January 2021 Hatch-A-Long

[UThobbyfarmer]

10-12 days would mean 9-11 days left from tuesday so Jan 14-16



I'm excited to see who is right!

How are they looking? Any rocking, cheeping or pips? Did you start lockdown over the weekend?

 

[Jennc-123]

First pip of phase one hatch is right on time!

 

[ackie]

How are they looking? Any rocking, cheeping or pips? Did you start lockdown over the weekend?

I did not. my guess is that its too early for that.

also now that you mention cheeps, I see the downside of having the incubator right next to the brooder full of actual cheeping chicks haha

 

[U_Stormcrow]

So...

Of the 12 duck eggs I set in the incubator at the tail end of December for this month's hatching, I just tossed 5 as non-viable (unfertilized), and a 6th I question. Development started, but is not so well defined, no as progressed as it expected (it being one of the oldest eggs).

These eggs are from my flock - I have three hens, and two drakes. That I would have so many seemingly infertile is shocking to me. Unless I killed them before they ever got started by holding half the eggs in the fridge till I was ready to start this batch of incubation??? How cold is too cold? Should I have left them at room temp???

(OK, maybe this post belongs elsewhere?)

 

[ackie]

So...

Of the 12 duck eggs I set in the incubator at the tail end of December for this month's hatching, I just tossed 5 as non-viable (unfertilized), and a 6th I question. Development started, but is not so well defined, no as progressed as it expected (it being one of the oldest eggs).

These eggs are from my flock - I have three hens, and two drakes. That I would have so many seemingly infertile is shocking to me. Unless I killed them before they ever got started by holding half the eggs in the fridge till I was ready to start this batch of incubation??? How cold is too cold? Should I have left them at room temp???

(OK, maybe this post belongs elsewhere?)

Something I wondered with my peafowl... is it possible that the male 1 constantly blocked male 2 from mating to the point that a lot of mating just didnt occur? and visa versa. because it seems reasonable in my head that a drake could keep another drake off of three hens but also have to keep his guard up - i.e. not run off and mate - leading to significantly less mating? its just a theory I have, not based in any research, other than watching 7 peacocks follow 2 peahens around & wondering how the HECK anyone fought of 6 other males for long enough to do the deed.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Something I wondered with my peafowl... is it possible that the male 1 constantly blocked male 2 from mating to the point that a lot of mating just didnt occur? and visa versa. because it seems reasonable in my head that a drake could keep another drake off of three hens but also have to keep his guard up - i.e. not run off and mate - leading to significantly less mating? its just a theory I have, not based in any research, other than watching 7 peacocks follow 2 peahens around & wondering how the HECK anyone fought of 6 other males for long enough to do the deed.

Something I considered, but alpha Drake is substantially larger than the other, and as I watch them free range over the course of the day, Alpha and the three hens tend to travel together. The other duck is generally on his own, or with some of the chickens. He used to "pack" with another drake, but he was culled for Christmas dinner. Thus my desperate speculation that I've done something wrong in the way I held the eggs prior to starting incubation.

Or perhaps, as the hens had just started laying again (a couple days) after some pause (several weeks, around a month actually), perhaps Alpha had been leaving them alone over the shortest days of the year???

 

[BlueBaby]

Something I considered, but alpha Drake is substantially larger than the other, and as I watch them free range over the course of the day, Alpha and the three hens tend to travel together. The other duck is generally on his own, or with some of the chickens. He used to "pack" with another drake, but he was culled for Christmas dinner. Thus my desperate speculation that I've done something wrong in the way I held the eggs prior to starting incubation.

Or perhaps, as the hens had just started laying again (a couple days) after some pause (several weeks, around a month actually), perhaps Alpha had been leaving them alone over the shortest days of the year???

Couldn't you crack one of the egg's that they lay today or tomorrow open to check for the bullseye to see if they are fertile or not yet?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Of the five eggs I removed from incubation, four went into the incubator the first day (of five total - I marked them. Three had been refrigerated, one had not). One went in the second day. All the eggs added after that are progressing normally.

And we ate the two eggs from this AM. Yesterday too. and the day before (one), and the two the day before that. I've something like 100 chicken eggs in the fridge, free to neighbors who want them - but when we aren't incubating, we are eating every duck egg that our three hens lay.

 

[ackie]

perhaps Alpha had been leaving them alone over the shortest days of the year???

I know very little about drakes but they have a reputation for not being thoughtful mates, so I doubt it hahaha

check tomorrows eggs then

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

So...

Of the 12 duck eggs I set in the incubator at the tail end of December for this month's hatching, I just tossed 5 as non-viable (unfertilized), and a 6th I question. Development started, but is not so well defined, no as progressed as it expected (it being one of the oldest eggs).

These eggs are from my flock - I have three hens, and two drakes. That I would have so many seemingly infertile is shocking to me. Unless I killed them before they ever got started by holding half the eggs in the fridge till I was ready to start this batch of incubation??? How cold is too cold? Should I have left them at room temp???

(OK but, maybe this post belongs elsewhere?)

Definitely keep eggs at room temp, or slightly cooler like a basement, if you know they'll be incubating. I've read people also like turning them once or twice a day while waiting to start. Since my eggs go in pretty quick I don't usually worry about that. But any held more than a day or two would probably be worth turning.