Duck starter

[girls and guineas]

I am saving duck eggs for a friend to hatch. How many days old do you recommend? Can I save them for 5 days? I don't think you are supposed to wash them off??
Can I put them in an egg carton to save them? Large side down?? I won't put them in the refrigerator. What temp do they need to be kept at?
She has an incubator. What about temp and humidity?
Do the eggs have to be turned?

 

[chickens really]

I am saving duck eggs for a friend to hatch. How many days old do you recommend? Can I save them for 5 days? I don't think you are supposed to wash them off??
Can I put them in an egg carton to save them? Large side down?? I won't put them in the refrigerator. What temp do they need to be kept at?
She has an incubator. What about temp and humidity?
Do the eggs have to be turned?

You can store the eggs up to 10 days in a egg carton in a cool room...Fat end up and use a book to shift the carton daily.....dont wash them.....

Yes the eggs will need to be turned 3 times a day.......

It also depends on the incubator being used ........


Cheers!

 

[girls and guineas]

Thanks so much for the info! I had forgotten some of the things! I myself don't have an incubator. I've had hens and ducks hatch eggs before!! Seems like such a Long time to wait, but So exciting!!!
I have more Roos and drakes than I need, so lately I've bought girls, not straight run. The boys I have are ones that I hatched out or straight run, so it's hard to rehome them!!! They are named and pets!!

 

[seussiii]

@Miss Lydia

Just spoke with the owner. They don't have any sort of all flock, grower, or maintenance feed. Pretty much just starter and a ton of different kinds of layer feeds.

She wasn't too knowledgeable but said that most of her duck customers feed the starter until laying age and then switch to a layer pellet that is ~16%.

For the grower/maintenance phase I'm thinking I may just cut the starter with oats once they hit 3-4 weeks to bring the protein down a bit. Maybe even use that permanently as there primary feed and give them access to oyster shell as needed at layer age so the drakes don't have calcium issues.

Would that work? Thanks!

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Miss Lydia

Just spoke with the owner. They don't have any sort of all flock, grower, or maintenance feed. Pretty much just starter and a ton of different kinds of layer feeds.

She wasn't too knowledgeable but said that most of her duck customers feed the starter until laying age and then switch to a layer pellet that is ~16%.

For the grower/maintenance phase I'm thinking I may just cut the starter with oats once they hit 3-4 weeks to bring the protein down a bit. Maybe even use that permanently as there primary feed and give them access to oyster shell as needed at layer age so the drakes don't have calcium issues.

Would that work? Thanks!

I think that would be fine @seussiii . My flock love starter and I usually feed it too the whole flock when I have it. I just mix it in with the rest.

 

[girls and guineas]

The duck eggs that I'm saving for hatching are dirty--dried on dirt. I rubbed off what I could, but shouldn't I spot wash them?? Will the dirt interfere with the eggs hatching??

 

[chickens really]

I just hatched 10 out of 10 Duck eggs and they were not clean......My Chicken Hen pooped all over her nest of eggs ...I removed one and she hatched all 7 chicks......


Probably not needed .......



Cheers!