Dry hatch for ducklings?

[LydiaB]

My last hatch I had most of the ducklings drown in the egg before hatching. I had the humidity at 50-55% for incubation and 80% for hatching, which I thought was okay for ducks (I’m new to hatching). The person I bought my eggs from said she dry hatches (I didn’t ask prior to this hatch). Anyone else dry hatch ducks? I know it’s pretty common for chickens but had never heard of anyone doing it with ducks.

 

[Debbie292d]

It's not common at all with duck eggs. I did find a couple of threads about it but the vast majority won't do dry incubating with ducks. If you choose to do it traditionally, I'd try doing your lockdown at 70-75%. Good luck!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/can-i-dry-hatch-muscovy-eggs.1624501/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/does-dry-incubation-work-on-waterfowl-eggs.355093/

 

[LydiaB]

It's not common at all with duck eggs. I did find a couple of threads about it but the vast majority won't do dry incubating with ducks. If you choose to do it traditionally, I'd try doing your lockdown at 70-75%. Good luck!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/can-i-dry-hatch-muscovy-eggs.1624501/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/does-dry-incubation-work-on-waterfowl-eggs.355093/

I couldn’t get it lower for lockdown after I filled the main tray. Hoping it works to fill just the 2 smaller ones. It was running 50-60% with one small tray filled last hatch. That’s why I’m considering a dry hatch. But it might be too low then. Maybe I’ll rig up a tray cover for slightly lower humidity.

 

[LydiaB]

Would sticky ducklings be caused by lockdown humidity only? The ducklings that hatched were covered in egg white. That’s why I’m wondering if the humidity was too high the whole time. They didn’t seem “fat” like the holderread guide to hatching says they would be if the humidity was too high, so I’m a bit confused.

 

[Debbie292d]

Would sticky ducklings be caused by lockdown humidity only? The ducklings that hatched were covered in egg white. That’s why I’m wondering if the humidity was too high the whole time. They didn’t seem “fat” like the holderread guide to hatching says they would be if the humidity was too high, so I’m a bit confused.

I've hatched a ton of chicken eggs and only ducks once. I've gotten sticky chicks only once, and it usually would be caused by them being shrink-wrapped, as can happen if the incubator is opened while they are pipped; however, I hadn't. I asked about this and some members thought it could have been the hen herself as this was only 3 of over a dozen eggs.

That said, I think you would have better luck to try to figure out how to make the humidity stay around what the majority recommend. With chickens, it's 40-50% until lockdown, then 70%. Duck sites/posts I've seen are close to the same, if not the same, and is what I had used for that one time and was relatively successful.

I tried to find a couple of good links for you, and hopefully helpful.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/mallard-duck-eggs.1534532/ (this one someone posted another good link. In that link, it's pretty much similar, but on hatch day (only hatch day), they recommend 80%.

This one is a very thorough article about hatching goose eggs, but it's the same for most waterfowl. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/goose-incubation-hatching-guide-completed.491013/

This one misstated the temp for chicken eggs, so ignore that part. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ity-question-what-should-it-be-really.642521/

 

[My15Ducks]

Hi,
I tried dry incubating my last batch of ducklings and over 50% of the embryos died in the first 10 days of incubation. I don’t know for sure that it was the humidity, but it is the only thing I changed for this batch so it seems very likely. So because of this, I will not try dry incubating duck eggs again. I know it works for some people, but not for me