Incubating White Call Ducks

[brewchick]

I'm taking my first crack at hatching call duck eggs this year. Our eggs are from our own calls and so far 4 of them are viable. They were incubated on the 8th of March.

Our little incubator is at 45% humidity and about 100.5 degrees. We've been trying to get the humidity higher but it seems to be topping out at 45. I candled the eggs yesterday and they're moving around and developing nicely.

Any advice for a newbie at call duck hatching?

Here is a picture of our incubator.

 

[Lacrystol]

I'm taking my first crack at hatching call duck eggs this year. Our eggs are from our own calls and so far 4 of them are viable. They were incubated on the 8th of March.

Our little incubator is at 45% humidity and about 100.5 degrees. We've been trying to get the humidity higher but it seems to be topping out at 45. I candled the eggs yesterday and they're moving around and developing nicely.

Any advice for a newbie at call duck hatching?

Here is a picture of our incubator.

Is that a hoover? does it have a fan?

 

[Lacrystol]

My website should help www.lwbarnhouse.com click on the duck tab I have two methods that I have used to hatch calls. Right now, I would use Method two from where you are at.

How are you turning them? On a turner? or by hand? Ducks seem to do better if they are laying down...

 

[Lacrystol]

FYI, you bator is a tab bit dirty. LOL

 

[brewchick]

So I've been trying method 2 from your site (I work all the time, so the lazy method sounded better). So far, no luck. They have developed until about 20 days and then just stop. Humidity has been kept at 50 to 60. Right now I finally have some that are still alive and it's day 22, so I've taken them off the turner. Hopefully these ones will make it! Thanks for the link. Your site is great!

 

[Lacrystol]

So I've been trying method 2 from your site (I work all the time, so the lazy method sounded better). So far, no luck. They have developed until about 20 days and then just stop. Humidity has been kept at 50 to 60. Right now I finally have some that are still alive and it's day 22, so I've taken them off the turner. Hopefully these ones will make it! Thanks for the link. Your site is great!

Ok humidity is to high. I bet they got sticky. When you get into to lockdown don't, raise the humidity at all. Try to send me a pic of what they look like right now and I can tell you if there's going to be a sticky problem or not. Method two doesn't say anything about having the humidity up to 50 or 60 and I can tell you right now 60 from day 1 threw 23 is going to cause you to have a sticky problem. They will get this thick gooy stuff all around them and they pretty much suffocate. Got to keep that humidity down..

Method two states keep humidity at 20 to 30..

 

[brewchick]

Ah, that makes sense. I think I was combining methods from two different forums. The other said keep them at 80 percent from day one, which is impossible for me to do anyway. I'll keep the humidity down from now on. What would you suggest if you have duck eggs from different stages all in the same incubator?

 

[Lacrystol]

Ah, that makes sense. I think I was combining methods from two different forums. The other said keep them at 80 percent from day one, which is impossible for me to do anyway. I'll keep the humidity down from now on. What would you suggest if you have duck eggs from different stages all in the same incubator?

80%. NO NO NO THAT WILL KILL THEM. Are you sure it didn't say that for a wet bulb?? Because that is different from a regular gage.

Different stages I'm assuming you mean different due dates, the only thing you can do is get another bator and use it for lockdown..

If you try to lock some down this week and the rest aren't due until next week, you basically are locking all of them down and your next week ones may have a hard time hatching. They will mostly likely get very sticky..

 

[brewchick]

Our first duck hatched last week, and another last night! We have two more due in the next couple of days.

You're probably right, the 80 percent humidity was for a different incubator.

 

[David1973]

You folks seem to have the answers, perhaps you can help me with my call duck incubation problem, several times I have set the incubatorand experienced the same problem. When it comes to hatching them less than 50% emerge. I usually get 50% dead in the shell. When I am sure they have died and open the egg to inspect I find they haven't internally pipped or finished absorbing the yolk sac. It is very demoralising to loose so many potentially good ducklings each time? Any answers? I suffer the same with goose eggs but not with chickens or guineas. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks in advance for your replies,
David