everyone is giving me different answers about humidity

[D'Angelo N Va.]

I finally have 6 muscovy eggs in the incubator and I have it set at 99.5, but everyone is saying the humidity can be from 55-80%, that's a mighty large gap, what should it be? Mine is at 65%, and what should it go to once they go into lockdown at 26 days...Muscovies do take 28 days right?? Thanks in Advance.
D'Angelo

 

[KansasKid]

Everyone will always have different opinions, some use really humid levels, and some dry hatch. The greatest factor is where you live. if it is really humid where you live you shouldn't need the humidity that high and vise versa. What i would do is start out the clutch at 50% humidity and monitor the air cell development. if it starts to decline too fast then you can bump up the humidity and too slow and you can take it down. Then at lock down is when the humidity truly matters, 79-80%, just to make sure they don't shrink wrap.

 

[duckyfromoz]

Muscovies take 35 to incubate. Best of luck with your eggs.

 

[destinduck]

Eggcelent Advice Kansas. Good on ya ducky. Im a hatching commando this year. How's everything downunder? Good I hope.

 

[duckyfromoz]

All is good Destinduck...Looking foward to seeing a heap of photos of all the new babies. I just sold off the last of the " extras" I have two cute little muscovies ( I didnt hatch myself.. ) 9 GORGEOUS Runners in a brooder beside my bed ( number ten is about to leave the incubator. ) and everything seems normal again. The only thing wrong is that there is only 6 duck eggs in the bator- and with the ten all being sold already- I am feeling duckless. I have plenty of room in the bator again though and have been collecting for the last two days.

The state I live in was hit by a months rain today - so sadly the ducks stayed looked up so I didnt come home to my whole yard being a mud puddle. At least some of the natural disasters seem to have eased off.

D'Angelo N Va - something else to think about for in the future with scovies is that they often do better when started under a broody. I guess you will be keeping a few of the ones you are hatching - so you may not need to incubate with them being a good breed for broodiness - but if you do- you will know one way to get better hatches with them.

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

Thanks everyone. Ducky I heard that Muscovies are Great mothers and brood out a very nice clutch. I just thought I would try a few on my own. I am afraid I will do something wrong and none will hatch.

oh yeah, is it better to use a turner or hand turn. sometimes I work from 8 a.m. until 7 pm would I mess up by not being able to turn sooner than that. now sometimes with that being said I will work 9-3 so my schedule is very flexible some weeks.

 

[destinduck]

I believe Ducky hand turns. I use both methods at the same time because sometimes I dont have time like you to hand turn. Either will work.

 

[duckyfromoz]

I used to hand turn until I bought my current incubator that has a roll turning mechanism. I have to go clean it out before I go to bed since I took the last duckling out tonight. I will get a better photo of how it works when I do that. If I am using the hatching tray for incubation I have to hand turn the eggs- as long as the eggs are getting turned at least twice- and not spending most of the day on one side things usually turn out ok. That is why an odd number of turns per day is suggested- so that they arent on the same side during the night which is usually the longest period they go unturned. The incubator timer is set to roll every 4 hours- but when hand turning- I do it in the morning when I get up- when I get home from work- and last thing before I go to bed.

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

Awesome!! I just took the turner out and laid them on their sides marked so i know which I turned last.... wish me luck!!

 

[duckyfromoz]

When you are getting close to lockdown- it will be important which way you leave them - the air cell does tell you which way they are to go- also often by that stage the eggs will want to roll themselves the right way due to the weight of the duckling. You can see from the diagram how the air cell can look. When candling when you go into lockdown you can see movement at the bottom. The ducklings spine is what you see right there. I have drawn in a dotted line- to show where the duckling moves up into the aircell when it is trying to break through the shell and unzip.