First time duck incubator!

[Bcpayne]

Hello all! So I'm incubating my first ever duck eggs and I figure I would reach out to the community to see what tips and trick ya have for me.

-a little back story-
We have had a busy hatching season with my favorite hen successfully hatching 14 healthy chicks, followed by me hatching 17 orphaned turkey eggs for a friend.
I was completely fine with not incubating any more poultry or brooding cause, lord knows, I hate brooding them
ANYWAY, my 3 year old and I were taking a hike in a duck populated area (people dump all their unwanted quackers there) when he happened upon a nest of duck eggs... I'll be honest... he has been telling me he is gonna "fine me some baby duck eggs" for the entire last month LOL. The nest had clearly been attacked. Several were broken and seemingly eaten and something nearby smelled DEAD... so of course I try to steer him away in case other predators were attracted by the smell and he would not leave without the eggs, "Momma, dere's babies in dose eggs!!"

So there is the story of how we smuggled 7 green duck eggs out of a hiking trip and have them in our incubator. I'm thinking these lil fellas are Indian Runners or Anconas (both are present there) or maybe a mix of them.

-NOW- one egg just looked off from the get go. I candled and none were developed yet but that one was cloudy. I let it sit for two days in the incubator, with regular turns, until it started sweating goo. That thang got tossed into a baggie and swifted off into the trash can quicker than a quacker can snatch a cracker. Today is day 4 of incubation on the rest and they all seem to be developing VERY WELL.

So incubator stats - I have the bator set to 99.5f, approx 60% humidity, turning 5x daily, and 2x daily I soak a fresh paper towel in water, ring until damp and drape over the eggs to simulate Momma duck going to forage in the water and getting back on the nest.

Since I'm brand new to this duck business.... have I missed anything? Attached a picture of our smuggled eggs

 

[casportpony]

My advice is to lower your humidity to 35-45%, 60% is way too high. I would also not cover the eggs with the wet paper towel.

@Pyxis, @WVduckchick, @Isaac 0, @Jpat, @shawluvsbirds, @honanbm, any suggestions?

 

[Conan]

I incubate duck eggs at 50% humidity until lockdown, then bump it up to 75-80. So far, so good! I just had a dozen calls hatch themselves!

 

[Isaac 0]

There is no set humidity so its best to adjust the humidity based on the air cell size or weight throughout incubation, but for most people the general 30-45% until lockdown, then up it near to 70% during lockdown seems to work. I also x2 on stopping the wet paper towel.

 

[Emilys3guppies]

I'm watching this thread! I just set my first Indian runner and call duck eggs today.

I've hatched hundreds of pekin over the years, and rouen, but never runners or calls.

 

[Bcpayne]

So far all six are progressing nicely, I've got humidity at 45% now but I still believe I'm gonna keep on with the damp paper towels... according to a lot of people they mist their eggs down so I'm wondering why a damp paper towel would be different than misting?

 

[Emilys3guppies]

Theres lots of opinions about that for sure.

Personally, I don't cool or mist eggs. My last hatch was 42 pekin eggs set and 38 hatched. But lots of folks have good success with it too.

 

[Bcpayne]

Theres lots of opinions about that for sure.

Personally, I don't cool or mist eggs. My last hatch was 42 pekin eggs set and 38 hatched. But lots of folks have good success with it too.

What a cute picture and what a great hatch rate! The last few incubated hatches we had were really successful too but the ducks I'm just not experienced with yet. Everything is an experiment in this house