Duck eggs in incubator

[mom212]

Hi! My 13 yr old son is incubating duck eggs. Day 29 is Tuesday, April 11th. I understand lockdown starts 3 days prior and we have NO way to check humidity in there. How does he make sure it stays humid enough during lockdown? He candled at days 7 and 10 and all 14 eggs were alive. I HATE to think that we may mess things up now. As much as I freak out thinking of "What will we do with 14 ducklings??!!!" I don't want to lose any either.

 

[Pyxis]

You really need to get something to check the humidity because it's crucial all throughout incubation, not just the last three days.

Hatch day is day 28, not day 29.

 

[mom212]

Really? Everything we've read say 29 days.
Gah!!! What should the humidity be in lockdown? I don't want to lose these babies! (we haven't checked humidity AT ALL!!) How does a mother duck keep them the correct humidity?

 

[Pyxis]

She's just built to keep it correct She also takes swims each day and then gets back on the nest.

For the last three days get it up to 65 to 70 percent.

Check your air cells since you haven't been monitoring humidity. Compare to this chart:

 

[mom212]

Thanks!

 

[mom212]

also- how are we supposed to keep it at the higher humidity if we don't open it?

 

[Pyxis]

You can open it. You just need to get the humidity back up quickly afterwards. You can open it right up until you have external pips with no danger, and after external pips as long as the humidity recovers quickly.

 

[mom212]

we checked about 4 of them and just one looks like a smaller air cell. We even saw movement in 2 of them!!!!

 

[mom212]

oh Phewee!!! I'm so glad! We understood lockdown as DO NOT OPEN! and we do not need to turn anymore at the 3 day mark, correct?

 

[Pyxis]

Correct, you stop turning on day 25.