Hello I hope you enjoy my article about hatching and raising waterfowl. Well to start off there is two ways to get starting either you can buy those cute little fluff butts from someone or someplace. Or if you want to test your luck you can buy eggs from someone or someplace. If you do buy them as day old fluff butts then here is the things you should know.
1. Get them into a BROODER ASAP this is very important that you keep the section with food and water on the opposite side of the heat lamp because if you have both sides with the heat lamp than there is no room for them to go to if they get too hot.
2. If they are going to be a pet I would suggest getting them to think your there mom ASAP because the sooner you do that the easier it should be to getting them to come and be able to snuggle with them.
3. Make sure that the bedding in the brooder is dry even though they make big messes with water just keep it clean.
4. Make sure your babies have enough food and water.
5. It might seem hard to keep yourself from doing this earlier but wait until they are five days old before letting them swim if you don't they might not be strong enough yet and could possibly drown, and don't let them in there for a while because they don't have the old from there mom to keep them afloat.
5. Last but not least make sure they are happy.
6.Oh one more thing they will grow quickly so make sure you have a plan to change brooders every week
Now for all of you wanting to hatch your own here are the instructions for hatching.
1. Make sure you that your incubator is holding the correct temperature. For a still air the temperature should be 100 and for the circtulated it should be 99.5 and the humidity should be 85% for waterfowl.
2. Mark the eggs with an X on one side and an O on the other to tell which sides which.
3. Turn the eggs at least 3 times a day but the more you do it the better your hatch rate will be since the developing embryo needs to get nutrients from the yolk so that is why turning is IMPORTANT.
4. Keep turning until day 26 for ducks and geese then stop because that is when the baby should be internally pipping and the humidity should go up to 90%
5. Once they hatch let them dry off then put them into the brooder.
Now go back up to the top to read about what to do after they hatch.
Soon you will have yourself a very nice flock of waterfowl. Oh another thing make sure that they have pool or pond or any body of water to clean off in.
Thanks for reading my article of how to hatch and raise waterfowl
1. Get them into a BROODER ASAP this is very important that you keep the section with food and water on the opposite side of the heat lamp because if you have both sides with the heat lamp than there is no room for them to go to if they get too hot.
2. If they are going to be a pet I would suggest getting them to think your there mom ASAP because the sooner you do that the easier it should be to getting them to come and be able to snuggle with them.
3. Make sure that the bedding in the brooder is dry even though they make big messes with water just keep it clean.
4. Make sure your babies have enough food and water.
5. It might seem hard to keep yourself from doing this earlier but wait until they are five days old before letting them swim if you don't they might not be strong enough yet and could possibly drown, and don't let them in there for a while because they don't have the old from there mom to keep them afloat.
5. Last but not least make sure they are happy.
6.Oh one more thing they will grow quickly so make sure you have a plan to change brooders every week
Now for all of you wanting to hatch your own here are the instructions for hatching.
1. Make sure you that your incubator is holding the correct temperature. For a still air the temperature should be 100 and for the circtulated it should be 99.5 and the humidity should be 85% for waterfowl.
2. Mark the eggs with an X on one side and an O on the other to tell which sides which.
3. Turn the eggs at least 3 times a day but the more you do it the better your hatch rate will be since the developing embryo needs to get nutrients from the yolk so that is why turning is IMPORTANT.
4. Keep turning until day 26 for ducks and geese then stop because that is when the baby should be internally pipping and the humidity should go up to 90%
5. Once they hatch let them dry off then put them into the brooder.
Now go back up to the top to read about what to do after they hatch.
Soon you will have yourself a very nice flock of waterfowl. Oh another thing make sure that they have pool or pond or any body of water to clean off in.
Thanks for reading my article of how to hatch and raise waterfowl