Day 16 !!!!

[Crazy4Chicks]

well I am at day 16 with my duck eggs - again - I lost my last eggs on day 16 so I am nervous about the next few days - since my last eggs did not make it past this day is there anything I need to know ? is spraying them with water really important I have forgotten to do it a few times is that going to hurt them?

they have a hatch day of April 5 - but I think that is wrong - ducks hatch on 27 or 28 days?

when candling them what should I expect to see in there?

sorry for all the questions but I feel like I am almost to the finish line of a really long race LOL I really really really want to see these babies.

Julie

 

[ruth]

Hi Julie - yes it's 28 days for duck eggs. I too have my first batch in the bator due to hatch April 5th. Mine are at day 17 today or 16 if you don't count the 8th when I put them in. I have been candling the last few nights and there are lots of veins and lots of movement clearly visible.

As far as the misting - I've read so many different views. I didn't know it needed to be done when I ordered chicken eggs at the same time to be delivered a week later. My thoughts were to put duck eggs in bator, wait a week, put chick eggs in and all would hatch same time. But then I learned that duck eggs require a humidity of something like 90% which of course isn't good for the chick eggs. So, I put a warm damp wash rag in bator and put the duck eggs on it. I keep it damp and turn the eggs twice a day. My chick eggs are on other side of bator. Unfortunately they are green eggs and I can't see into them when candling so I can't tell how they are doing but the duck eggs seem to be doing really well.

 

[twigg]

Hatching times for ducks varies from 23 to 32 days, depending on the breed.

What do you have?

 

[Crazy4Chicks]

well mom is a Cayagua (sp?) and the dad(s) is either my creasted mallard mix or my pekin - I really dont think it is the pekin, my female seems to only mate with the creasted.

Ruth - keeping the eggs on a wash cloth does that keep the humidity up high enough? the highest I can get mine is 41-50ish I have been so worried about them not hatching since my humidity is so low for ducks

when I candle them I see movement - but there are days where they are not moving so much but they are still at least moving.

Julie

 

[ruth]

Hi Julie - yes, the wet wash cloth helps get the humidity up. You could also fill your bator trays with water and/or put a wet sponge in there. My problem is that I put the chicken eggs in with them and didn't want to get the humidity too high. So, I'm trying the wet wash cloth, and placing the duck eggs on it and turning them daily. That way they stay moist but the other eggs stay dry.