Newbie with first eggs would like some helping hands to post...

[duckluck]

Okay, so I've said it before but those of you who have not read me under the "duck" section, I am new to ducks this year and new to eggs as of right now.

I have three Rhode Island Red eggs fresh out of the neighbor's henhouse this morning and three that were refrigerated from same yesterday...do I have a hope that these refrigerated eggs will hatch, or should I not bother?

I have a GQF cabinet bator, I believe it to be a 1202, that I have test run before weeks ago but now is warming to temperature and the eggs are sitting in my mud room, also warming to room temp...I have lightly sanded what there was of poop off of them after having read zillions of posts about washing/not washing eggs...decided to sand as these are the only eggs I have right now to "test my wings" with...

So, what humidity does anyone think I should start these RIR eggs with? Any RIR people out there want to weigh in? What about the humidity? Beore anyone asks, yep, the bator has been cleaned with bleach water several times now...the actual owner's husband had an "eggsplosion" and subsequent massacre in it, so took it apart and cleaned it thoroughly when I got it home weeks ago, blew it out with the compressor even ...this is a tried and true bator for fifteen years running but the owner has too many things going on just now to bother with eggs, so I can be the proud new foster mom of this bator until she decides she wants to hatch again, if she does.

Thoughts, anyone? I'm not going to keep these potential chicks but I do want to learn as I am hoping for call duck eggs in the spring, which I understand are way difficult, so I want to try and gain some "eggspertise" while I am waiting.

 

[retiredwithchicks]

I have read of people hatching refrigerated eggs with some luck. I had my cabinet at 55% during first 18 days and 66% in last 3 days and got a 95% hatch rate. Good luck.

 

[jenjscott]

I think you'll be fine. I tend to be afraid to sand, and would rather wash, but there are plenty that feel the other way. Do you know what you are going to do with these chicks? Make sure you plan ahead. retw/chicks humidities sound right on. Go for it.

 

[duckluck]

Well, the owner of the incubator has a waiting list for the peeps

She was originally going to provide me with some eggs too, but no one on her end had eggs right now, so the neighbor brought over some today.

We seem to be running at 35% humidity right now and my Brinsea spot chek was reading 99.8 last I looked. I have another thermometer on the bottom shelf showing the humidity and it reads 97 on the temp, but I have no eggs down there right now, I put in 3 on the middle shelf and 3 on the top shelf. Trying not to fuss and go in there and adjust things too much. I turned on the automatic turner though and am monitoring it to be sure it exercises them on schedule.

What day should I try to candle on? I was thinking of peeking at them on Thanksgiving to see if any veins are there to indicate we have viable eggs...hopefully the rooster is still doing his job and not just crowing about it!

 

[duckluck]

Quote:
I did put those chilled ones in after letting them sit at room temp for about two hours. Will keep my fingers crossed on them!

 

[Goose and Fig]

With RIR eggs you can candle around day 8. I don't normally take any eggs out, developing or not, until day 18- unless they are stinky. At day 18 I take out the duds before lockdown. I've had no problem being at 30-40% during the first 18 days, and then 60-70% on lockdown.

 

[duckluck]

Quote:
Thanks! I KNOW I'll be candling them, though...I hope no one on here honestly expects a first-timer to be able to wait till day 18!

I'm only four hours in and just way too suspensed already!

60-70% should be very easy to achieve...I have to be very careful with this bator because just a bit of water really goes a long way! We've been holding at 35% for a while now, and I think it more likely a would run a humidifer in the room at this point than put the pan in...the bator just gets too humid too fast.