MAY Hatch-Along!!!! Let's do this!!!

[wordgirl]

I'm a bit late to the party but I just set my duck eggs today. I have 5 Cayuga, 4 Black Swedish and 4 Blue Runners. I've never incubated eggs before and am really, really, really hoping that I get at least a couple ducklings!

I've put a lot of time and research in to building an incubator and incubating eggs and feel like I've done a good job at building mine. The temp and humidity stay steady!
It's going to be soooo hard to wait 28 days!

My husband thought I was nuts at first, now he's really getting in to it and is a great help with the duck enclosure we're working on. He's actually getting excited about having ducks!

Hi GoneQuackers! Welcome to the Hatch-Along, and welcome to BYC!!! Glad you joined us! Good job building your own incubator - this is my first time incubating, too (but I'm using a borrowed still-air)! And also my first time with ducks - I'm very excited! I love the breeds you're getting - all of them are such pretty birds!

 

[wordgirl]

Hi all,

I've got 7 Mallard and 3 Rouen eggs going into lockdown today.

I have hatched this month (may), so far.......

5 Blueback Ringneck Pheasant, 1 died shortly after hatching so I have 4,
1 Chinese Ringneck Pheasant,
3 mixed breed bantam chicken, and
1 Naked Neck bantam chicken.

In my incubators.......

7 Mallard ggs,
3 Rouen eggs,
6 Red Sexlink eggs (from my own hens), and
5 Red Golden Pheasant eggs.

Wating arrival of........

17 yellow Golden Pheasant eggs,
12 Lady Amherst Pheasant eggs,
6 India Blue Peafowl eggs, and
24 Chinese Ringneck Pheasant eggs.

I have bought this month, so far.......

8 Black Spanish Turkey poults,
7 Ringeck Pheasant Pheasant chicks (breed unknown yet. They were supposed to be Red Golden ), and
35 Chinese Ringneck Pheasant chicks (arriving around 6 june from Stromberg's Hatchery).

I've got my hands full with incubating and caring for the rest of my birds, young & adult and other animals but I'm loving every minute of it. Living in the country is GREAT and I will NEVER move from here.

Good luck to all who are hatching this month. I'm happy to be a part of such a great site.

Hi mrgreenjeans53! Welcome! Wow, you've got a lot of eggs and birds! Yes, I know - I love having animals, too! I hope all of your hatches go well!

 

[wordgirl]

Congratulations on your ducklings and poults, njduck! Do you have any pictures of the cute fuzzies?

 

[fowllover]

Hi all,

I've got 7 Mallard and 3 Rouen eggs going into lockdown today.

I have hatched this month (may), so far.......

5 Blueback Ringneck Pheasant, 1 died shortly after hatching so I have 4,
1 Chinese Ringneck Pheasant,
3 mixed breed bantam chicken, and
1 Naked Neck bantam chicken.

In my incubators.......

7 Mallard ggs,
3 Rouen eggs,
6 Red Sexlink eggs (from my own hens), and
5 Red Golden Pheasant eggs.

Wating arrival of........

17 yellow Golden Pheasant eggs,
12 Lady Amherst Pheasant eggs,
6 India Blue Peafowl eggs, and
24 Chinese Ringneck Pheasant eggs.

I have bought this month, so far.......

8 Black Spanish Turkey poults,
7 Ringeck Pheasant Pheasant chicks (breed unknown yet. They were supposed to be Red Golden ), and
35 Chinese Ringneck Pheasant chicks (arriving around 6 june from Stromberg's Hatchery).

I've got my hands full with incubating and caring for the rest of my birds, young & adult and other animals but I'm loving every minute of it. Living in the country is GREAT and I will NEVER move from here.

Good luck to all who are hatching this month. I'm happy to be a part of such a great site.

Awesome! Looks like a great and exciting time in store for you!

