My first incubation of runner duck eggs

[Ducktown]

I am trying to incubate 3 runner duck eggs. I started with 7, but the incubator I have bought is way too small and I couldn't place the eggs into laying position, so I could turn them. I tried turning them by tilting the whole incubator as much as I could for the first week. By then I started taking away eggs that were not developing (and I accidentally killed one because it showed no movement and development). I ended up with 3 eggs that have been developing the whole time. The only problem is, they have different sized air sacks, one doesn't seem to have air pocket large enough (somewhere around 21 day size), so I'll keep an eye on it when it starts pipping.

Today is the 28th day of the incubation and one of the eggs just externally pipped! Now there's no movement, sound or further breaking of the shell. I guess it's sleeping. This one has a nice and large air sack. It did not break the shell completely yet, but it's cracked inside the air sack.

I hope they hatch!

 

[WVduckchick]

Nice strong pip. Good luck!

 

[Ducktown]

She is still fighting! I thought she won't make it, because it did not look like zipping, because of randomly selected holes. Well they were not that randomly selected. She almost got 3/4 of the top cracked! It is taking time, but I'm sure she will make it. She is also starting to call me. Peep peeeeep! Go go ducky!

 

[Ducktown]

The weak duck passed away, so I ended up with only one duckling. It became really sad and often called me. I tried giving it a little dragon toy, and it's her best friend now. She doesn't bother if I'm not around. When she is alone, she hides behind it and sleeps between dragon's tail and hand. Awesome.
I'll get another duckling soon, to make sure they bond.

 

[Ducktown]

It's the largest of the eggs too.

 

[WVduckchick]

(probably hatched by now, can't wait to see it!)

 

[Leave a LightOn]

She is still fighting! I thought she won't make it, because it did not look like zipping, because of randomly selected holes. Well they were not that randomly selected. She almost got 3/4 of the top cracked! It is taking time, but I'm sure she will make it. She is also starting to call me. Peep peeeeep! Go go ducky!
View attachment 551021

Go Ducky Go!

 

[Ducktown]

It's getting larger. Tomorrow it will be one week old. It's a hungry duck!
Despite its appetite, it doesn't like cracked corn which I also feed it. I was trying to find a way to feed it and tonight, I have found a way. I have picked a nice young lamb's quarters weed from the garden and chopped it into small pieces. I mixed some chick starter food and cracked corn, added some baker's yeast and mixed it up. Consistency was moist but not soaked. Before I added the chopped weeds, it just pecked a few times and that was it, back to sleep.. When I mixed in some greenery, it could not stop eating for almost an hour. In fact, she left nothing, not even around the brooder box. Water container also only had a couple of particles floating on top, which means she made sure to catch everything.

So far, regarding her food, she loves chick starter feed pellets and baker's yeast. She tolerates but doesn't really like corn, so I'm trying to trick her into eating at least some of it. Chopped vegetables, fruit and carrots are still a puzzle to me. I have had a feeling that she liked blueberry carrot (cooked and mashed, then I dried the leftovers) mix, possibly because of funky color it left everywhere around the brooder. It picked the blue flakes before the corn and after chick starter feed.
Chopped grass was usually good when I placed it into the water. She has tons of fun catching anything green that floats in the water. Lamb's quarters on the other hand seems to be her thing! I just checked and she literally emptied everything and filled it with water so she could clean up the plate. Then she turned it over and picked the remaining greenery from the floor. Smart duck!

Oh, and I gave her a living fly today. It dived towards it in nanosecond! Didn't even go for the water, just gulped it whole.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yay look at that!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]