Lock Down Questions...

[duckboatprincess]

Okay. So I know everyone is against split hatches, but I have... well three I guess. I've got EEs do the 25th, pekins and rouens due the 7th, and welsh harlequins do the 9th. Since tomorrow is lockdown for me with the EEs, what do I do about the other eggs? All of the duck eggs but 3 are in an egg carton to make turning quicker. So here are my questions:

1. do I continue to turn the duck eggs if I can do it quickly?

2. what should be humidity be?

3. It must have rained last night or this morning. My humidity is at 60%. How do I get my humidity where it needs to be and stay there? Until today, my humidity has stayed between 48% and 50% and usually closer to 50%.

Alright, I think that's it. If I think of something else, I'll ask.

 

[77horses]

I have no idea about duck eggs. But I do split hatches too. I made a homemade egg turner (like GopherBoy's "Gopher-Bator") so I just need to turn the handles on the the outside of the bator to turn the egg turner. No opening the bator required. All I have to do is when some eggs are on day 18, reach in quickly, put them in the bottom of the bator, and continue to turn the other eggs with my turner.

Good luck! Hopefully someone will have more experience with duck eggs!

 

[duckboatprincess]

Do you know about humidity levels? I don't want to raise it too high and drown the other eggs but I don't want it too low and have it shrink wrap the chicks. Any advise on that?

 

[cracking up]

I think you'll be ok. Duck eggs need high humidity anyway so I don't think it will hurt them at all to crank it up for the EE's . Everything needs high humidity when it's hatching, I goofed up last week because my eggs were hatching early. Everyone told me to get the humidity to 80% I thought that was a little high but my EE's hatched great, didn't dry so well, but they hatched.

 

[cracking up]

On second thought I think 70% would be better on the humidity - do you live in a humid climate. We're really dry so it's real hard to keep the humidity up.

 

[duckboatprincess]

I'm in MI and it's been pretty humid lately. I have no water in there and up until yesterday it's been 50%. Yesterday it went to 60% and is still there this am. It rained all day yesterday and last night, so everything is damp around here. How would I get the humidity to stay at 70%?