i need to learn........fast!!

[wilsonathome]

hello to all

a little introduction 1st... i'm susan, i live in s wales and have never kept any kind on fowl.
i have been given 6 duck eggs that i intend to incubate. i know absolutely nothing about ducks i'm sorry
i have an incubator as i keep and breed reptiles, so i'm ok with candlin but that's probably the only thing i know!
anyway, not sure if i'm out of my depth (or comfort zone) but as i haven't got a parent duck how will the babies cope without one?
also, where would they go if they hatch? i mean obviously they'd need to stay warm so could i make up some type of box for them until they're able to go outside?

 

[duckyfromoz]

Wow... Are you in for a great new experience!!!!

Ok- so without knowing anything about reptile incubation- I cant just tell what what needs to be done differently,but im sure the fundamentals are the same.

99.5 degrees for temp- and humidity 50 % is a good start. The eggs will need to be turned at least twice a day- so it can help to mark them if you have to turn them by hand so you know where the 180 degree point is. So that will get you to day 25 - then with three days to go you need to stop turning the eggs- and raise the humidity up to 80% for the actual hatching process. Do you know what breed of duck the eggs came from? If they happen to be from a muscovy you can add an extra week in time to the incubation since they take 5 weeks.

Baby ducks are fine being raised by human parents. The grow way too fast- and make heaps of mess- but they are so worth it. They will need to have a box with a lamp to provide them some heat. BY about 6-8 weeks they be be outside as long as its not getting too cool at night and they have somewhere out of drafts to keep warm.


oh ..and

 

[downsm75]

Food (chick starter) fresh water CONSTANTLY, a warming light and a box that you can easily clean will work.

 

[downsm75]

You will be their mamma. They will poop and peep constantly btw

 

[wilsonathome]

thank you so much for replies so quickly :-D i was expecting to have a right ol telling off!
this is gonna sound so stupid but a quick question about turning....... do you rotate the egg 180 degrees then set it back down? does it matter which way they are turned?
and by the way the eggs are from call ducks
how big should the nursery be? i think i will need the absolute minimum as they'll be inside my house for now. is plastic ok and what substrate do i need? i'm sure they'll be sliding everywhere on plastic lol
what about water? is it just drinking water they'll need? i'm getting a childs paddling pool if they hatch but not sure when to introduce them to it
i am so pleased i haven't had a row lol it's been a dream of mine for so long. i was ready to pass the eggs on to a proper breeder

 

[Amiga]

This forum is a very good place to learn and share!

Welcome to the threshold of Duckdom!

Some thoughts are that some ducks - I don't know of a way to know ahead of time - are sensitive to low niacin levels, so if you use chick starter, I would add a sprinkling of brewer's yeast to their food, or dissolved niacin capsules to their water (100 mg per gallon).

Water management can be a make or break for ducklings, so search the duck forum for duckling water, and see what you find. I usually suggest tweetysvoice and 70%cocoa as examples, but there are many more.

I used old towels, which was extra work rinsing washing and drying, but it was a very good base and since I had an allergic reaction to wood shavings, and the ducklings ate them, the towels were fine for me for a while. And I brooded eleven runners.

Oh, and there is a Stickies Thread that has good information, too.