Incubating ducks and chicks together?

[Momma Jo]

Hello! I’ve been looking at everything I can find on incubating chickens and ducks and finally decided to just join this group cause it seems to have a lot of answers to my questions! So I just wanted to say thanks!
I incubated one batch of chickens and ducks and had good results on chickens but my ducks didn’t do as well only 1 of 4 survived! I have now since got another incubator cause I thought it might work better to do the chicks and ducks separately. Only problem that I might run into is the newer ones that I just put in don’t need higher humidity when it’s time for lock down for the first ones I’ve put in. Does that make sense? Should I use one incubator for lock down? More for just hatching or should I just keep using them incubating separately?
Any thoughts or any experience would be helpful! Thanks!

 

[MillersFarm]

Ducks require more humidity and take 28 days until they hatch.. Chickens only take 21 days so both of their lock downs would be wayy off. I would suggest incubating them separately.

 

[Momma Jo]

Yeah, only problem that I’m thinking of is that I have duck eggs that are in there past a week cause I have been putting eggs in for the past two weeks! Is this bad? Will raising the humidity for a few days kill the new eggs that I have just put into incubate? Like I just put one in yesterday, but I have another one that is about ready to go into lockdown! It’s going to be 25 days in 4 days. Isn’t it on day 25 - 28 when you are suppose to do lockdown?

 

[ronott1]

Hello! I’ve been looking at everything I can find on incubating chickens and ducks and finally decided to just join this group cause it seems to have a lot of answers to my questions! So I just wanted to say thanks!
I incubated one batch of chickens and ducks and had good results on chickens but my ducks didn’t do as well only 1 of 4 survived! I have now since got another incubator cause I thought it might work better to do the chicks and ducks separately. Only problem that I might run into is the newer ones that I just put in don’t need higher humidity when it’s time for lock down for the first ones I’ve put in. Does that make sense? Should I use one incubator for lock down? More for just hatching or should I just keep using them incubating separately?
Any thoughts or any experience would be helpful! Thanks!

Welcome to backyard Chickens!

the trick is to start the ducks and then wait 7 days for the chickens.

Split the humidity between the two and incubate at 45%.

I have hatched both at the same time and they did fine. It also helps to use a second incubator for hatching

 

[Pork Pie]

Hello and welcome to BYC

You have great advice above - good luck

 

[MillersFarm]

So you've been adding eggs to the incubator for the past two weeks? I wouldn't expect many to hatch.. that's called staggered hatching, Most of the eggs will have different lock down dates and will need more humidity than others.. Lock down is on day 25.. Next time i'd collect duck eggs for about a week in a basement or a cool place fat end up until you're ready to put the eggs in the incubator

 

[ronott1]

So you've been adding eggs to the incubator for the past two weeks? I wouldn't expect many to hatch.. that's called staggered hatching, Most of the eggs will have different lock down dates and will need more humidity than the rest.. Lock down is on day 25.. Next time i'd collect duck eggs for about a week in a basement of a cool place fat end up until you're ready to put the eggs in the incubator

Great answer!

 

[lazy gardener]

What Miller's farm said, Staggered hatching can be very tricky. Though I've been hatching for years, I'll not do a staggered hatch, ever!

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC. On the mark comments from @ronott1 and @MillersFarm.

 

[Momma Jo]

So you've been adding eggs to the incubator for the past two weeks? I wouldn't expect many to hatch.. that's called staggered hatching, Most of the eggs will have different lock down dates and will need more humidity than others.. Lock down is on day 25.. Next time i'd collect duck eggs for about a week in a basement or a cool place fat end up until you're ready to put the eggs in the incubator

I will try that next time thanks!