New to incubating...need alittle help.

[littlebanty]

If my chickens would do they would be but Im not having the luck...so....I am going to pick up my incubator next week to hatch my duck eggs from my Pekin duck and Muscovy Drakes. I do have a few questions before I get started. I want to make sure I do everything right.....I have 6 eggs now from the last 7 days. Im waiting to get around 10-12 eggs before I put them in the incubator. I brought them into the house and have them on my counter. Do I need to still turn them or wait for them to go in the bator? She also lays them on the ground early in the morning before I can get out there and open up she chicken/ shed and let them out so they have some slight poop and are alittle dirty. I try to keep a deep bed of fresh clean shavings in the shed for them but they still manage to get them pooified. I try my best to wipe them with a dry towel. Can I put them in the bator that way or do I have to wash them off? How do you guys do it?

 

[seminolewind]

Just wipe the eggs and don't wash them, the pores will get the bacteria. I think if you are collecting over days, some people say the counter is fine, I think more say that they should be kept in a cooler area, not the fridge. Maybe about 50-60 degrees. Then let them get room temperature for a day before you put them in the bator. Don't turn them till you incubate them

 

[littlebanty]

Thanks! I dont have any cooler area except the fridge...so that wont work. Im gonna give it about 4-5 more days to get some more eggs and throw them in the bator. Im excited to see what happends.

 

[Poison Ivy]

I sit the eggs that I collect in a carton on the dresser in my guest room. They are fine and I've not had any problems. I also just take a dry paper towel and wipe off any dry poo from the eggs. So you should be just fine. Good luck on you hatch.