Incubation and going out of town….

[Duckinghopeful44]

Hi everyone!
I am new here, but I have been reading posts for a long time. We’ve had two successful chick hatches, and I now have three duck eggs in my old-school manual little giant incubator. I turn the eggs by hand five times a day/cool mist once a day and they look great so far
My question…. We are heading out of town for the weekend. One egg will be on day 22/23 and the other two eggs will be on day 18/19. While I love my neighbors dearly, I just don’t trust anyone to turn the eggs. I think this late in development they should be OK to leave? hoping??? I guess my question is more when I get back, do I start turning/cooling/misting them again or do I call this is the beginning of lockdown? Or should I just pick them up and look at the air cells? Help! Thanks in advance!!!

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Hi everyone!
I am new here, but I have been reading posts for a long time. We’ve had two successful chick hatches, and I now have three duck eggs in my old-school manual little giant incubator. I turn the eggs by hand five times a day/cool mist once a day and they look great so far
My question…. We are heading out of town for the weekend. One egg will be on day 22/23 and the other two eggs will be on day 18/19. While I love my neighbors dearly, I just don’t trust anyone to turn the eggs. I think this late in development they should be OK to leave? hoping??? I guess my question is more when I get back, do I start turning/cooling/misting them again or do I call this is the beginning of lockdown? Or should I just pick them up and look at the air cells? Help! Thanks in advance!!!

The day 22-23 will be fine to leave
The other two I would think will be okay as well
Most important time in turning is early stages
When you get back I would check the younger eggs and maybe start turning them just a few times a day
The older one could start lockdown

 

[Duckinghopeful44]

Thank you! Should I crank up the humidity then when I get back. Day 23?

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Thank you! Should I crank up the humidity then when I get back. Day 23?

I would wait to jump humidify until you see an internal pip
I myself don’t follow day 25 I just follow my eggs
If they are rocking around , shadowing along air cell and air cell jumping forward really fast that’s when I stop turning
I don’t bump humidity until I see an internal pip
I seem to have high hatch rates usually 100 % at most I have lost one baby twice who just never made the internal or bruised the egg

 

[Duckinghopeful44]

Thank you! This makes me feel much better