Ancona Ducks

[wildsam]

Eggs should usually go into lockdown on day 25 (you should see the air sac dip lower on one side) and I usually have mine at 75-80% humidity. If you can't get it up that high try putting some soaked sponges in with the eggs! Then wait, watch, keep your hands off the eggs (!) and celebrate when they hatch around day 29! They can take up to 4 days to hatch too, so patience is key.

 

[MemawSwift]

Wildsam, thank you for your response. I'm not sure about the eggs age when I put them in the bator. She had been sitting for around 10 days when she abandoned them due to a snake. I gathered them up and candled them. Some were still good, so I ran to TS and bought a bator. A few days later while cleaning her run I found 3 more.(I guess I missed because I was taking her daily eggs)I was guessing at a hatching date from the amount of time she was sitting and comparing candling photos off the internet. When I locked them down, I continue to turn the other three because they didn't seem as advanced. (I stick a thin rod in the air hole of the bator and roll them). When I locked them down, everyone was alive and moving with good veins. I didn't see any internal pips. Today should be hatch day and I just don't know. The eggs don't wiggle in the bator like some say, so I don't know for sure that they are still alive. The humidity is at 65%.

 

[wildsam]

Barely any of mine wiggled on lockdown day. So I wouldn't worry so much about that one. As long as you see them move inside it should be good. And as mentioned before, you will start seeing the air sac dip down much further on one side. When you see that I would put them in lockdown. A few more days more or less don't matter... Now good luck!

 

[MemawSwift]

Do you think it would be a good idea to candle to look at the air cell and activity, or just wait? I want to look, but don't want my curiosity to kill them. They were ok last I looked, but haven't touched them in 3 days!

 

[wildsam]

Do you think it would be a good idea to candle to look at the air cell and activity, or just wait? I want to look, but don't want my curiosity to kill them. They were ok last I looked, but haven't touched them in 3 days!

Actually, I let mine "cool" after the first week in the bator. Second week for 5 min, third week for 8 and last week for about 15 min. I also must my eggs every day up til lockdown, and candle them on e a week to make sure I don't leave dead babies in there. They could explode and infect the others through the shell and they can die then too.

So if you wanna candle them, go ahead! It won't hurt them. Once I left mine accidentally out for over an hour and they still hatched! Go ahead and look now, cause the suspense from lockdown and the long days of piping and hatching (up to 4 days) will kill you anyways! Lol

 

[MemawSwift]

Thank you so much for saying what I REALLY wanted to hear. Ok, confession time.....I did about 1/2 hour ago. I did it real quick and did not alter their position except one by a smidgen. (to put the largest part of the air cell towards the top) I can't see anything now but the air cell, no bills in them. Everything is dark! I got another one out that should be the same time, but it was smaller. It showed the same except towards the cell I can barley see veins but they will probably be dark before long. I will keep waiting. I hope they are ok. I think with all I'm learning, I may try to hatch on purpose when these are done, but need to learn more first. Maybe with chickens next time because they don't quite take as long. If my nerves handle that, it's gonna be ducks again! I hope to post some really cute pictures in the next few days

 

[newducklings]

One of my anconas was doing this kind of grooming looking thing to my other ancona. It didnt look this they were teying to mate or anything like that. It just kind of look like it was grooming the other one of jusr pecking at it.dothey groom each other sometimes or was it just pecking at the other one. And the other didnt seem like it hurt. It just stood there and kept drinking and then walked away.

 

[MemawSwift]

I've never noticed mine grooming each other. My male just follows my female around and then stands guard while she's laying an egg or sitting on a nest. I guess they could groom just like anything else?

 

[winteree]

So, being a first timer, will they all pop out one colour and go white and black in a while?

Also, a few of mine have pipped, started to zip, but now the pipping holes looked dried up. One is still wriggling inside, the other is giving no signs that all is well.

Sleepy perhaps? Would love to hatch 9/9, was buoyed this morning, but like a nervous expectant father right now...

if the holes dried up you need to wet them with warm water using a q-tip or cotton ball or you could lose them. but the fluff will tell you what color they will be when they get bigger.

 

[AnconasBrisbane]

Thanks for this. I learnt a harsh lesson. I lost both of them, and another one passed without pipping.

I was however, able to hatch 6 ducklings. One is runt-ish, two black and white and the other three full white. The runt had a foot it couldn't use initially and a wing that is undersized - seems ok now, although it is a much paler yellow that the others. All are doing well. I helped the last three out of their eggs a little. I wish I had have been gutsy enough to do the same for the two that pipped, zipped and then died.

Glad I joined these forums and found out I needed a hygrometer, rather than just adding 100ml here or there....would have been a much different outcome.

Anyways, the kids at school will be pumped when they find out that 6/9 made the finish line.

They are already growing so fast and they are getting along really well.