I've done it again! Incubating w/ a desk lamp!

[Rainbow1036]

Last year right after July 4th I found a single duck egg in my yard, I took it inside and put it under a desk lamp and used a $1 thermometer from walmart to monitor the temperature. That egg hatched August 11th and he is still alive today enjoying our back yard and creek. On July 8th I walked out to feed the wild ducks and found 2 eggs randomly scattered in the grass and 2 eggs in the creek. I picked up all 4 and set up my desk lamp again. Today I candled the eggs for the 1st time and found out that 2 of the eggs were infertile but the other 2 are alive!

The link below is a video of me candling one of the eggs, interestingly the 2 eggs that are alive are the ones that I found laying in the water in my creek, the 2 I found on the land were the infertile ones!!

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Might be time to invest in an incubator.

 

[GrumpyOldMan]

Quote:
I dooooonnnn’t knnnnooooowwww? Sounds like the desk the lamp and the thermometer are doing a good job.

 

[Rainbow1036]

Yea, I thought last year was a one time thing! Now I guess the word is out that if the ducks dump their eggs in my yard that they will get incubated for free! lol

 

[Featherland]

This sounds very interesting! Do you do anything else for the eggs? Are they in a box? Do you turn them or spray them with water?

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

I did that as a kid! I incubated 4 of our ducks' eggs under a 75 watt bulb in a shoe box w/ washrags - the room had a humidifier so I guess that kept the humidity up and I turned them once a day - but 3 of the 4 eggs hatched out cute pekin babies

- nothing sophisticated to it - i didn't even have a thermostat back then - it was just a little project to raise my own babies I was 9 yr olds.

 

[Rainbow1036]

I have the eggs in a shoe box with several cloths formed into a nest shape. I check the eggs every few hours to adjust the height of the light to control temperature and turn them at least 2 times a day (sometimes more if I'm home) I spray them every night b4 i go to bed. My parents arent too happy but my duck will be glad to have 2 new roommates in his pen! (once they grow up)

Everything I learned about hatching and raising ducks I learned from this site and "storeys guide to raising ducks" when i started with the egg last year I had no idea what to do since I had never raised anything b4 but I've learned quite a lot!

 

[KristinK]

Im on day 13 with a single duck egg I have it cradled in a towel in a shoe box with a hole cut out and a light hanging above it definitley alive I see heart beat eye feet and everything I just worry about it hatching I have a sponge near by and I mist it and rotate it people are saying it wont hatch because humidity levels did you have to sa wet paper towel or help in any way while it hatched???

 

[The-White-Elephant]

Last year right after July 4th I found a single duck egg in my yard, I took it inside and put it under a desk lamp and used a $1 thermometer from walmart to monitor the temperature. That egg hatched August 11th and he is still alive today enjoying our back yard and creek. On July 8th I walked out to feed the wild ducks and found 2 eggs randomly scattered in the grass and 2 eggs in the creek. I picked up all 4 and set up my desk lamp again. Today I candled the eggs for the 1st time and found out that 2 of the eggs were infertile but the other 2 are alive!

The link below is a video of me candling one of the eggs, interestingly the 2 eggs that are alive are the ones that I found laying in the water in my creek, the 2 I found on the land were the infertile ones!!

Never knew you could do that!