Duck/Goose Eggs??

[brandibaby23]

I have a question. I have 7 Pekin Duck eggs or Embden Goose (not sure whose they are) I'm pretty sure they are fertile, I have put them in the fridge for about 4 days now, could I still put them in my incubator and hatch them? If so What is the correct temp and humidity for them?

 

[Buster52]

I have never done this, but a breeder here in OK said he puts his in the fridge for up to 10 days as he gathers enough for the bator. He said this helps him maintain a more even hatch date and time.

 

[brandibaby23]

I thought I read somewhere you could do this but the eggs couldn't fall below a certain temp before you couldn't incubate.

 

[duckmanor]

Ok this might sound funny but why are my ducks having eggs in this weather it is nearly 30 degrees at night. I thought they only laid eggs starting spring.

Also - I heard if I collect them each day they are safe to eat, do ducks lay eggs that are infertile I guess I don't quite understand. EGG 101 lesson please I am new at this.

 

[neferset]

Quote:
Fertile eggs are safe to eat. In some countries, eggs with advanced embryos are considered a delicacy, though I wouldn't eat those myself. I do eat and cook with my fertile eggs though. There is no taste difference other than the difference between real free range eggs and store eggs. If you collect each day and don't rely on finding big caches of eggs once a week or month, that prevents you from getting older or spoiled eggs, especially in warm weather.

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
Fertile eggs are safe to eat. In some countries, eggs with advanced embryos are considered a delicacy, though I wouldn't eat those myself.

When I was in the Philippines, I have fond memories of the street vendors walking down the street with a poll balanced on each should with baskets at the end, and he would shout over and over, "BALUT!" (pronounced baloot).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut_(egg)

 

[neferset]

There you go. Fertile eggs are safe to eat, even later. But on day 1 after laying when you collect them, you won't notice any difference at all.

 

[feedstorechick]

Yes, you could still try to incubate them. Some refrigerated eggs can still develop. I'd set them out an let them get to room temperature before putting them in the 99.5 degree incubator. I start out at around 40-50% humidity. My call duck eggs do better hand turned, but when I had pekins they hatched fine when I used an egg turner.

 

[brandibaby23]

My incubator has no turner, no humidity control. I bought it at tractor supply, it is bare bones it heats up and stays warm, and thats it. How do I make it humid inside, any ideas for that?

 

[neferset]

If it's the styrofoam type, you add water to the bottom. There are wells for it either built into a plastic tray or into the styrofoam.

If you don't have wells, you can add a bowl with water and a sponge. You may need a sponge for extra humidity at the end anyway.