Eggs Abandoned, Please help!

[Goat_Walker]

I dont know what scared her away, but my mama duck hasnt set on her eggs for 3 days. I checked again today, and she just wont set anymore.

so I took in the 16 eggs, and currently have them in a crude incubator.

They are due to hatch anyday now, ( 28 day period ended today , weird huh)

So I have fertile eggs ( i candled them about 2 hours ago) with no mother.

I have them in a 10 gallon tank wrapped in hay and a towel out in the sun, ( no too direct ) trying to warm them up and keep them warm till I can get something better set up inside

When and how many times a day do I need to rotate them till they hatch?
This is my first time "incubating" and I need
serious help

Please tell me if I am doing something wrong, I have been looking forward to these eggs hatching for a while.

Like I said, they are fertile, but where really cold when I finally decided to bring them in.
Was I too late?

Thanks in advance

 

[Wildsky]

No harm in giving it a try - but 3 days without mom on the eggs, I think they're done.

Give it a few days and then candle the eggs again.

If they're pretty close to hatch you don't need to turn the eggs at all.
Do you have any way to measure humidity and temp when you get them in a better place? You can probably use a light to warm them - I've never incubated without my HOVA.


Good luck

 

[Goat_Walker]

They are prolly not going to make it, but I couldny help but give it a try

Considering ive never had a reptile, and mama has always don it natural, I have no way to do the humidity

The best I can do on such short notice is to wrap them up and at night put a lamp overt them.

DO i need to seal the tank up? Like make it so no new air comes in?

I might just stick them in the florida room, it is often humid in there thanks to the roof leaking,

What would be better?

 

[silkiechicken]

Duck eggs right?

Put them in a box, put a heat lamp over it, add some wet towels for humidity, and get the temp to be about 101F. Then thats all you can really do. But I agree, 3 days is a long shot.

 

[Goat_Walker]

Do I need to seal it up to keep the humidity in? Also, how wet is "wet" for the towels? Damp or with excess water? Do i need to wrap it straight around the eggs, or around the towel that is around the eggs? Do I need to switch them to a cardboard box, or can I keep them in the 10 gall tank?

 

[Goat_Walker]

Ive got the tank air tight, with a wet cloth in there for humidity, and it is outside getting some sun.

How is that?

 

[silkiechicken]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-howto.html

That might help out some.

They need to breathe so don't make it air tight.

 

[Goat_Walker]

Thanks!
Ill move the cover off .25 then

 

[Chicabee19]

good luck

If they make it they may be late due to getting chilled.

 

[Goat_Walker]

Id rather they be late than not make it. All we can do is wait now and hope for the best If anything new happens, ill keep this updated.

Thanks so much everyone!