3rd Annual New Year's Day Hatch!!

[Melissa Rose]

Quote:
What type of Ducks are you hatching

When we first bought our home 25 years ago there was a beautiful Mallard lady named "Daisey" here. She was regrettably taken by a coon several years later. Then a couple of years after that some one brought me 4 Mallard babies that had been mauled by dogs. They turned out to be two females and two males. They were such wonderous Joys in our lives

 

[champer]

I'm up too. I've fed and let the chickens out, fed the dogs and cat, fed the sheep and cleaned their pen. Now I'm having a second cuppa and thinking of candling a few more eggs.

I've looked at a lot of photos and can barely decipher them, let alone a real egg. lol

 

[CapricornFarm]

Ok, I can't play but here is my idea for a caption: Ginger! You didn't tell me we were playing the how many college students can fit in a VW game! I am in!

 

[mrheinz77]

I've candled a few. I'll have to do it in groups with the numbers I have set. I don't cull until at least day 10 but I like to know how things are progressing. I did end up tossing one duck egg not part of the NYD hatch but set with them because it had a crack.

Melissa, I'm glad to know you have Iowa Blues developing.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

A bunch of mixes. I had 2 mallard x calls (male and female) which were my first attempts at ducks. They were accidental acquisitions - I had an easter egger hen this summer that was absolutely determined she was going to be a mother. I did everything I could to break her. She became skeletal. I couldn't find any chicks for her and didn't want her to wait another 3 weeks to hatch, I thought she might die... so I got her 2 ducklings because it was all I could find. She loved them but they did not love her. I had to take them from her. She seriously went back to her nest after that, still broody. So I shoved eggs under her, she hatched them out 3 weeks later, two days later I sold them because I am a soulless meany. She was broken, though, luckily. And then I had ducks.

I thought ducks were a giant pain... then as they grew up they started to become much more personable and intensely cute. Plus I've had this desire to grow a gigantic pumpkin and be in the fair, so I can use their poop to help with that. Then I lost the ducks to a hawk (and a chicken).

Long story... So I got what was available, and I'm a sucker for anything cute whether it's mixed or pure bred. I'm not a big fan of runners, poofed duck heads, or muscovies (and all of those are possibilities here), but I just want DUCKS. Could also get swedish, campbells, pekins, rouen, harlequin, cayuga...

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Quote:
Once you do enough, you'll start to know. Again anything colored is harder to see through. Here's a white duck one that I did earlier this month, you can clearly (I hope!) see the veining in it:

If you don't have a good flashlight and a nice dark room ... GET THEM! I use a small handheld LED flashlight but you could also use a small maglite. I go in the bathroom that doesn't have any windows and close the door - instant dark!

 

[LeasureChix]

This seemed fitting for this time of year:

 

[champer]

Thanks for the pic! My pitch black bathroom is exactly where I've done it and I only chose the white eggs. I do think I need a better light though, I've cobbled together a 100w flood in a box with a small hole. It's difficult to manipulate the egg and hold the goofy box together, so that doesn't help.

Hope it's an easy day at work for you!

 

[Mahonri]

I'm lazy. Just got up and am sending DS#5 out to sweep and mop the coop.

Surgery site is still sore, but I'm not in SEVERE pain like I was from the time I left the hospital until 8AM the following morning.

I have the temps in the bator set for good now.

DW is driving south. She is somewhere south of Nephi about this point in time. Should arrive in Phoenix about 6PM

 

[rarely bored]

Candling went as expected... saw veining in a few of them, most looked to be developing in a vague sorta darker way, only 6 appeared to be going no where (3 or which are shipped), but I'll wait till day 10 to make any culling calls. It is always nice when the first egg you grab ends up showing the development very clearly - helps set the tone for the whole batch.

Looks to be a beautiful saturday here! Hope you all have a great day! Or night for RareBreedFancier.

I looked at the results for Mahonri's contest and thought I guessed way low... then saw I guessed one more than Mahonri himself. Maybe I will be in the ball park.

hee hee. good to proof read while drinking the second cup of coffee.