Problems hatching duck eggs

[MDC]

That photo wasn't the one I was thinking of but it's better because the one I had in mind was based on chickens. I found it HERE

I'll have to add that link to my links page.

I personally don't get too worried about how I turn my eggs, I put them on a shelf-liner cut to fit the incubator so I don't get any 'brain damaged' eggs if they accidentally get dropped (my niece was nice enough to turn eggs for me once when I had to leave town for a funeral and when I returned she'd left a note that I might have brain damaged ducklings because she'd dropped a few while turning) and try to turn them an odd number of times, 3 or 5 times a day. (You have to watch with the shelf liner because there are some that seem to break down in the incubator and release a chemical smell, a type of off-gassing I assume.)

Opening the lid mimics what occurs during natural incubation when the duck gets off the nest for her daily ablutions. The misting does add a bit of humidity and also mimics the duck getting back on the nest after a bath & preening some of the moisture from her feathers.

 

[Goat_Walker]

Now ( sorry for the questions , im really slow tonight ) - Are they on their sides and I turn so that the X shows every other turn? or are they in the turner and I turn them from Big end and flip it so the little end it up?? oh I am just so useless tonight!

 

[feather leg farms]

OMG!

I'm having the same exact problems. We had six due to hatch, but today is day 33 and they were well grown ducklings and they were just dead. I am so sad b/c my last 3 ducklings we hatched i kept one. Well i kept the one that had a internal problem apperiently. She would follow me around the house and cuddle with me while i studdied. I want another duckling ssssoo bad.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
No, they would be on their sides, hand turning in a turner is not any better than having the turner operating. I guess ducks need more 'movement' when they are incubating. You would start on side A and turn to side B, just like every other egg. The way you turn it is what's different. Instead of rolling it around the middle of the egg from one side to the other, you would turn it end over end, with the big end on the bottom. That's how I was told to do it,