50% Humidity..too low??

[1234duck]

Thank you so much for the help & photos. I am NEW to this.. This is the 2nd time I put eggs in this Incubator, starting in January. The 1st batch(duck eggs) I only could see the yolk. This 2nd batch(duck & chicken eggs) I seem to only see yolk again. Yes, what I see in my eggs is more clear/see through. The photos were very helpful. I have noticed the male breeding or trying to breed with the females more recently, so maybe next time the eggs will be fertile.~ There is 10 more Golden Cascade eggs in the nest, I think they are best where they are....(if there not frozen) wow, thats about 27 eggs. How many do they usually lay? I'm gonna candle all eggs tonight to be sure & I will let you know. * Is 1 vent open & 1 closed, okay? Thank you all for your help, Julie

Grrrrr.... I just bought this Incubator

 

[1234duck]

well I pulled all eggs from incubator, they all looked like only yolk inside. Thanks again for the photos they helped a lot. Now I'm deciding if I want to put more eggs in the incubator or not. Thanks for the help everyone. Julie

 

[gofasterstripe]

I dont think you should give up. I think you should put 6 or so eggs in, check them at dat 10 to see what you have...or even day 5, you will see a difference then. At least with a few eggs your not wasting a whole lot to see if your eggs are fertile. Then every 5 or so days if they are not fertile, but another 6 in and so in. It may just be that its still to cold for them to breed
I put 7 eggs in to start, out of 7 I got 1 fertile so on day 6 took out the 6 duds and put in another 6...out of the 6 I got 2 fertile but 1 died before pipping. This batch I have i n now I started with 15 and I now have 13 fertile. Dont give up, its such a thrill when you do finally get something at the end.

 

[The Duck ABC's]

Here is a link to candling pictures of duck eggs:
http://www.metzerfarms.com/Candling.cfm
Day 6 is a really good picture. If you haven't seen anything like that then they are most likely infertile.

Also for how long has the hen been laying. Usually the first 2 weeks when she first starts to lay are no good (mostly infertile). The second time around its the first week only.

The LG incubators are touchy. I would recommend to use it without a fan for hatching only. Humidity should be 55% or you risk embryo binding in the egg. Now the hygrometers are not always 100%, so you may be correctly but it just doesn't read it right.

 

[1234duck]

Thanks for all the Support and Confidence in me trying to make a Successful Hatch....I now have 11 duck eggs in the house. (9 eggs I left in the nest). I put kinda warmish water in the Incubator where it belongs. * Now I need Humidity @ 50?? *Temp @ 98 *Do I Wipe off the eggs with a Damp Paper Towel?? (they just a little dirty) Thanks, Julie

 

[The Duck ABC's]

You can rub a little bit with a dry paper towel, just don't move the egg to much around. The bloom will be diminished, if you use water. It you do use water have it 20 degrees warmer then the eggs to expel the dirt. Otherwise the egg will suck the bacteria in. Many hatcheries do wash their eggs. This is to control bacteria in their equipment. One thing you need to keep in mind is that you need to incubate with the humidity 10% higher with washed eggs.

 

[duckyfromoz]

Quote:
Have you been collecting those eggs every day? Or did you take them all from the nest at the same time. For best hatching results its always best to use the freshest eggs laid. If for example you had one nest with 20 eggs in it- and you have taken 11 out today.... Some of those eggs may now be too old to be viable. Add into the equation the current temperature- and you realistically wont get many eggs to start developing. However if you have been collecting the eggs every day laid by two ducks- you should get a better result as long as they are fertile to begin with .

 

[1234duck]

I collected them all today. Only 2 of them I had put the date on.(1/26 & 1/27) So these eggs are too old?

 

[1234duck]

Basically the eggs will vary from 1/26 thru today.~ I do know that at lease 2 of the eggs I have collected should be from the most recent eggs laid. I see now why you should check each day & write the date on them.

 

[duckyfromoz]

That makes them 12 - 13 days old, viability can start to decrease after ten days - but there is still a chance if those were the first eggs laid in the nest. If so - you can toss those two oldest eggs- and set some of the newer ones. Since ducks lay huge clutches of eggs before sitting sometimes- and they still get great hatches- it can be done.

No point worrying about cleaning up a 13 day old egg that has been out side the whole time in freezing conditions. But you can set the newest ones maybe it will be third time lucky for you. Another option for you if you are intent on incubating- and dont mind about if your ducks are likely to sit or not- collect the new eggs laid every day- and that way you know they are fresh. They wont get as dirty as sitting in the nest all week- and being inside they wont be subjected to the extremes of temperature outside. Wait until you have enough to make a worth while hatch... and give it another go. Just as a suggestion 6- 10 eggs could be a good number for you to try with . 6 if only one duck is laying - or up to ten if they both are.