How to hatch call ducklings? ***Updated questions!****

[Lacrystol]

Hello!
I am a school teacher and hatching out 20 calls. I set the eggs the morning of May 3rd. I thought that that they should have started to hatch on the 27th, so I stopped turning them Friday, May 24 in the evening. I figured that was three days before hatch, so I went into lockdown. Well today is the 29th and I have some noise and a few pips, but I am worried that I have been on lockdown to long. Will not be turned for 5 days affect my hatch rate?
Thank you for any advice.

If they have pipped for more then 24 hours you need to make them a safe hole.

 

[Lacrystol]

I am not a hatcher but duck eggs take about 28 days, including calls, yes? So that would be the 31st. Check in over at the Thread Formerly Known as Hatch Day is Today and see if some of the experienced hatchers can guide you. Just don't open up the incubator yet, I have heard that ducklings can get ziplocked by people opening the incubator at a certain point late in development.

NO usually call ducks take 26 Although I have had some hatch on day 25, you should give them a longer time yes but usually it's 26, any other duck would be 28

Usually ducks don't zip like chickens either, they make a hole and just work on that hole making it bigger and bigger..

 

[reereechickens]

Hi, I had just one call duck hatch today. I have another set of eggs in another incubator but they are 2 weeks behind. Now what? Will it survive 2 weeks with no friends? On CL there are Peking duck babies, order from a hatchery but they will be regular duck sized? Too big to be with this little one? I posted these questions on the cute and cuddly call duck thread. Any advice or experiences?

 

[SilkieSensation]

Hi, I had just one call duck hatch today. I have another set of eggs in another incubator but they are 2 weeks behind. Now what? Will it survive 2 weeks with no friends? On CL there are Peking duck babies, order from a hatchery but they will be regular duck sized? Too big to be with this little one? I posted these questions on the cute and cuddly call duck thread. Any advice or experiences?

If you can't find another duckling for company a couple of small chicks will work too. With only 1 duckling the water mess shouldn't be all that bad but you will still need to watch your bedding so the chicks don't get waterlogged in duckie puddles. I brood ducks, chicks, poults, goslings, keets & quail all in 1 brooder & rarely have a problem as long as I move the biggest ones to another brooder as needed to keep them from trampling the smaller ones as they are outgrown.

 

[reereechickens]

thanks

 

[Terry2]

Still hearing noise but no ducklings yet. It will be 24 hours from the first pip late morning. As I said before I set the eggs the morning of May 3rd, I am figuring that today should be day 28. I am getting nervous. Should I open the incubator and check or just let nature take it's course. Thanks.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Still hearing noise but no ducklings yet. It will be 24 hours from the first pip late morning. As I said before I set the eggs the morning of May 3rd, I am figuring that today should be day 28. I am getting nervous. Should I open the incubator and check or just let nature take it's course. Thanks.

With high quality calls they have tiny bills & sometimes need assistance hatching. Once you are positive the baby has internally pipped 24 hours ago you should go ahead & pip the shell externally for them & check to make sure they can reach the shell to get out. If the bill is very tiny you will need to assist with hatching. Sally Sunshine has some excellent links on assisted hatching in her signature.

 

[PoultryGirly]

So I set 11 more call duck eggs in my incubator on Monday, so today will be day three (when I turn the turner on). I'll candle and mark the air cells on the 7th day. The humidity, since I added water, was 41% last night. Is that too high? I was hoping to get it around 35%.

 

[Lacrystol]

Hi, I had just one call duck hatch today. I have another set of eggs in another incubator but they are 2 weeks behind. Now what? Will it survive 2 weeks with no friends? On CL there are Peking duck babies, order from a hatchery but they will be regular duck sized? Too big to be with this little one? I posted these questions on the cute and cuddly call duck thread. Any advice or experiences?

Get your self a Stuffed Animal, it can survive with no friends it maybe very noisy at times, all though I have had a friend who lost hers from loneness. I have my one injured call duck hanging out with a three legged bunny he loves it. Thought I was going to have problems with loneness/noiise since he has been with 13 other call ducks but he seems OK with the three legged bunny. LOL.. You can put a chick in with him for a little while but not to long, Ducks are messy with water and unless the cage is really big so the chick can be elsewhere when it comes to time for the duck to play in the water and stay dry, they tend to keep the chicks wet and then you have another problem on your hands..

Now of course, if you put a chick in with him, since they grow up together you will have to watch the chick for a while when going outside. They tend to want to be ducks and stick with the duck all the time, and accidents can occur..

 

[Terry2]

They are beyond internal pip they have already pipped the shell externally. Does that change anything or should I intervene or leave alone. Sorry for being so unsure, I just don't want to hurt them. Can I open the incubator and check them individually?