Eggs hatching in about 7 days!...What's in your Incubators?

[HollowOfWisps]

Once the eggs are set in the incubators the waiting game for them to hatch really brings out my inpatient side. I walk by the incubator and just stare at the eggs at least 3x a day like it will somehow make them magically hatch sooner Since it's pretty much spring I know that I'm not the only one with incubators running so while we're all waiting together what's in your Incubators (Please feel free to come back and add ducky pictures here after they hatch!!)?

I'll start with what I currently have going on...
I'm extra inpatient and wanted more table egg laying hens so I threw a barnyard mix into the incubator (will be Rouen, Mallard, Runner and Hookbill mixes). Hatch dates for the barnyard mixes will be the 24th-27th of this month. I still have another 1.5 weeks before I can collect the eggs from my Hookbill breeders that have been separated, but the plan is to have purebred Hookbill eggs set by the beginning of April. Since we just moved in all of the ducks are currently in the 30'x60' workshop (don't worry not being used as a workshop so no extra dust or fumes) until we get the "duck barn" built which will be 24'x24' barn and should be finished by the end of April. Hopefully by the time my Hookbills hatch I will have my heated "Hatching/Brooder Room" ready to go in the new "duck barn". Anyways I found myself staring at the incubator again so I went out and bought a 4' round stock tank to use as my new brooder. Now I'm in the workshop getting it set-up and typing this taking a "break" because 5'4" me trying to move this stock tank has been comical to say the least (almost broke my foot again....again meaning I broke my foot last year trying to move a stock tank. Thankfully I just missed my foot when I dropped it this time)

 

[JaeG]

How exciting! That last week always seems to creep by doesn't it?

I have some English Araucana eggs in my incubator for the Easter hatch-a-long, and I also have cockatiel eggs in there too.

We have a cockatiel pair who have a second male that's been helping them with the incubating of the eggs and the raising of the chicks (I'm quite amazed they let him), so second time around the cockatiel hen is still laying eggs even though their first chick hatched this morning. She started laying in a second nestbox as well, but I removed that and the eggs that were in it to incubate inside.

If they have too many eggs they won't be able to incubate them all properly (especially considering it's autumn here so cool at night) and I'm hoping to be able to return them to the nest once they hatch. I have hand reared from hatch before if I don't think the parents will accept them back. If there's too big an age gap or something the littlest gets ignored in favour of the older, louder babies.

It's hard work initially but I hate to see babies die unnecessarily if there's something I can do. And they make such amazing pets.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

How exciting! That last week always seems to creep by doesn't it?

I have some English Araucana eggs in my incubator for the Easter hatch-a-long, and I also have cockatiel eggs in there too.

We have a cockatiel pair who have a second male that's been helping them with the incubating of the eggs and the raising of the chicks (I'm quite amazed they let him), so second time around the cockatiel hen is still laying eggs even though their first chick hatched this morning. She started laying in a second nestbox as well, but I removed that and the eggs that were in it to incubate inside.

If they have too many eggs they won't be able to incubate them all properly (especially considering it's autumn here so cool at night) and I'm hoping to be able to return them to the nest once they hatch. I have hand reared from hatch before if I don't think the parents will accept them back. If there's too big an age gap or something the littlest gets ignored in favour of the older, louder babies.

It's hard work initially but I hate to see babies die unnecessarily if there's something I can do. And they make such amazing pets.

That's amazing! I have only ever incubated ducks and chickens, but I feel like incubating cockatiels would be a little bit more difficult?

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Well I just realized that when I typed this post originally yesterday and my phone died it somehow posted it. I retyped the other post not realizing this one posted and it won't even let me edit this post and will only let me comment. Sorry about the double post!

 

[DucksAreBest]

I'm incubating 2 Indian Runner/Khaki Campbell mix and 10 Khaki Campbell eggs .

 

[JaeG]

That's amazing! I have only ever incubated ducks and chickens, but I feel like incubating cockatiels would be a little bit more difficult?

I actually think they are easier. They seem to be really tough little eggs and even ones that have been punctured by a careless parents claw can hatch out just fine, even when I don't patch the puncture up.

It's amazing, on day 3 of incubation, to see a tiny little heart pumping away in there.

There was an egg hatching in a cockatiel nest not so long ago that got a bit buried in the bedding so wasn't being sat on. It was under its parent when I checked on it and it was pipped externally, peeping away. The next day I couldn't find it when I checked and found it buried. Miraculously it was still alive and peeping, so I put it in my incubator while it finished hatching, which it did, then I returned it to the nest. Those babies may look tiny and delicate, but they are amazingly tough.

 

[Percipen]

I have 1 white and 5 blue indian runner eggs going right now. I'm only on day 8. The incubation period feels like a year, but then the duckling phase feels like a week

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I have 1 white and 5 blue indian runner eggs going right now. I'm only on day 8. The incubation period feels like a year, but then the duckling phase feels like a week

Runners are awesome! I have yet to see a white runner so now you have me super excited I completely agree though on the duckling phase being so quick. Some of my family asked if they could visit to see the ducklings in their "baby" stage. I gave them all of my planned hatch dates and told them that if they want to see "baby" ducks to visit within a week of one of the hatch dates because they just grow so crazyily fast.