and it looks like a normal egg. We checked the eggs and they are fertil. It has the target spot on it.

Try candling the eggs to see if there is any movement or if any of the chicks have internally pipped. If none have do the float test, And see if the eggs are still viable.