New to Incubation - Ancona Duck Eggs in October

[BoradorBeans]

This forum has been the immense help we didn't know we needed (with our egg-bound female, Keisha, and with our poor Lenny whi passed unexpectedly). We are taking time to focus on our little flock family who really are our feathered dogs.

Well, in October we will be incubating Ancona duck eggs (approximately 6). I've read the incubation sticky thread a few times, am planning to purchase an easy-to-use incubator (Harris Nuture Right 360), and mark/weigh each egg at the 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 day mark.

We are planning for a 28 day incubation period with 55% humidity (84 degrees wet thermometer) at 99.5 degrees F for the first 25 days, then increasing the humidity to 65% at day 25 through hatch (keeping temp. At 99.5 F). I know we may need to adjust humidity if the egg weight doesn't drop by 15-16%.

Anyway, wondering if anyone has any other advice for us, as we're brand new to this process? Any other resources specific to Ancona ducks you can recommend?

Separately - we're only planning on keeping a maximum of 2 ducks from this hatch (3, if we get 3, so theres no odd duck). If we are successful enough to hatch four or more, would anyone be interested in adopting 2+ Ancona ducks?

We live in the Tampa, FL metro area - and we know of a local sanctuary where they can safely live once grown, but just wanted to offer here first, since this community has been so wonderful to us.

Hatch date = approximately November 15-20.

(Adding a duck photo, for tax. This is our 2-mo old chocolate runner, Lucy, getting weighted - 1274 kg!).

 

[Debbie292d]

I only knew what an Ancona duck was last week when I bought a baby one for a farmer neighbor of mine. They had one duck hatch and needed another one, anything. That's what I found at a poultry swap and gosh they are adorable.

It's really neat you to have found so much help here at BYC. Literally millions have and it's the best resource out there.

As for your incubating, I've incubated chick eggs mostly, and duck eggs with the chick eggs once (another farmer wanted me to hatch her some of her pekin eggs and quail.) I did nothing different at all. Exactly same temp and humidity you did is what I did for chicks, ducks, and her quail eggs too. The ducks surprised me as hatch rate on those was only half whereas the hatch rate on quail and my silkie chick eggs runs around 90%. I asked if that was odd and some said ducks can be harder than chickens to get successful hatches. You're going a step beyond me to weigh them. I candle everything at 7 days (to toss any infertile), then once about half way, and once again right before lockdown.

Good luck with your Ancona ducks as it sounds to me like you have it down pat!

 

[BoradorBeans]

I only knew what an Ancona duck was last week when I bought a baby one for a farmer neighbor of mine. They had one duck hatch and needed another one, anything. That's what I found at a poultry swap and gosh they are adorable.

It's really neat you to have found so much help here at BYC. Literally millions have and it's the best resource out there.

As for your incubating, I've incubated chick eggs mostly, and duck eggs with the chick eggs once (another farmer wanted me to hatch her some of her pekin eggs and quail.) I did nothing different at all. Exactly same temp and humidity you did is what I did for chicks, ducks, and her quail eggs too. The ducks surprised me as hatch rate on those was only half whereas the hatch rate on quail and my silkie chick eggs runs around 90%. I asked if that was odd and some said ducks can be harder than chickens to get successful hatches. You're going a step beyond me to weigh them. I candle everything at 7 days (to toss any infertile), then once about half way, and once again right before lockdown.

Good luck with your Ancona ducks as it sounds to me like you have it down pat!

Thank you! We will have 6 eggs, but we're hoping for at least 2 to hatch. And we just found out they will arrive FRIDAY instead of mid-October. We thought we'd have more time to research. LoL Apparently the waitlist ended.

 

[BoradorBeans]

We're on our first 5 days in the incubator! Of 8 eggs, 5 are fertile, with two looking strongest!

Anyone in the Tampa, FL area interested in adopting some Ancona ducklings? If all hatch, we would have 3 looking for a good home.