A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[I Like Turkeys]

My hens do that to the toms also!

Some of mine do as well. My black tom doesn’t have a beard because of his hens. Some hens don’t pluck though, so my breeding red tom has a fairly long beard. The bachelor flock males quite often tend to grow longer beards than the breeding males, as they’ve got no hens to pluck their beards, and they don’t do it to each other.

 

[kfelton0002]

I am a few weeks in to "dry incubating" in the Sportsman. The air cells on the turkey eggs are looking good and appropriate for their gestation, but the duck egg air cells look small (hatching them for a friend). Same length of gestation, due next week. Due to my ambient RH, I do have to add water to the water pan but I cover it leaving only a corner open to keep the humidity in the incubator in the lower 30% range. I'm hoping this reduces the amount of full term poults that are dead in shell. I've seen quite a few lately reach to the point of internally pipping but then die.

I know this is off topic but does anyone on here have any experience hatching duck eggs? I haphazardly threw some duck eggs a friend gave me in the incubator last year and hatched them like normal (40-45% first 25 days, then up to 70% during lockdown) and only got a 30% hatch rate. Gave the ducklings away. None of the 3 duck eggs from my friend that made it to lockdown this week hatched and I'm pretty sad about it.

 

[R2elk]

I know this is off topic but does anyone on here have any experience hatching duck eggs? I haphazardly threw some duck eggs a friend gave me in the incubator last year and hatched them like normal (40-45% first 25 days, then up to 70% during lockdown) and only got a 30% hatch rate. Gave the ducklings away. None of the 3 duck eggs from my friend that made it to lockdown this week hatched and I'm pretty sad about it.

@casportpony

 

[Pyxis]

I know this is off topic but does anyone on here have any experience hatching duck eggs? I haphazardly threw some duck eggs a friend gave me in the incubator last year and hatched them like normal (40-45% first 25 days, then up to 70% during lockdown) and only got a 30% hatch rate. Gave the ducklings away. None of the 3 duck eggs from my friend that made it to lockdown this week hatched and I'm pretty sad about it.

What kind of ducks? Some are harder than others.

 

[kfelton0002]

What kind of ducks? Some are harder than others.

These are just little black and white ducks. Probably mixed breeds. Not Indian Runners or call ducks. Not muscovy. Like blue Swedish mix or something.

 

[Pyxis]

These are just little black and white ducks. Probably mixed breeds. Not Indian Runners or call ducks. Not muscovy. Like blue Swedish mix or something.

Hmm...usually ducks aren't super tricky. Is she hatching the eggs herself and having better hatch rates? They're not crested or anything, right?

I sometimes do misting and cooling for my duck eggs, especially trickier breeds like Calls, but usually find they don't need that and I just do them like chicken eggs, aside from the longer time of course. I also use a humidity of around 30% but that can vary from place to place as to what is best.

 

[kfelton0002]

Hmm...usually ducks aren't super tricky. Is she hatching the eggs herself and having better hatch rates? They're not crested or anything, right?

I sometimes do misting and cooling for my duck eggs, especially trickier breeds like Calls, but usually find they don't need that and I just do them like chicken eggs, aside from the longer time of course. I also use a humidity of around 30% but that can vary from place to place as to what is best.

No not crested. The duck hen is young so maybe it's because it was her first eggs? And no, my friend doesn't have any way to hatch them so she asked me to incubate them.

 

[Huntmaster]

HAPPY EASTER to everyone and all a blessed day.

 

[kfelton0002]

HAPPY EASTER to everyone and all a blessed day.

Happy Easter to you all also!

 

[Molpet]