It was all planned, but we are an incubator short. Ahhh

[Joyfillednomads]

So I had it all planned. Lol
One incubator, one crappy Styrofoam back up and as lockdown hatcher.
I had both set up to incubate eggs... then our eggs got the boot from the good incubator to make way for quail eggs. So...
We debated about buying another Styrofoam incubator --> but in all honesty I love our good incubator and can't stand the thought of wasting more money on an incubator I dislike and that consumes my time and attention ( like right this moment) to monitor and try to regulate humidity, etc.
So I had to return my humidity gague... but tomorrow we'll pick up another one. But I used a knife to make a hole small enough for wire, which can be filled later with silicone. To give my duck eggs a place to hang out for a few days. While they wait for an incubator to be free again.
The cord keeps the lid open a small amount & a piece of foil on the opposite side helps with air flow. I sprinkled water around inside and have a cup of water in there. As simple as I could get it. We have a laser heat gadget (infrared thermometer) we've used to check temp. Hoping they are OK.

Really hoping to upgrade to a slightly used cabinet incubator some day... on the wish list.

We even tried bringing a hen inside to sit on eggs... she was not having it. The test eggs we gave her was a fresh clean egg from that day, similar to hers. She stood up the whole time and pooped on the egg. Uhh...

Thinking about seriously adding super broody breeds.

 

[nchls school]

If you have an incubator that is not still air (has a fan) eggs can be stacked on top of each other. While this is far from ideal and makes turning them a manual chore, it does work; I've had to do this many times with great success. When an incubator has a fan the temperature is the same throughout the incubator while still air incubators have changing temperatures at different levels.

 

[Joyfillednomads]

If you have an incubator that is not still air (has a fan) eggs can be stacked on top of each other. While this is far from ideal and makes turning them a manual chore, it does work; I've had to do this many times with great success. When an incubator has a fan the temperature is the same throughout the incubator while still air incubators have changing temperatures at different levels.

Yeah wonderful. We have had a few eggs from these ducks go bad. We aren't willing to try to put them in with the quail eggs and we would not be able to fit them all, even stacked, into the egg turners. Opening the incubator throws the temp and humidity off in that incubator so hand turning isn't an option even if we could manage the space.
I know, its a pickle.

We were able to hatch duck eggs using a plastic tote and a heating pad, so... hopeful

 

[Joyfillednomads]

Today was hatch day for the eggs that got the boot from the incubator to make room for our quail eggs. So far not even a pip. still trying to remain hopeful. But when we switched incubators and candled eggs we found a smelly bad egg. Hoping it didn't poison the hatch.

 

[raad]

So I had it all planned. Lol
One incubator, one crappy Styrofoam back up and as lockdown hatcher.
I had both set up to incubate eggs... then our eggs got the boot from the good incubator to make way for quail eggs. So...
We debated about buying another Styrofoam incubator --> but in all honesty I love our good incubator and can't stand the thought of wasting more money on an incubator I dislike and that consumes my time and attention ( like right this moment) to monitor and try to regulate humidity, etc.
So I had to return my humidity gague... but tomorrow we'll pick up another one. But I used a knife to make a hole small enough for wire, which can be filled later with silicone. To give my duck eggs a place to hang out for a few days. While they wait for an incubator to be free again.
The cord keeps the lid open a small amount & a piece of foil on the opposite side helps with air flow. I sprinkled water around inside and have a cup of water in there. As simple as I could get it. We have a laser heat gadget (infrared thermometer) we've used to check temp. Hoping they are OK.

Really hoping to upgrade to a slightly used cabinet incubator some day... on the wish list.

We even tried bringing a hen inside to sit on eggs... she was not having it. The test eggs we gave her was a fresh clean egg from that day, similar to hers. She stood up the whole time and pooped on the egg. Uhh...

Today was hatch day for the eggs that got the boot from the incubator to make room for our quail eggs. So far not even a pip. still trying to remain hopeful. But when we switched incubators and candled eggs we found a smelly bad egg. Hoping it didn't poison the hatch.

Thank you very much
A few days before the eggs hatched, there was a problem that the chick did not come out of the egg, and also a chick died of suffocation inside the egg due to the adhesion of the membrane to its beak and I do not know the reasons that led to death
Likewise the death of one of them inside the egg without the eggs hatching, and another one came out and the excreta exit hole was not completed and then the internal intestines came out from the anus and also he died. Was the reason for the design of the incubator or the humidity?