Hatching shipped duck eggs?

[TeePants]

I have a question for any of you guys who have hatched shipped duck eggs...

Does anyone know if waterfowl eggs do better than chickens with shipping? I know they have thicker shells. On that note, does that make them harder to candle?

We're hoping to get at least a 40% hatch rate but from what I've been reading in the chicken hatching forum that's an awfully lofty goal!

 

[Muscovynmore]

Weeell, I bought a dozen Ancona eggs last spring and hatched ten of them. There is no difference in candling. (If you happen to be getting Muscovy eggs, they do really badly in incubators.) But that's about all of my shipping experiences.

 

[TeePants]

Haha, no, I'm actually getting Ancona eggs although we almost asked the neighbors for some from their muscovies (but decided it would be weird to go knock on their door when we've never met them).

I'm really excited about Anconas though, we ordered the Holderread pamphlet for them and are hoping to order another batch of hatching eggs if this goes well.

Actually - you're in NC, right? That's where these eggs are coming from! We got them on eBay.

 

[Muscovynmore]

Cool! They're not from me, if you're wondering. Mine aren't laying at the moment.

I recommend buying from Aurorasprings (or Worth It Farms), especially if you want buffs. Good luck with hatching!!!

 

[myfinefeatheredfriends]

They aren't much different except duck eggs seem to become contaminated a lot easier. I also spray mine at least once a day with lukewarm water because ducks require a higher humidity than chickens. Good luck!