Hatch A Long

[Duckie doodle]

I am going to attempt a hatch a long. The hatch date is Sept 4. The ducklings are going to be either Blue Swede, Rouen,(moms) and crested Magpie, crested fawn and white Indian runner (dads). This is my first time incubating eggs or even doing anything with ducks. Some pictures below of my setup. The incubator is old school but works, it came from my grama.

 

[DuckyDonna]

The incubator looks great. So what if it's old school! I'm old school too! One thing I did was go to Dollar Tree and get some of that rubber shelf liner and put it on top of the grate. I bet it probably doesn't make any difference but I just thought it would be softer for the little ones as they hatch.

 

[WVduckchick]

My hatch is over. 4 call ducklings and 2 big mixed ducks.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Following!!

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I candle a lot every two - three days. I love to watch them develop. But mine are being brooded by a duck, not sure with an incubator how often you should open it. @WVduckchick can help you there.

I'll answer since I'm here at the moment
And I I've learned much what I know about hatching from WV.
It's really up to you how much you want to candle. The candleing itself does not hurt a thing. In duck eggs I've been able to see development as early as 3 days. .it's pretty cool to see the little heartbeats during those early stages.
The risks are. .human error. . you could drop an egg. . or drop your flashlight on one. I've done that.
Or forget to put one back in the incubator. .done that too.
It's also possible you could introduce bacteria into your incubator. It's best to wash your hands and/or use gloves. . I don't use gloves anymore but I used to.
It does fluctuate your humidity and temp every time you open the bator. That part sort of depends on your incubator and how fast it warms back up and how hard it is to keep the humidity where you want it.
Too much turning is also a possible reason for mal positions, so you want to be somewhat careful about that also.
Some folks will say opening your incubator during lock down will ruin your entire hatch. But those of us who hatch call ducks throw caution to the wind and do it anyway watching for internal pips so we can track time in case assistance is needed. . which it is often is with calls.
Candleing is my favorite part of incubating. However, I do not do it as often as I did in the beginning. I haven't noticed a marked difference either way so far. So. . I say candle away if you please.
Just be reasonable about it.

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

@Magnolia Ducks when that happens do you have to pull the duckling out?

Not exactly. The article by @Pyxis is very helpful. You kind of slowly peel the shell off while leaving the membrane intact. If you see any blood STOP! Wait. This sometimes takes 3 days. I hurried the first time and killed it.

 

[WVduckchick]

I have 2 external pips and lots of internals.

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

I just about finished my third hatch. One egg to go. I will be following also. They are so much friendlier when you hatch them. None of mine hatched out think I'm an axe murderer. All my bought day olds did. All mine are different moms but fawn and white Indian runner dad. I call them my Forest Gump box of chocolates. Good luck!

 

[Duckie doodle]

Eggs look good this morning. Temp is at 95-99°F and the humidity I have at 50-55°. I have 7 eggs all together and will post some pictures of candling them. I will say that 1 of the eggs is further ahead then the others since that one was being sat on for 1 week by the momma duck until she stopped and I went and got incubator.

 

[Duckie doodle]

Pictures of the eggs. The last 2 are of same egg. There is some movement going on with that one and all the others have the small black embryo dot. Let me know what you all think.