Hatching ducklings

[Birdland10]

Hello everyone,
Just wanting to know if anyone had any opinions on why my hatch rate has plummeted with ducklings.
Last time I incubated them the hatch rate was 90%, and I was manually turning them.
This time I have an auto turner and they are at a 10% hatch rate! All seem to be dying around day 18-20. I take them off the turner and pop them in the hatching incubator three days before hatch. Chicken hatch rate is good.
Any suggestions? They are the same parent breeding pair as well.

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Pyxis. @WVduckchick

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Are you using the same incubator and just in an auto turner now?
Waterfowl seem to do much better in horizontal turners over vertical turners but that does seem like a very significant drop in percentage.

Are the eggs from the same source? Were they shipped?

 

[Pyxis]

Dying later like that makes me consider if it's a humidity issue, since late deaths are most often caused by humidity. What have you been keeping the humidity at? Have you tracked the air cells or egg weight loss to make sure they're losing moisture properly?

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Birdland10

 

[Knighstar679]

Did your source of hatching eggs change? feed soure or anything like that which could have changed vatality of the duck eggs? Even the age of ducks laying I have read can change it.

 

[Birdland10]

It's a brand new incubator that I'm using for hatching. There's no digital humidity screen, so maybe I've got that wrong. I have followed there directions though. Maybe I'll take the rest out of the auto turner and do them by hand.

 

[Birdland10]

It's the same breeding pair. The male is moulting at the moment, could it be that? I'll turn them by hand now

 

[Birdland10]

Dying later like that makes me consider if it's a humidity issue, since late deaths are most often caused by humidity. What have you been keeping the humidity at? Have you tracked the air cells or egg weight loss to make sure they're losing moisture properly?

It could be the humidity? I've followed the directions as its new, however there are reviews stating that it's hard to get right on this incubator. I'll ready up on how to weigh and and track the air cell. That is something I haven't done before

 

[Birdland10]

Are you using the same incubator and just in an auto turner now?
Waterfowl seem to do much better in horizontal turners over vertical turners but that does seem like a very significant drop in percentage.

Are the eggs from the same source? Were they shipped?

Yes they are from the same breeding pair as last time. The male is moulting badly at the moment though?