How eggsciting! Call ducks feeling hatchy! *PICS!* MORE!

[duckluck]

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I've had a few other people mention that, but I really, really don't want to keep chickens. It took me a couple of years to decide to get the ducks as it was, I didn't want to keep any poultry because my barn here is pretty much dedicated to my horses. I ran into a horse guy a couple of years back that had call ducks, which was what got me started...I was fascinated by them from the very beginning and tried to buy his ducks, which he wouldn't sell. So I really took my time contemplating what and how I would approach getting ducks. I've never had the same fascination with chickens, however, and don't even really like eggs as a food. My husband likes eggs and chickens both as a food and doesn't want any live ones running around! I've raised a few clutches of chicks here to practice hatching but I've had a waiting list for them and have been able to move them out at a week old. So I've embarked on this journey to try and hatch the eggs with machines and if that doesn't work, I figure I'll either have to have a broody call hen or no ducklings. One good thing about the ducks is, they don't perch, so they are easy to keep in a horse stall and paddock without them jumping and roosting and pooping all over the place. They can fly but really like to stick to their own pen so far!

 

[duckluck]

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I'm using it on this latest setting, and have incorporated it to the setting in the other machine downstairs. So far all after several days, all embryos still look active except one, I candled them last night before misting and locking them back up. So we shall see! I also have a setting due to go in tonight of 30 eggs...do you start hand-turning right away?

As an aside, my 8 hens produced 7 eggs total today since before this time last night! This is a record...I'm anxious to see if we have any more tonight...have to find out if we have a malingerer in the bunch!

One egg looks to be from my new self-black hen, who has only been here for about two weeks...the egg is black too, my first black one!

 

[LAMchop]

I was wondering if black calls would lay black, or really dark, eggs, like Cayugas or East Indies. That's so exciting, lucky you!
I just got my first call egg yesterday

. I'm pretty sure it's from my black bibbed hen, but it's a pale olive color. Bummer!

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Quote:
I've had a few other people mention that, but I really, really don't want to keep chickens. It took me a couple of years to decide to get the ducks as it was, I didn't want to keep any poultry because my barn here is pretty much dedicated to my horses. I ran into a horse guy a couple of years back that had call ducks, which was what got me started...I was fascinated by them from the very beginning and tried to buy his ducks, which he wouldn't sell. So I really took my time contemplating what and how I would approach getting ducks. I've never had the same fascination with chickens, however, and don't even really like eggs as a food. My husband likes eggs and chickens both as a food and doesn't want any live ones running around! I've raised a few clutches of chicks here to practice hatching but I've had a waiting list for them and have been able to move them out at a week old. So I've embarked on this journey to try and hatch the eggs with machines and if that doesn't work, I figure I'll either have to have a broody call hen or no ducklings. One good thing about the ducks is, they don't perch, so they are easy to keep in a horse stall and paddock without them jumping and roosting and pooping all over the place. They can fly but really like to stick to their own pen so far!

I have tried letting my silkies hatch out some calls, and will never ever do that again. What a waste of the eggs! Only 1 hatched, and I had to help it out because it was shrink wrapped. The incubator is sooo much easier.

 

[duckluck]

Quote:
I've had a few other people mention that, but I really, really don't want to keep chickens. It took me a couple of years to decide to get the ducks as it was, I didn't want to keep any poultry because my barn here is pretty much dedicated to my horses. I ran into a horse guy a couple of years back that had call ducks, which was what got me started...I was fascinated by them from the very beginning and tried to buy his ducks, which he wouldn't sell. So I really took my time contemplating what and how I would approach getting ducks. I've never had the same fascination with chickens, however, and don't even really like eggs as a food. My husband likes eggs and chickens both as a food and doesn't want any live ones running around! I've raised a few clutches of chicks here to practice hatching but I've had a waiting list for them and have been able to move them out at a week old. So I've embarked on this journey to try and hatch the eggs with machines and if that doesn't work, I figure I'll either have to have a broody call hen or no ducklings. One good thing about the ducks is, they don't perch, so they are easy to keep in a horse stall and paddock without them jumping and roosting and pooping all over the place. They can fly but really like to stick to their own pen so far!

I have tried letting my silkies hatch out some calls, and will never ever do that again. What a waste of the eggs! Only 1 hatched, and I had to help it out because it was shrink wrapped. The incubator is sooo much easier.

I've heard both sides of the story...some say it works *really* well, and others say they've had terrible luck with it. That's another reason I have opted to not get the chickens. I'd hate to get chickens and have them not fill the bill and then have to rehome them. I do have one white call hen who seems inclined to nest, and another one that just yesterday is starting to act a little like a "Nasty Nesty Nellie", she is quacking and making hissing faces with her beak when she is approached by someone looking for eggs. She moves off easy enough but does not seem happy that eggs are being gathered! So if need be, I am thinking these two calls could answer a "calling" if need be to try and hatch some eggs if I can't. I suppose we may have a chance to find out once they are into the breeding pens for the season.

 

[duckluck]

Okay, we're about to have another go at this...have a small batch of 9-10 eggs coming into day 23 here today. I started misting and colling them down once a day here about halfway or so through the incubation period, so let's see if that helps this time around...I also have two more sets of eggs, one of 14 with all embryos moving and the other just set last night of 37 eggs, so I have two other sets lined up. Both these sets are being turned by hand daily and the older one is being misted and cooled down.

 

[bemba]

You know I have used hens to hatch out many ducklings and have had near full success rate every time, when the hen leaves the nest I just mist the eggs with water after the first few days of inc. then daily. I am not really into chooks either (exept Jap bantams and Sebrights) but I am lucky enough to have a friend who has several broodies nearly all the time, and she lets me borrow the hens, and when they hatch I give the hen back! Its a perfect situation for me.... so lucky. I had an incubator a while ago but the results I got have made me VERY hesitant to use one at all! Lots of early deaths of embryos, then the ones that did make it hatched from the wrong end of the egg! there were roughly 50 eggs and I ended up with only 7 ducklings and 2 died the next day...... It was really heart wrenching! When I was young I hatched out ducks under racing pigeons too! And once my duck hatched out some Guinea Keets! I was a very expeimental child LOL

 

[bemba]

Good luck with your new eggs, I'm getting good vibes this time! you will have to post some pics when they hatch!

 

[duckluck]

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Will do! IF I get some, that is! If I do, it will likely be because I have so many eggs set right now...think I have upwards of 60 eggs total in the bators right now. Have a couple of call duck guys trying to coach me along too.

To answer your question above, yes, they will often lay olive, green or black eggs...my new self-black hen has been laying anything from grayish green to really marbley looking eggs! Curiously, these eggs will sometimes lose their color with washing and wiping...it comes off something like old shoe polish does off a boot. I am thinking the color may be in the bloom and not in the shell itself...I did not have this happen with the brown eggs from the hybrid hens I hatched out to get me started. They NEVER had any of their color wash off.

Anyone else ever had this happen with colored duck eggs?

 

[bemba]

A friend of mine has a cayuga duck, she always laid large white eggs then one day, she laid this egg that looked like it had been charred! And the the colour rubbed off too.