My first ever duck hatch-a-long

[junior67]

Ok so I just set 46 duck eggs. I have hatched lots of chicks, never ducklings. I am a bit nervous but giving it a try. My daughter wanted ducks, I do not. Lol. So hatching some for the person that gave me the eggs. Get to play for a bit then they get to go to their new home. Best of both worlds. Guess I see how they do. I think she gave me a couple chicken eggs too and not sure if some are chicken or very small duck..... Will set those in a week once there is room in the incubator and hopefully they are chicken so they hatch at the same time.

Can you see development at 3 days in duck eggs like you can in chicken eggs?

 

[The Ranch Girl]

Congratulations! Hatching baby ducks is LOTS of fun!

Also I can usually see development at day 5-6. But mine are white so I can see them early too. What color duck eggs are yours?
I am excited for this hatch along.
Also in my opinion baby ducks are much cuter then chicks!

 

[junior67]

Congratulations! Hatching baby ducks is LOTS of fun!

Also I can usually see development at day 5-6. But mine are white so I can see them early too. What color duck eggs are yours?
I am excited for this hatch along.
Also in my opinion baby ducks are much cuter then chicks!View attachment 3793547

The eggs are white so should be easy to see into.

Oh I agree they are so much cuter and I love baby chicks but ducklings are soooo cute!!!!

I am so nervous for this though. I read so much about the bruising because they struggle to pip and doing safety holes etc. waiting 24 or less hours for a chick to hatch kills me so waiting 48 for a duckling?!?!? Yikes!!!!!! So if it can take 2 days from pip to hatch does that mean they pip around day 26? Do you cool and mist your eggs?

 

[The Ranch Girl]

The eggs are white so should be easy to see into.

Oh I agree they are so much cuter and I love baby chicks but ducklings are soooo cute!!!!

I am so nervous for this though. I read so much about the bruising because they struggle to pip and doing safety holes etc. waiting 24 or less hours for a chick to hatch kills me so waiting 48 for a duckling?!?!? Yikes!!!!!! So if it can take 2 days from pip to hatch does that mean they pip around day 26? Do you cool and mist your eggs?

I know this article says for geese. But It can be used for all waterfowl! I mist mine more often towards the end. And as long as you keep humidity up like the article says ( I usually keep it at 55-60 )then you should be good to go! I know eggs can be a stresser but whatever questions you have we will be here all along the way!
Also mine usually internally pip two days before hatching and pip one day before hatching. I hatch Muscovy duck eggs though and those take 35 days of incubating before hatching!!!
But here is the article I use, I hope it helps you too!
https://bramblewoodhill.com/incubating-hatching-goose-eggs/

 

[junior67]

I know this article says for geese. But It can be used for all waterfowl! I mist mine more often towards the end. And as long as you keep humidity up like the article says ( I usually keep it at 55-60 )then you should be good to go! I know eggs can be a stresser but whatever questions you have we will be here all along the way!
Also mine usually internally pip two days before hatching and pip one day before hatching. I hatch Muscovy duck eggs though and those take 35 days of incubating before hatching!!!
But here is the article I use, I hope it helps you too!
https://bramblewoodhill.com/incubating-hatching-goose-eggs/

These are mixed ducks. So hopefully only take 28 days. Think 35 would kill me!!!!!

 

[junior67]

Today was day 3 so candled tonight. 12 had babies, a couple may have but not definitive yet. I didn't see anything in the rest. I know it is early so giving it time but I can normally tell in chicken eggs by now and these eggs are easy to see in..... But maybe ducks show later where they take longer to hatch????

Either way I will check again on Fri or Sat night since I have some chicken eggs I need to set and the incubators are full right now. Lol

 

[Everlastinghoop]

Ok so I just set 46 duck eggs. I have hatched lots of chicks, never ducklings. I am a bit nervous but giving it a try. My daughter wanted ducks, I do not. Lol. So hatching some for the person that gave me the eggs. Get to play for a bit then they get to go to their new home. Best of both worlds. Guess I see how they do. I think she gave me a couple chicken eggs too and not sure if some are chicken or very small duck..... Will set those in a week once there is room in the incubator and hopefully they are chicken so they hatch at the same time.

Can you see development at 3 days in duck eggs like you can in chicken eggs?

I'm doing my first ever duck eggs too!!

 

[junior67]

I'm doing my first ever duck eggs too!!

Feel free to join in!!!!

 

[junior67]

candled again today. I had 2 or 3 rings of death. some had just a tiny red line so guessing barely started them stopped.

I THINK there are 18 or 19 developing. I am a bit confused though since I have moved the ones I knew were developing into my 360 and the others into my one that incubates upright. I know there was 1 I was unsure of in the 360. I swear I had the eggs # 1-21, but I removed 3 of those that had quit ( I didn't # them till they were developing)... my 360 is full and holds 22 eggs so either I have a couple more that I wasn't sure about or I missed a couple #'s as I was putting numbers on them. haahaa so I believe I have 18-22 babies developing. LOL

What is odd though is I just incubated chicken eggs in both incubators and for those the ones in the upright developed much better than the 360, this time the 360 did better. Those look to be about day 6 which is what we are on (can see the eye and a bigger blob for a baby), the ones in the upright look to be on about day 4, the tiny curved baby where you can see the HB and I don't think many developed in the upright this time.... I have a calibrated thermometer in there but it was hard to place it since the duck eggs filled the trays very snug, not sure if that is why they didn't do as well because they were so snug in there this time? very interesting.

She gave me a few chicken eggs without realizing it but asked me/said I could hatch those as well so I will be taking out clears and putting those in tomorrow as well as a few to test fertility in my own flock. Thinking in about 3 weeks I will have my hands full since I also have chicks that are a couple weeks old now, I am trying to sell some but keeping some to grow out.. LOL

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

Ill follow!!!
Ducklings are adorable!