Giant egg - can I incubate?

[Fishkeeper]

More likely they would die in the shell, or one would absorb the other. You can certainly try, but be prepared to have it fail. You'll have to figure out what to do to help the twin that can't reach the air sac, if they get to that point, because otherwise it won't be able to breathe.
I think there's a thread or two on here of people deliberately incubating eggs, and I don't think the principle is any different for ducks than it is for chickens. Except maybe slightly less risk of injury from pecking each other if they manage to develop far enough, what with ducks having rounded bills.

 

[Loopeend]

Thanks! My wife has trouble pronouncing it.

My incubator holds 41 eggs in the turning racks, and only 25 eggs laying flat. I would end up throwing out (or just eating) 6 eggs to accommodate this one egg, in addition to adding the hassle of turning the egg manually several times a day (I incubated once with hand turning - it was a pain to keep up with). The more I think about it the more I rationalize not incubating it.

But then again... if I incubated it and if twins hatched out of it, I'm sure I could get on the local news. How cool would that be? "Local duck farm hatches out twins from single egg" It would be a whole thing.

Nah. Is that worth it when it would be some deformed unhappy ducklings?

I don't think people on here are lieing when they warn you. But on the other hand; sometimes knowledge only comes when you try and experience it yourself. So I'm a bit neutral. But I think the opinions of experienced people here have to weigh higher then media-coverage. What you want to explore to learn more on this topic, and how heavy that weighs on a scale, I can't decide for your personnally you.

If you did is as an experiment because you have interested in it I would more say 'jay' but for media-exposure more 'nay'. What does local news bring you. What will it bring you when it would read "local duck farms breeds malformed ducks on purpose'. If you personally want to learn and experiment; I would not involve the local media whatsoever. If you might hatch healthy twins out of luck; others might try to copy it and hatch a bunch of dead ducks...and that is also important for you when you want to come off as an responsible duck-breeder.

 

[Tannerpauldean]

Nah. Is that worth it when it would be some deformed unhappy ducklings?

I don't think people on here are lieing when they warn you. But on the other hand; sometimes knowledge only comes when you try and experience it yourself. So I'm a bit neutral. But I think the opinions of experienced people here have to weigh higher then media-coverage. What you want to explore to learn more on this topic, and how heavy that weighs on a scale, I can't decide for your personnally you.

If you did is as an experiment because you have interested in it I would more say 'jay' but for media-exposure more 'nay'. What does local news bring you. What will it bring you when it would read "local duck farms breeds malformed ducks on purpose'. If you personally want to learn and experiment; I would not involve the local media whatsoever. If you might hatch healthy twins out of luck; others might try to copy it and hatch a bunch of dead ducks...and that is also important for you when you want to come off as an responsible duck-breeder.

I would certainly not want to incubate if it means hatching out deformed or disabled ducklings. The health and longevity of my flock comes first.

As I mentioned, the more I read everyone's responses and the more I think about my setup, the more I want to just eat this egg and incubate my regular-sized eggs instead. Even if the ducklings hatch out alive, I can imagine they may grow up to be less-than-standard adults, and possibly even disabled.

 

[Loopeend]

I would certainly not want to incubate if it means hatching out deformed or disabled ducklings. The health and longevity of my flock comes first.

As I mentioned, the more I read everyone's responses and the more I think about my setup, the more I want to just eat this egg and incubate my regular-sized eggs instead. Even if the ducklings hatch out alive, I can imagine they may grow up to be less-than-standard adults, and possibly even disabled.

It's a tough subject that you only personally can decide on.

I understand the curiosity to try. I could have been the one posting this. But it are also animals. It's not a giant pumpkin that gets the newspaper.
I think this is a good thing to let some students try that have more knowledge and tools etc. and do a study researching stuff like this. So we eventually get more knowledge about it due through scientific research. I think it IS possible to hatch twins but it will evolve a lot of knowledge/testing/tools/equipment/dedication that is just not possible if you don't own that. I certainly don't. So I would choose not so. I would feel like a jerk when it ended up dead, because I tried an experiment, that I didn't have the tools and knowledge for, but did it anyway, and end up thinking about it and blaiming myself.

 

[Tannerpauldean]

It's a tough subject that you only personally can decide on.

I understand the curiosity to try. I could have been the one posting this. But it are also animals. It's not a giant pumpkin that gets the newspaper.
I think this is a good thing to let some students try that have more knowledge and tools etc. and do a study researching stuff like this. So we eventually get more knowledge about it due through scientific research. I think it IS possible to hatch twins but it will evolve a lot of knowledge/testing/tools/equipment/dedication that is just not possible if you don't own that. I certainly don't. So I would choose not so. I would feel like a jerk when it ended up dead, because I tried an experiment, that I didn't have the tools and knowledge for, but did it anyway, and end up thinking about it and blaiming myself.

I agree. I think I would need some more hatches under my belt, and possibly some different equipment, before I try something like this. Large eggs are not so uncommon that I shouldn't expect another to come along eventually.

 

[Loopeend]

I agree. I think I would need some more hatches under my belt, and possibly some different equipment, before I try something like this. Large eggs are not so uncommon that I shouldn't expect another to come along eventually.

I hope you keep us updated when you do.

 

[Loopeend]

Heh. Inside giggle. Should have called her Myffawny And pronounce it American English