Complete failure incubating duck eggs

[comp6512]

Out of 12 eggs zero ducklings!

Last candling, three days before hatch date showed 4 live and moving ducklings. One tried to hatch, but died. Today is day 28 and no movement or peeping.

I used Hova 1588 with the fan blowing all the time. Temp was around 99.5 and humidity at stable 70% for the duration.
There is no way to up the humidity in this incubator because of the blowing fan, regardless how much water I put there.
Eggs were on their sides and I turned three times a day religiously.

Should have I used still air incubator?

I have not misted the eggs, as I learned about that only recently.

 

[easttxchick]

First off,

. I understand how you feel-I just emptied 16 quitter Call duck eggs out of my incubator yesterday(1 hatched).
What kind of ducks were you trying to hatch?

 

[Kedreeva]

I use a still air and the majority of my duck eggs liked this. But, I also misted (and cooled) once per day during incubation and had them on an auto turner.

If you go again and still want to use a fan, you can try adding in something to disperse the water into the air easier (like a sponge or a paper towel). Remember that it is not the depth of the water that increases humidity, it is the surface area and a sponge has a lot more surface area than does a well of water.

You can also try closing vents in the incubator during incubation to up the humidity.

Lastly, it is always possible that you just had terrible, horrible, no good, bad luck. If that was the case

I hope your luck turns around next hatch.

 

[comp6512]

I do have a still air incubator, just thought the more expensive one would be better.

So, next time still air?

These were pekin eggs.

 

[mrslb333]

Are you sure they're all dead? Could just be late hatcher's it's only day 28