Incubating call duck eggs

[Bantymama]

I am getting my ducks this weekend and they have started to lay so my mom is saving the eggs for me to bring home also. I am going to try and hatch them out. I have read they are hard to hatch. Any tips or tricks i need to know. Temp 99.5 and humidity 60% for the first 25 days and 80 to 85% the last 3 days. Is this right or should the humidity be higher or lower. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[deeszoo]

If you don't have to ship them, you may have better luck than shipped eggs. I have a friend that raises a lot of waterfowl, and he recommends that you not raise the humidity that high, and that you take the eggs out of the incubator for a half an hour a day to let the embryos cool. I don't take them out for the first week, but after that I do.

Hope that helps.

DeAnna

 

[mammachucky]

Hi there

I had a batch of five that were supposed to hatch last Sunday, They internally pipped on Thursday and I could here then chirping and tapping, HOwever Saturday they all died. I too kept my humidity like you, because thats what it says in all the books. (My Brinsea 10 says to only fill one trough but this showed only humidity of 16%.so I added extra tubs to raise it) I have been told since that its possible that even though the air sac was the correct size the chicks itself doesn't lose enough water and can't turn around to pip or zip its own shell, and that possibly if the humidity is to high when they do break through the internal membrane the moisture that is in there may have drowned them. I set another 7 on Sunday and have left the humidity as per Brinseas instructions and will just raise it when they externally pip this time. Hopefully this will work, its awful to loose them when they were fully formed and crying for help.

Hope this helps.

Nicola

 

[deeszoo]

Yep, that is exactly right Nicola. And I lost quite a few that way before I changed my methods.

I have some Gray Calls of mine in the cooker right now. I saw a black spot in one! They haven't been in a week yet. Duck and goose eggs seem to take forever to look like they are growing, whereas chicken eggs grow veins fairly quickly.

Good luck with yours!

DeAnna

 

[mammachucky]

Hi DeAnna

It sounds like our babies will be arriving about the same time ?? I have also read that call ducks hatch at 26 days not the usual 28 is this right? If so mine are due 18th April. I found mine eggs last time at five days were really clear to see you could even see the tiny hearts beating it was wonderful!!

Now that I know the humidity can be low had a quick check this morning and can see 7 lots of veins and some hearts beating!!

I am quite shocked at that because one of my eggs wasn't a fresh one (Over 7 days) and came out of my fridge!! When I needed a egg box to put the cleanly washed 6 new eggs in but got mixed up when swapping them over and didn't know which one was old and new so I put them all in. I thought it was too cold in there??

Or do you think it will not develop properly?? Our Shells are plain but blue what are yours??

Also read yesterday that someone had hatched a double yoker we just eat ours but maybe try next time!!

Let me know how yours are if you candle them.

Good luck

mamachucky

PS

What ducks are you Hatching Bantymama?? Hows the incubator going??

 

[deeszoo]

Our shells are a plain grayish color. Not pretty at all, really. I did peak at one the other day and saw the eye!! It is so cool!

I have some chicks that are older and I can see all sorts of veins and the embryo dancing around. I got an LED flashlight and took the lens off and it makes a pretty good candler! It is one of those nice flashlights from the feed store.

And yes, I think Calls take less time than other ducks. I will have to check myself on that. I got in a bad habit last year of just setting them and not marking it on the calendar. Sometimes I got surprised when I opened the incubator! I was hatching chickens and trying to hatch ducks at about the same time and I got lazy about counting the days.

DeAnna

 

[Katy]

Calls are 26 days usually.

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

We normally hatch them under a broody hen. When we use a broody hen we take a spray bottle out and mist the eggs once a day, it works great.

 

[deeszoo]

Thanks Katy!

DeAnna

 

[mammachucky]

Thankyou Katy,

Only 21 days to go now!! What do you think may happen to my fridge duck??

Hi Deanna,

Have you got too batches of ducks on the go at the moment?? WHen are they due??

Finally FLyingmonkeypoop

Good tip but i have never had a broody yet, were started last September with three chucks, then got a cockrel, fox got 2 chicks and the cockrel and New years eve.

Had new fox proof enclosure (hopefully) build and got another chuck and cockrel. We than hatched 4 silkies on Boxing day which are supposed to be great sitters and are so cute!! and three black rocks.

Hatch two of our own chickens babies and bought two call ducks. This stuff is addictive

Well back to my main point when do they normally go broody, I am assuming black rocks should start to lay about mid April, any ideas about silkies not sure if they are girls or boys yet?

Well thankyou all for your help its really great to be able to chat like this people normally think i am nuts when i say i have chickens and ducks.

Nicola