Duck Eggs with Chicken Eggs

[enggass]

Anybody here put Duck eggs in with Chicken eggs? The real difference in hatching is the length of incubation. With Chickens we stop turning at day 18 hatching on day 2ish... If I were to do this with the Duck eggs, would they make it to day 25 ok? Thanks for any input... Steve

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I don't..but I could see doing a staggered hatch with a separate hatcher. Not only would you need to stop the turning of the eggs at day 18 for the chicken eggs, you'd want to bump the humidity up considerably, and that would be premature for the duck eggs.

If you use a hatcher, no big deal - you just move the chicken eggs in there on day 18 with the humidity at the proper level for hatching. The duck eggs would remain in the original incubator, continuing to turn and at the right humidity for pre-lockdown, and you'd move them into the hatcher (which would be empty by then) at lockdown.

 

[dekel18042]

Anybody here put Duck eggs in with Chicken eggs? The real difference in hatching is the length of incubation. With Chickens we stop turning at day 18 hatching on day 2ish... If I were to do this with the Duck eggs, would they make it to day 25 ok? Thanks for any input... Steve

Haven't done it yet but am contemplating doing it next spring. From talking to other people I have come to the following conclusions. Since duck eggs take a week longer to hatch, I think it would be easiest if I started the duck eggs a week sooner then added the chicken eggs. Then when the chicken eggs are on day 18, I would do the lockdown for the whole incubator (I have a brinsea octagon 20 and foresee putting in perhaps a total of 18 eggs.) and carry on as usual. Hopefully with this protocol the eggs would hatch together.
I'd be interested in what others have done. Having a staggered hatch or having some hatch before others seems to problematic for me to want to attempt it.

 

[junebuggena]

When incubating both duck and chicken eggs at the same time, you need to set the duck eggs first. Then a week later, you add the chicken eggs. That way, they are all ready for lockdown at the same time.

 

[enggass]

Makes sense... Thanks!