Brinsea mini 2 advance incubator

[AMLaakko]

Hi all. First time incubating/hatching an egg. My dog discovered 3 somewhere in the yard and brought them inside a month ago. One was cracked, one had a little tiny hole and one was okay. Looked for a nest but couldn't find one anywhere - I assume the (mallards?) smartened up and built somewhere outside the fence of my yard. In any case I decided I’d try and see if I could save any of them- got the Brinsea mini 2 incubator. One of the eggs developed on the normal time line and the one with the hole I think died shortly after incubation. SO the sole duckling left hatched today just now. Was really hoping the two would make it to be together, may get some chicks that a friend is looking to rehome for company. But my question is- it looks like there isn’t enough room for the babe to stand fully in the incubator - I know I’m suppose to leave it in to dry for 12 hours- but is it normal for them to not have enough room to fully stand? The incubator indicates that it is for duck eggs as well as other birds- it’s the 7 egg incubator- but it just looks cramped to me. My second question is- can anyone tell me how to tell the difference between a mallard duckling and a wood duckling? I had been assuming they were mallard eggs because there was a pair close by when the eggs were brought in by the dog- but we are on a pond and there are all kinds of waterfowl pairs romancing and I saw a pair of wood ducks the other day as well. There is a nest in a tall pine close to the water but it seems way too high up to be a wood duck’s nest. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Offshoreorca]

Hi all. First time incubating/hatching an egg. My dog discovered 3 somewhere in the yard and brought them inside a month ago. One was cracked, one had a little tiny hole and one was okay. Looked for a nest but couldn't find one anywhere - I assume the (mallards?) smartened up and built somewhere outside the fence of my yard. In any case I decided I’d try and see if I could save any of them- got the Brinsea mini 2 incubator. One of the eggs developed on the normal time line and the one with the hole I think died shortly after incubation. SO the sole duckling left hatched today just now. Was really hoping the two would make it to be together, may get some chicks that a friend is looking to rehome for company. But my question is- it looks like there isn’t enough room for the babe to stand fully in the incubator - I know I’m suppose to leave it in to dry for 12 hours- but is it normal for them to not have enough room to fully stand? The incubator indicates that it is for duck eggs as well as other birds- it’s the 7 egg incubator- but it just looks cramped to me. My second question is- can anyone tell me how to tell the difference between a mallard duckling and a wood duckling? I had been assuming they were mallard eggs because there was a pair close by when the eggs were brought in by the dog- but we are on a pond and there are all kinds of waterfowl pairs romancing and I saw a pair of wood ducks the other day as well. There is a nest in a tall pine close to the water but it seems way too high up to be a wood duck’s nest. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Wood ducks nest up in trees, so it's likely mallard eggs you have. The link below will help you know for sure though as they have slightly different markings. https://wildheartswildlife.wordpress.com/2016/06/02/baby-mallard-vs-baby-wood-duck/

 

[Offshoreorca]

And you can take the duckling out at any point as long as you have a brooder or appropriately adjusted heat lamp for it to go under - it is a tight space and duckling should be okay whether you decide to leave it in there or not. The real risk for the duckling is getting to cold if you take it out (as it's wet for a while after it hatches, that makes it even more susceptible). I wouldn't take it out right away, but given that there aren't anymore hatching, it's less important to be careful about opening the incubator and wait 12 hours if it has been drying off well and you have an appropriate place for it to finish drying off.

 

[AMLaakko]

Wood ducks nest up in trees, so it's likely mallard eggs you have. The link below will help you know for sure though as they have slightly different markings. https://wildheartswildlife.wordpress.com/2016/06/02/baby-mallard-vs-baby-wood-duck/

Thanks so much! Definitely a mallard.