Mandarin duck questions?

[jbourget]

Hi I was wondering how hard it is to incubate mandarin eggs. Any harder then say call ducks? i have an old redwood, leahy favorite incubator works awesome and just set about 2 dozen white mandarin and normal mandarin eggs because the nest was becomming way too full. Do the ducks lay alot of eggs before they sit?? there was 14 egg and still no one was sitting in the box. strange or no?

 

[chickenlisa]

not strange. I found 18 in my nestbox...1/2 from my fertile female and 1/2 from my infertile female (I think she is anyways- 9 were dark when I pulled them last week and 8 were clear and 1 looked started but quit early) The only way I know is to let the female sit for the 1st few weeks and let her hatch them or pull them at the end of the 3rd week and finish them in your incubator. If you left them , she'd sit eventually. Mine did after 14 eggs were there....Good Luck.

 

[destinduck]

Impossible to incubate from day1 IMO unless you do at least one or two things. One hen of mine laid 16 of her own one time and she hatched 14 out of that clutch. That is the most I ever had lay from one hen. They can lay 12- 14 commonly.Even moreso on second year birds. Sometimes two hens will share a box which is known as dump nesting. Then you may get over 20 eggs before one hen sets. If you have any broody bird you can use for the first 10-14 days before you stick them in the bator that is best than incubating from day 1.But some can be hatched ! I have hatched wild ducks from day 1 and still get a 60% hatch rate or occasionally even better than that. This is what I find worked for me if I have to do day one hatching as opposed to calls and domestics. Number one thing I found to make this a success is misting the eggs at least 3 times a day sometimes more. I also found turning them gently at least 6 times a day helps. It seems like double of what you normally do. I was very proud to discover these 2 things experimenting about 10 years ago.I was so happy when I hatched out wood ducks and mandies from the first day put in the bator back then. Im pretty sure there is still a missing part to get hatch rates up to even 80 % or better. But back then and still even now I never knew anyone getting ANY wild ducks to hatch at all unless they started under a broody. I of course use the broody bird method but every great once in a while I will pick up eggs that are just laying around and hatch some day1 incubator birds. Good luck hatching Love that avatar Lisa

 

[jbourget]

Thank you! well i guess ill let them build up the nest boxes again. I was just worried because it got down to 28 degrees here last night. I didnt want to loose all those eggs so i stuck them in the bator. I will turn th mandies extra! and i mist eggs allready it helps any ducks not get that membrane stuck on them!

---Lisa, about 4 austrailian spotteds hatched. I goofed and the humidity tray ran to empty at the bottom and i was unaware. i lost my biggest hatch of call eggs and your eggs right at hatch day. they all pipped and died i was sooooooo Mad lost a few dozen nice call ducklings. OH well things happen i am on that like nobodys business i just set 6 dozen more call duck eggs the 16 mandarins eggs and im planning on ordering more emu eggs to hatch! my 2 i hatched out of 6 eggs are doing great. I feel i should get SOME mandarin egg to hatch day, because im pretty skilled

 

[chickenlisa]

Josh, do you have pics of the Aussie babies? I"d love to see them! Good Luck with all the hatching projects you got going...let us know how it goes!
Lisa

 

[nhbradley]

not strange. I found 18 in my nestbox...1/2 from my fertile female and 1/2 from my infertile female (I think she is anyways- 9 were dark when I pulled them last week and 8 were clear and 1 looked started but quit early) The only way I know is to let the female sit for the 1st few weeks and let her hatch them or pull them at the end of the 3rd week and finish them in your incubator. If you left them , she'd sit eventually. Mine did after 14 eggs were there....Good Luck.

Hello, I can't seem to find an answer about collecting eggs and will they lay after you keep collecting them ? I have been collecting them but do not know how long they will keep laying doing this. Thank you