Hatching Duck Eggs in a Suro: Day 31 and WRAP-UP

[Sweetfolly]

Sorry I haven't dropped in for a few days!

My temperature's risen a bit to 99.8 - and being that the temperature is so hard to adjust on the Octagon 20 (it involves the use of two different screwdrivers) I'm not messing with it. I have 4 embryos going strong - can you see their little hearts beating in yours, Brickman House?

I tossed two quitters this morning. They'd all begun to develop, but I had a yolk rupture (I think the egg got too cold before I collected it and it froze a bit, weakening the membranes), and another with a little blood ring stuck up against the shell - no idea how that happened, I've been hand-turning the whole incubator regularly.

Here are my candling pictures from tonight (Day 5):

 

[Brickman House]

DAY 6: Nothing eventful-- temperature and humidity still holding steady at 99.5 F and 55%. I have noticed that, as a general trend, the temperature almost NEVER wavers off 99.5 F exactly. The humidity, though, will definitely tend to drift up and down between 53 and 55%. I don't think 2% changes in relative humidity are going to affect the hatch, so this is more just a point of interest for me, but it is interesting to see where the parameters of the incubator's settings are.


Annarie,

No, we didn't see little hearts beating, though maybe that's just because we didn't look closely enough, or because we didn't know to look for them! My daughter did say she thought she saw one of them move, so maybe that's what she was seeing.

We'll candle again in a few days, and hopefully see more. It does seem as if, looking at everyone else's candling pictures, there's a definite window of days between not being able to see much at all because there isn't much there, and not being able to see much at all because the chick or duckling has filled the shell. So we're going to try to take advantage of that time frame as much as possible!

 

[janastasio]

We were on day 14 yesterday. Eight call duck eggs in the incubator and all incredibly active! I have just stupidly realized and thought: My eggs are lying on their sides in the incubator. Do most people place them facing up or down? Would the aircell face down and being two weeks in should I change that. Mine are rolling all over because of how they are laying down. I bet they wouldnt being faced up and down.

 

[stumble_n_mumble]

hey! i love the pictures of you candling the eggs. what kind of flashlight are you using?? im on day 3 and my flashlight stinks! haha thanks

 

[stumble_n_mumble]

sorry just read your flashlight thing! haha i will go look for one tomorrow. and i will be following your progress closely

seeing as im only 3 days behind you!

LOL

 

[janastasio]

I'm currently using a wooden box with a hold cut out on top and light inside. We gather around to check each egg. Its the excitement of the night for my kids on Sunday nights!

 

[poultrypatch]

GREAT seeing these pics and reading about your 'bators. I just ordered a Suro 20 last wk....they were out of stock but getting more in. So good to know that you feel it's easy to use and holds temps .
I just wish I could remember what company I had ordered it from !! )
Anybody ever hatch Emu eggs ???? Was offered some.
DH is going to pick up an LED flashlight for me. Thanks for that info too !
Liz
Rochester, MA

 

[arbucklemurphy]

I am hatching duck eggs for my first time. They are mallard duck eggs. One pipped in 3 places while we were gone at a 4-H meeting tonight. How long will it take to actualy hatch

 

[janastasio]

Sometimes it can take anywhere from 12 hours up to 24. Mine always seemed like they took forever!

 

[Brickman House]

DAY 7: Temperature holding steady at 99.5 F, and humidity at 55%. Eggs cooking right along!

As far as what we used for candling, ours is an Energizer "Hardcase" LED flashlight, though from what I'm hearing, any good LED flashlight will do. If you get one small enough that the egg covers most of the light opening, you don't have to build anything special for it-- just hold the flashlight up to the bottom of the egg, and it lights up the entire inside. Really neat!

In terms of positioning, ours are snugly fit, fat end up, with no rolling around. Most of the pictures I've seen of posters' set ups here have them that way if they have one of the Brinseas or the Suro, or if they have an auto egg turner in one of the square incubators. The only time I've seen them on their sides unsecured is in incubators without an automatic egg turner, where posters are turning them by hand. That's not to say leaving them loose in an auto turning incubator will hurt them-- it's just not a set up I've commonly seen here. If it were me, my concern would be that they'd roll up against each other or the side of the incubator and crack.