Im not shore if this is one of a FAQ, but ive always gotten day old ducklings from someone i know, but i am now thinking of incubating my own eggs. I would like everything i need to know and the process so i can start incubating. I hope someone can walk me through it!
Hi, and welcome to BYC!
Do you know what kind of incubator you will use?
Here's some info,
Duck eggs take 28 days to incubate
The humidity should be kept at 45-55% while incubating and 55-65% when in lockdown.
(The last 3 days of incubation are reffered to as "lockdown")
The eggs should be turned 2-3 times per day except for the last 3 days of incubation when they should not be turned and, the incubator should not be opened if possible.
"Candling"
Candling is the process of using a bright light (that with a diameter smaller than the width of the eggs) and shining it into the egg to inspect the embryo for development.
(Candling shold be done at night or in a dark room for best results)
For duck eggs, normal candling periods are..on the 7th,14th, and the 21st day of incubation.
The candling process eliminates dead or infertile eggs that could possibly explode in the incubator.
When candling, here's what you could see....
#1 nothing-----the egg is infertile
#2 a red circle with free floating contents---the embryo has died
#3 a dark spot surrounded by veins-----the embryo is developing properly.
Hope this is helpful to you and good luck on your hatch!
