Little Giant Incubator Tricks

[cmom]

Quote: I have a friend who hatches turkeys and he always refrigerates his turkey eggs. I think chicken eggs are a little less tolerant of being refrigerated so I think some may hatch but the hatch rate goes down with refrigerated chicken eggs.

 

[cmom]

I'd hazard a guess the egg will be white. Hatched out of a white egg and looks like a production white layer.

We'll know in a month or two.

I am thinking the same thing.

 

[Loc20chick]

I bought the LG still air incubator today I bought the turner for it and will be setting Duck eggs that were abandoned by the duck. It's my first time to hatch anything and this thread has great info I will be following it. I have the temperature regulated already.

 

[Loc20chick]

Today is Day 3 of my incubation, the incubator is maintaining at 99.5 degrees and right now humidity is 54%this. Has anyone here hatched ducks with this LG incubator?

 

[Arielle]

Yes, I have hatched Muscovy duck eggs with the LG. FOllowed the same principles as the chicken eggs.

There are methods to increase the hatch rates if you check out the duck hatching threads. HOnestly I don't have time to handle duck eggs properly so I don't. What hatches hatches. Sorry this isn't much help. Because of my track record, I would definitely have better hatch rates if I did better to mimic a duck hen. Daily bath in water and R&R for an hour, then back to the eggs. Because my hens do a FAR better job than me, I now let the muscovy hens do all the heavy lifting.

 

[Loc20chick]

Yes, I have hatched Muscovy duck eggs with the LG. FOllowed the same principles as the chicken eggs.

There are methods to increase the hatch rates if you check out the duck hatching threads. HOnestly I don't have time to handle duck eggs properly so I don't. What hatches hatches. Sorry this isn't much help. Because of my track record, I would definitely have better hatch rates if I did better to mimic a duck hen. Daily bath in water and R&R for an hour, then back to the eggs. Because my hens do a FAR better job than me, I now let the muscovy hens do all the heavy lifting.

Thanks, my Muscovy abandoned the eggs after I moved the nest to the coop where it was safer as it was in the open I felt it was prone to predators. I think it had only sat on them day and night for 2-3days

 

[Arielle]

THis is getting late in the season for the hens to sussessfully sit IMO. My last hen tried but the weather is too cold now for a successful hatch. I just took the last of the eggs this weekend. I will not let a hen sit again this late-- live and learn.

Good luck with the eggs!! Ducklings are VERY cute.

 

[Loc20chick]

thanks.

 

[cmom]

THis is getting late in the season for the hens to sussessfully sit IMO. My last hen tried but the weather is too cold now for a successful hatch. I just took the last of the eggs this weekend. I will not let a hen sit again this late-- live and learn.

Good luck with the eggs!! Ducklings are VERY cute.

I agree.

 

[cmom]

I bought the LG still air incubator today I bought the turner for it and will be setting Duck eggs that were abandoned by the duck. It's my first time to hatch anything and this thread has great info I will be following it. I have the temperature regulated already.

This thread has a lot of great information with tricks and tips for incubating in an LG. I guess you may have read this on this thread already but if and when you candle any eggs it is a good idea to move them around because with a still air incubator you will get warm spots and cooler spots. I had still air but have long since put fans in my still air incubators to better circulate the air so I don't have the hot and cool spots. You will still have a good hatch. From my experience the eggs hatch closer together after I converted it to circulate the air. With my still air I could have some eggs hatch a day or two early and some a day or two late but I didn't move them around in the beginning, I just turned them. I have never hatched duck eggs only chicken eggs. Originally I had no turner but very quickly bought a turner too so I didn't have to worry about turning the eggs. I have hatch eggs from a broody that abandoned her nest. Good luck and have fun.

Just a reminder I believe duck eggs take 28 days to incubate. On day 26 the turner should be taken out of the incubator and the eggs laid on the wire for hatching. Several years ago I did raise Pheasants and they also take 28 days to incubate.