 

[mrgreenjeans53]

Thank you wordgirl and fowllover,

All of the pheasant, except the Red & Yellow Golden, will be "raise & release", as well as the turkeys. The pheasant population in my area have all but disappeared in my neck of the woods due to hunting and natural predators. Such beautiful birds and I want to see them make a comeback here. I've got my Father-In-Law interested in the "raise & release" of pheasants and turkey. He will be getting half of my hatches and purchases to raise. He lives 7 miles from me, on the same road, so at least in our area the population of these birds is hopefull.

Good luck to all who are hatching this month......and every month for that matter....lol. Can't wait to see, and post, pics of all our babies.

 

[wordgirl]

Here's another picture of some of the 9 that have hatched so far in the bio lab - 7 have fluffed up quite a bit, and are cheeping and moving around and snoozing. There's two other wet ones in the 'bator, and more trying!

I got to hold one!!! I haven't held a chick in so long!

 

[Goin Quackrrs]

Thank you wordgirl and fowllover,

All of the pheasant, except the Red & Yellow Golden, will be "raise & release", as well as the turkeys. The pheasant population in my area have all but disappeared in my neck of the woods due to hunting and natural predators. Such beautiful birds and I want to see them make a comeback here. I've got my Father-In-Law interested in the "raise & release" of pheasants and turkey. He will be getting half of my hatches and purchases to raise. He lives 7 miles from me, on the same road, so at least in our area the population of these birds is hopefull.

Good luck to all who are hatching this month......and every month for that matter....lol. Can't wait to see, and post, pics of all our babies.

Awesome!

Here's another picture of some of the 9 that have hatched so far in the bio lab - 7 have fluffed up quite a bit, and are cheeping and moving around and snoozing. There's two other wet ones in the 'bator, and more trying!

I got to hold one!!! I haven't held a chick in so long!

Little fuzzies! *squee!*

Three of my birthday hatch eggs have pipped. Little boogers weren't scheduled to lock down until tomorrow. Glad I locked down early again.

 

[GoneQuackers]

Here's another picture of some of the 9 that have hatched so far in the bio lab - 7 have fluffed up quite a bit, and are cheeping and moving around and snoozing. There's two other wet ones in the 'bator, and more trying!

I got to hold one!!! I haven't held a chick in so long!

I wanna hold one too!

 

[poularde]

I guess I will join this thread. I am incubating my first Duck eggs. I received 14 Runner Duck eggs. I candled on day 10 and 13 are developing. Best amount of development I have ever had on shipped eggs. Hatch day should be the 24th.

I am using a Brinsea eco 20. I read somewhere about keeping the eggs on their side not up like chicken eggs. They are on a turner and I hand turn them completely over once a day. I plan on candling on day 25. I believe that would be lock down day.

Very excited to give ducks a try. A little worried about hatching so many. I hope I enjoy them.

 

[wordgirl]

I guess I will join this thread. I am incubating my first Duck eggs. I received 14 Runner Duck eggs. I candled on day 10 and 13 are developing. Best amount of development I have ever had on shipped eggs. Hatch day should be the 24th.

I am using a Brinsea eco 20. I read somewhere about keeping the eggs on their side not up like chicken eggs. They are on a turner and I hand turn them completely over once a day. I plan on candling on day 25. I believe that would be lock down day.

Very excited to give ducks a try. A little worried about hatching so many. I hope I enjoy them.

Hi poularde! Thanks for joining us!

Yay, another first-timer! (This is my first time incubating, too!

) Congratulations on your development - that's great! I can't wait to see the babies!

Yes, I've heard about the turning on sides, too. I have them in an upright turner and I've started doing a quarter-rotation once a day, but they haven't been on their sides. I hope that goes okay - I would probably have liked to hand-turn, but I'm not here to do it all the time unfortunately.

Haha, yes, I've never had ducks before either! Never even tasted a duck egg. But I'm extremely excited! From all the stories I've heard about them here on BYC, I'm pretty sure they're pretty fun (albeit messy)! I've wanted them for a long time - hoping some of my eggs hatch! Tomorrow day 14 for me, the halfway point. I think I'll candle and then maybe wait until day 21 to look again. Man, it's so hard not to always be looking! It's fun to see them wiggling around in there!

Pretty soon they'll be too big to see!