How does this sound?

[IRL]

Hi
I am going to be getting anywhere from 6-12 call duck eggs on ebay in a few days, and i'm going to be trying to incubate and hatch them.
I have never incubated any eggs before, but i have raised ducklings and chicks. I just borrowed 2362n model hovabator from a friend. I think it was made in 2002.
Here is my plan:

- Keep the temperature at 99.5 degrees, check temperature 1/3 and 2/3 way through in case of change
- Turn the eggs three times a day at 6:00 am, 2:30 pm, and 10:30 pm (i will use x's and o's and turn 180 degrees each time)
- Refill water troughs twice a week
- Keep the humidity at 50% during the hatch
- Increase the humidity to humidity to 70% several days before hatch and stop turning the eggs
- Candle on the 7th and 14th day
- Hatch on the 27th or 27th day

So, does this sound good?
Also, i wanted to know:
- Do I go into "lockdown" on the 23 or 24th day?
- How long can i wait to put the eggs in the incubator after i recieve them in the mail (and temperature?)
- Will filling the "circulated" trough full of water for incubation, and the "thermal" trough as well during lockdown provide the right humidity for call duck eggs?

Thanks so much for your help!

(I posted this in the incubation section to)

 

[duckyfromoz]

Sounds like you have done a lot of research- Youre pretty much set- so now during the incubation you can read up on brooders and what to do when they have hatched

Posted eggs- rest them for 24 hours after transit- for some it wont make a difference if the damage is too bad - but still a good idea.
You should actually check the temp very regularly. I check mine three times a day- just a quick look at the gauge that is built into the machine. When I was using a hovabotor- I left the thermometer inside the bator the whole time- and looked at it each time before I opened the incubator to turn the eggs. If you only check it a few times- you could miss a spike that could kill the eggs. Checking a few times a day- if there is a problem- it can be corrected within hours not days.
Different climates have different humidity issues- so you may have to fill the channels more or less than you listed depending on where you live.

Calls can have difficulty hatching due to their short beaks. Often people will assist with making a hole in the shell once they pip internally so they dont run out of air before they can break through the shell. Others assist more if the ducklings arent able to move enough to unzip the eggs as well.

Good luck with your eggs.