First time incubating

[SteeleFaithFarm]

I just found a nest my female duck has made with 14 eggs. I ran out and bought an incubator to see if I can hatch them. Can anyone tell me what I should do before I move them? She had a nest in the spring but wouldn't brood them. This time I found her on them but she gets locked in the coop at night. Any help would be great.

 

[Jeanette56]

Is there anyway you could put a temporary pen over/around her if she is still willing to set?
Any idea old the eggs are or how long they've been in the nest?
Have you candled them?

 

[SteeleFaithFarm]

I'm going to try to fence her in. We just found the nest on accident yesterday. I have not candles them yet. I didn't want to move them until I knew what to do.

 

[yo burrill]

Dont know about ducks but when I have had to move a broody hen I put her and the eggs in a cardboard box and cover it with a towel or something similar. Then put the box where I want her. Leave her covered till she settles back down on the eggs. I usually move them in the evening and then take the towel off in the morning. They usually stay on the eggs if I do it that way.

 

[SteeleFaithFarm]

She only sat on the eggs for 2 hours. I think to lay an egg. I tried moving her and her clutch once before and she just trampled the eggs. So I marked all the eggs and put them in the incubator. I candles them and some showed signs of the yolk attaching to the shell wall. I'm going to turn them 2 times a day and candle them 2 times a week to see if anything changes. I dint know what to look for when I candle so I'm just going to be guessing. I know it takes 28 days for duck eggs to hatch so hopefully in 27 days we will have some ducklings. If anyone has more advice I'm more than happy to have it.

 

[Jeanette56]

To successfully incubate them they should be turned a minimum of three times a day; five is better if you can manage it. Mark each egg so you will know which side needs to face up. I wouldn't candle them that often if you can help it. The less they are handled the better.
They keep adding eggs to the nest until their internal clock says it's enough. Keep a close eye on your incubator temperatures and humidity.

 

[SteeleFaithFarm]

I'm keeping the incubator at 101 because it is still air. I put too much water in the reservoir so the humidity is a little high at 70 percent. I'm going to let it dry out a bit. I will candle them less often if that is better.