Hands on hatching and help

[AmyLynn2374]

I just want to say that I love this thread!!

We are frozen too! And I like to run on the hot side too. With my silkie eggs I run, on an average at least 50%. It goes up to 55% all the time. And the air cells grow great! I swear! I'm all for low humidity incubation and it really makes sense...sometimes I feel so "wrong" for running it so high but I can't argue with the results!! Lol.

I hope you do....lol You helped me decided whether to start it or not....lol

I know I flinch when I see it above 40 or 50% but I know its what they need. I already decided that if the others end up too small at day 10, I'll take them out and stick them under the heat light with just the reletive humidity and when they increase stick them back in for hatch....lol

 

[BigWeenMachine]

I'm going to crack 2 call eggs today too. They had veins and moving embryos but not anymore. The veins are all receded and they're not coming back! Does the breed of duck your hatching take 28 days? You know once you start collecting eggs again and wait to set them all together you're going to see how much easier it is!!

Probably somewhere between 28 and 28.5 days. The mother is a fawn and white runner (28.5 days) and the two males that bred her are a Welsh Harlequin and a Blue Swedish (which I think are both 28 days). I am expecting some really neat ducklings from this combo. The first lil duckling that came out looks like a mix of the blue Swede and runner. He's got yellow fluff that is starting to dry but hes got gray streaks in the hair so I don't know for sure yet what color hes gonna be. Hes got orange feet but his middle toes on both feet are blue and his orange beak has a blue arrow looking line running down the middle of it. Think I'll name him Archer or Archie, lol. I will post pics later this afternoon once he dries and starts looking cute!!!

And I agree that the staggered hatch thing has been a pain. But, like a true idiot, I have been eyeballing the new nest I found outside for a couple days now. Now that I have a lil more room that opened up, I am thinking about snatching those 7 eggs and sticking them in the incubator, lol.

 

[RubyNala97]

I hope you do....lol  You helped me decided whether to start it or not....lol

I know I flinch when I see it above 40 or 50% but I know its what they need. I already decided that if the others end up too small at day 10, I'll take them out and stick them under the heat light with just the reletive humidity and when they increase stick them back in for hatch....lol

That's why some people do not like to incubator silkie eggs (bantam eggs) with others! But it sounds like a good plan!
Eta:I'm super happy that you did!!

Probably somewhere between 28 and 28.5 days.  The mother is a fawn and white runner (28.5 days) and the two males that bred her are a Welsh Harlequin and a Blue Swedish (which I think are both 28 days).  I am expecting some really neat ducklings from this combo.  The first lil duckling that came out looks like a mix of the blue Swede and runner.  He's got yellow fluff that is starting to dry but hes got gray streaks in the hair so I don't know for sure yet what color hes gonna be.  Hes got orange feet but his middle toes on both feet are blue and his orange beak has a blue arrow looking line running down the middle of it.  Think I'll name him Archer or Archie, lol.  I will post pics later this afternoon once he dries and starts looking cute!!!

And I agree that the staggered hatch thing has been a pain.  But, like a true idiot, I have been eyeballing the new nest I found outside for a couple days now.  Now that I have a lil more room that opened up, I am thinking about snatching those 7 eggs and sticking them in the incubator, lol.

Yes, please post pics!! I can't wait to see these little trouble makers!
And you've caught the addiction now...it's in full force! you'll be giving advice in a couple months for sure!!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

That's why some people do not like to incubator silkie eggs (bantam eggs) with others! But it sounds like a good plan!
Eta:I'm super happy that you did!!

Yes, please post pics!! I can't wait to see these little trouble makers!

And you've caught the addiction now...it's in full force!

you'll be giving advice in a couple months for sure!!

I think, if I was doing my own, I would definitely do them separate. I was afraid with doing shipped that we'd have a bad hatch so I wanted to add some of our own just in case...lol But I really think that we'll get at least 50% (hopefully higher) of the shipped by the end of hatch. If all the developing eggs were to hatch it's be about 78% at this point with the silkies. But I know shipped are more succeptible to having later quitters as well, so I'm just hoping for 50% at this point.

 

[RubyNala97]

I think, if I was doing my own, I would definitely do them separate. I was afraid with doing shipped that we'd have a bad hatch so I wanted to add some of our own just in case...lol But I really think that we'll get at least 50% (hopefully higher) of the shipped by the end of hatch. If all the developing eggs were to hatch it's be about 78% at this point with the silkies. But I know shipped are more succeptible to having later quitters as well, so I'm just hoping for 50% at this point.

I think because you are hand turning them (and the air cell damage was minimal) that you won't have so many quitters. A lot of the late quitters with shipped come from insufficient turning because you can't really appropriately turn an egg with a loose cell. So I'm hoping you'll have above average hatch rate for shipped! I'm considering adding in some silkie eggs with the new batch of call eggs. Don't know how that will work out but looks like I'll have space on the mini too. Another call egg quit. So that leaves me with two. One of which does not have the veins going all the way around the egg. It's alive and moving but not looking totally healthy. I really hope this next batch of eggs don't have detached air cells!

 

[BigWeenMachine]

Lol!!! This isn't my duck but I bet I could end up with something like this one. It looks like a mix of a fawn and white runner duck and a welsh harlequin.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I think because you are hand turning them (and the air cell damage was minimal) that you won't have so many quitters. A lot of the late quitters with shipped come from insufficient turning because you can't really appropriately turn an egg with a loose cell. So I'm hoping you'll have above average hatch rate for shipped! I'm considering adding in some silkie eggs with the new batch of call eggs. Don't know how that will work out but looks like I'll have space on the mini too. Another call egg quit. So that leaves me with two. One of which does not have the veins going all the way around the egg. It's alive and moving but not looking totally healthy. I really hope this next batch of eggs don't have detached air cells!

I'm hoping so too....lol

Lol!!! This isn't my duck but I bet I could end up with something like this one. It looks like a mix of a fawn and white runner duck and a welsh harlequin.

LOL he/she/it is cool looking.

 

[BigWeenMachine]

Lol, it is a unique duck.

Well, lil Archie, who I sure hope ends up being a boy cos I've been referring to him as a he all along, is doin his job. He has been huddled up in the corner nibbling at the styrofoam and peeping away (I think he is trying to follow me cos he stands up and starts peeping at me whenever I look in the incubator which is every 2 minutes). But, with all his ruckus we now have our 2nd pip!!!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Lol, it is a unique duck.

Well, lil Archie, who I sure hope ends up being a boy cos I've been referring to him as a he all along, is doin his job. He has been huddled up in the corner nibbling at the styrofoam and peeping away (I think he is trying to follow me cos he stands up and starts peeping at me whenever I look in the incubator which is every 2 minutes). But, with all his ruckus we now have our 2nd pip!!!

 

[Blooie]

Lol!!! This isn't my duck but I bet I could end up with something like this one. It looks like a mix of a fawn and white runner duck and a welsh harlequin.

Okay, is it just me and I'm punch drunk from lack of sleep over the eggs remaining in the incubator, or does this duck look like he has a brown Precious Moments angel on his body???