duck eggs for incubation?

[GoodEgg]

Hello all,

I have a question that I hope someone knows the answer to. I'm going to post it also under "incubating and hatching" ... I hope that's ok.

There is a local teacher who wants to incubate fertile duck eggs to hatch for her class. (I've already talked to her about arrangements for the ducklings and for the rest of their lives.)

She only has a small incubator, and only wants 3 eggs. My ducks and drakes are a year old, and have been breeding for over 6 months. I hope her class isn't disappointed though ... I don't know what hatch rate she can expect from 3 eggs?

My question is this: I don't know if everyone else's ducks do this, but mine lay their eggs in the coop and get them truly filthy. I only wash them if I put them in the fridge, sell them, or cook with them.

So I wonder if I should wash them before I give them to her, or leave them so dirty? Does the "bloom" matter? (They are really dirty, I think they kick them around in poo.) I'm even embarrassed to give them to her like this if other people's ducks don't do this?

Mostly I want her to have as good a chance as possible for hatching. What do y'all think, or can anyone tell me the best thing to do?

Thanks everyone!

trish

 

[MBLayfield]

Mine are hideously filthy! I don't give mine away because I'm so embarrassed by how mucky they are. I know how you feel. My duck eggs are always wet when I pick them up off of the ground. I let them sit on the counter or somewhere to dry some, then I wipe some of the dirt off before I put them in the incubator. I wash what we eat.

I would never ever even give mine away that's how ugly and filthy mine are. Someday everyone will have a nice pen to sleep in and lay eggs in. In the meantime, I'll salvage what eggs I can from the mucky coop floor.........

 

[GoodEgg]

Sorry mods ... I know someone moved my post. I had hoped it was ok to ask under "other poultry" as well in case duck eggs were different.

Thanks, MBLayfield. I'm glad I'm not the only one! I am embarrassed by the eggs as well.

And it's not as though I don't clean the coop. It is a wire floor and I raised the whole coop up off the ground, and I put in a deep layer of shavings for them. They just muck it up again within a week, and I can't keep changing the whole coop every week.

I have worried about them, but they seem fine. Although during the winter, anytime we had a freezing night, I always made sure they had dry bedding on top. But they are filthy little things!

trish