duck incubation questions *** pics added page 4

[feather2]

I just got my 5 runner duck eggs from alabama today. They are going into the incubator (TX7) tonight. First duck hatch and so excited.

 

[lnm03]

I started a day late so my day to stop turning is TOMORROW!!!!!! hopefully things are ok!!! I have had perfect temps and humidity the whole time! I had one egg explode it was NASTY!!!! Now I up my humidity tomorrow to 70% correct? what happens when it starts to drop do I add more water? or am I absolutely for no reason suppose to open the bator till they hatch?

Thanks!!

 

[1lpoock]

No you can open it to add water...just do it quickly! Good luck!

 

[FenDruadin]

You can open to add water, but I use a piece of aquarium tubing and add it through the vent holes. Someone on here showed me how to take a squeezable (disposable) water bottle, cut a hole in the lid, stick the aquarium tubing through, and seal it with hot glue. Then you can fill the bottle with water and squeeze to fill your rags/sponges/water wells during lockdown.

I do open the incubator twice a day once they start hatching to take babies out. This is against popular theory on lockdown, but I find leaving them in causes more problems than taking them out. I just make sure I raise the humidity as high as it will go before opening, and make sure all the sources of humidity are full of water so they'll re-humidify quickly after opening, then I work quickly and close it back. I rarely see much of a dip in humidity.

 

[feather2]

Just an update, my runner eggs are now down to one.....maybe two. The others slowly started rotting with oozing etc. so I don't have much hope for even this one. (One egg has sluggish movement - the other is still). These were shipped eggs and they were stuck on a truck all day at 90 plus degrees. Anyway they are now in an Rcom incubator (since i ordered 8 more and got ten). Unfortunately the incubator does not tell me what the humidity is so I just have to hope. Three days to go. I have a question though, do ducks do okay traveling? We have a summer weekend place on a lake I would like to bring them to.

 

[duckyfromoz]

I have a weekender place too that I take my ducks to. No water where I am- but at least if some of them are with me I dont worry about them all bein left at home. My ducks got used to travelling in the car since they were very little- so I have never had any problems with them. They have a huge box in the back - rather than carry crates and are provided food and water for the trip- so they always arrive without being desperate to escape the car.

 

[FenDruadin]

For the humidity--if they're close to hatching time and you don't have a way to measure humidity (you can buy a hygrometer at Walmart for $10 though), you can estimate it by just raising the humidity until you start to see condensation inside the windows but they are not *completely* fogged up. That usually gets it pretty close to right for me.

Good luck!

 

[lnm03]

I have seen 4 of the 11 eggs I have wiggling!!! I havent seen the others but I couldnt stand and watch for too long I had to leave for work......If I dont see the others wiggle does that mean they are not going to make it?

 

[FenDruadin]

Don't worry about the non-wigglers. They're all on their own timetable. I find in larger batches that they tend to hatch in roughly two batches--so once I see a bunch of them wiggling/pipping/etc., it's usually roughly half with the other half starting a day or so later.

Also, they can wriggle for DAYS before they pip, so don't freak out if they don't pip any time really soon.

 

[lnm03]

two babies hatched!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!