Hatching duck eggs. Help me kind duck enthusiasts!!

[peacockfeather]

Hello all. I'm coming off a recent simultaneous bad duck hatch and great chicken hatch in the same incubator. I'm going to try the duck eggs again soon and I need some imput. My hatch suffered I believe due to the high humidity during lockdown for my chicks. eggtopsy results showed extra fluid in the egg, thinking they drowned - they died in shell around day 25. My incubator is still air kept at 102 degrees. please share your duck hatching experiences along with incubator settings if you want.

 

[subhanalah]

They don't start breathing air until they've internally pipped. They did not drown unless they were early and had already internally pipped. Perhaps it got too hot or there were fluctuations that caused them to die in the shell.

 

[peacockfeather]

also indicate humidity percent and if you mist eggs please and thank you!

 

[peacockfeather]

im thinking there was not enough water loss :/

 

[peacockfeather]

anyone else?

 

[peacockfeather]

anyone have humidity suggestions?

 

[gvanalstyne]

We put new wet sponges in our incubator to keep the humidity up.

 

[Dewdropsofbliss]

Well through the reading that I've done, you want the temperature to be around 99.5, 102 is a bit high, especially if it's a still air incubator. You're going to want to give the temperature room to fluctuate a few degrees, and if it goes to high with it being at 102, then you could be killing them. Now if there was a lot of water, from what I understand, that means your humidity was too high. Do you know what you kept it at? What were you using to get your readings? What kind of incubator do you have?

 

[subhanalah]

Well through the reading that I've done, you want the temperature to be around 99.5, 102 is a bit high, especially if it's a still air incubator. You're going to want to give the temperature room to fluctuate a few degrees, and if it goes to high with it being at 102, then you could be killing them. Now if there was a lot of water, from what I understand, that means your humidity was too high. Do you know what you kept it at? What were you using to get your readings? What kind of incubator do you have? 

I am sorry to disagree, but I feel I must correct you.

99.5 is the temperature for forced air incubation (with a fan) and still air incubation needs to be 101.5 at the top of the eggs to ensure the bottom of the eggs reaches a high enough temperature without a fan to keep the whole incubator the same temperature.

 

[peacockfeather]

My temp was 101 - 102 degrees. My humidity only spikes really high past 75 for a couple of days when my chicken eggs went under lockdown, other than that remained between 35-50% humidity. I used a digital hydrometer to get my readings. And I have a Little Giant still air incubator. The only fluccuations occurred during lockdown and hatching day for the chicks as far as any fluxuations are concerned.