Runner Duck Hatch-a-Long! 2021

[graypes]

my humidity in the built in hygrometer always reads 48%. I have a Little Giant bator.
so I rely on the one I put in there!

not sure what you all are using for thermometers but this year I bought one of those reptile ones from a pet store with the probe and it’s completely accurate.

I didn’t wash any eggs either @JoJoM
I had one egg that didn’t make it through the first week and it was pretty darn dirty.

I go into lockdown on Thursday. is lock down humidity suppose to be 55 or 65? I can’t remember!

I think it depends on your air cell size and location/altitude/climate! If they're big maybe opt for higher so they don't get shrink-wrapped?

I also use the reptile ones with the probes and wires they are SO accurate! I bought four after my first one because I was so impressed!

Ooooo exciting! how many eggs have made it so far?

 

[graypes]

I have a cheap amazon/Chinese incubator. I have 2 hygrometers and two thermometers in it so I’m pretty confident with the temps. The humidity can be a little hard but Ive kept it much more consistent than I was able to with the chicks. Some of the eggs were pretty dirty. I did my best to scrape it off dry but they were far from clean so bacteria could definitely be a culprit too. Good point about cool spots, I actually shifted the eggs all around today and I may keep that up til lockdown. I’ll be happy with 8 for sure. Heck, I’ll be happy with 4 since that’s all I really have room for.

Thank you so much! So grateful for this hatch a long

if you don't see bacteria growth on the eggs or on the incubator, you're probably all good! most people hatch unwashed eggs so its prob not the washing! the cool spots though are a killer for sure! all my eggs on one side of my little giant hatched later/were malpositioned/one died so I'm pretty sure its time to do some maintenance on the old LG

 

[AAcres]

I think it depends on your air cell size and location/altitude/climate! If they're big maybe opt for higher so they don't get shrink-wrapped?

I also use the reptile ones with the probes and wires they are SO accurate! I bought four after my first one because I was so impressed!

Ooooo exciting! how many eggs have made it so far?

I have 5 eggs in the incubator.
I just checked them this morning for air cell size. 2 of them have large air cells, like good lockdown sizes. the other three are about day 18 size based on this picture:


So I switched the large air cell eggs and the smaller ones around. hope that will make a difference! my humidity has been kept around 50 this whole time.

 

[JoJoM]

How's everyone doing? What day is everyone on, how are the hatched ducklings? How are the eggs doing?

Day 22 - Air cells have grown a lot the last few days. I have a couple blue runner eggs that are quite small and their cell is pretty small too. I can't see much when I candle those, they're pretty packed in there but the pekin eggs look good. 8 left and hopefully going strong.

I currently have 3 brooders in my basement. One has 6 - 7 week old chickens in it that need to go out to the coop, but it's still quite cold here at night so I've been putting it off. Now they really need to get out so I have room for the ducks. I also have 8 x 3 weeks olds and 8 one week old chicks that all need to be moved around. Do you all have chickens as well as ducks? I live just outside of Ottawa, Ontario, where are you from?

 

[AAcres]

How's everyone doing? What day is everyone on, how are the hatched ducklings? How are the eggs doing?

Day 22 - Air cells have grown a lot the last few days. I have a couple blue runner eggs that are quite small and their cell is pretty small too. I can't see much when I candle those, they're pretty packed in there but the pekin eggs look good. 8 left and hopefully going strong.

I currently have 3 brooders in my basement. One has 6 - 7 week old chickens in it that need to go out to the coop, but it's still quite cold here at night so I've been putting it off. Now they really need to get out so I have room for the ducks. I also have 8 x 3 weeks olds and 8 one week old chicks that all need to be moved around. Do you all have chickens as well as ducks? I live just outside of Ottawa, Ontario, where are you from?

I’m on day 24, lock down tomorrow!

my blue runner eggs have smaller air sacks too. and I’ve moved them around the incubator twice now during incubation to sit where the “better air cell” eggs have sat and honestly it didn’t make a difference.

I have a brooder in my garage. it’s not heated so I think the ducklings will have to live in the house for a bit haha. the kids will love that.

I just have ducks. runners and khakis. no chickens here!

I’m on the outskirts of Sault Ste. Marie Ontario. About 8-9 hour drive from Ottawa.

 

[AAcres]

We are in lockdown!!
One little egg is sure wiggling around in there!

 

[AAcres]

Ugh, I’m going to drive myself nutty.
I don’t think my hygrometer/thermometer is working right anymore. it’s not the one attached to the incubator, it’s a separate dual unit.

When I switched everyone over to lockdown (like took out the egg turner and added some sponges for water) the thermometer portion of the unit went to 97 degrees and stayed there. it was never accurate for temp, so I do have a reptile thermometer in there that is accurate, but it never sat at 97 degrees and is way off now. and the hygrometer portion is, I think, stuck at 59%. so now I feel like I’ll never know what the humidity is.
I do have another hygrometer, is it okay to open the lid for a split second to throw it in?
plus I think i’ll have to calibrate it first... gah!

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

We are in lockdown!!
One little egg is sure wiggling around in there!

Yay!

 

[JoJoM]

Ugh, I’m going to drive myself nutty.
I don’t think my hygrometer/thermometer is working right anymore. it’s not the one attached to the incubator, it’s a separate dual unit.

When I switched everyone over to lockdown (like took out the egg turner and added some sponges for water) the thermometer portion of the unit went to 97 degrees and stayed there. it was never accurate for temp, so I do have a reptile thermometer in there that is accurate, but it never sat at 97 degrees and is way off now. and the hygrometer portion is, I think, stuck at 59%. so now I feel like I’ll never know what the humidity is.
I do have another hygrometer, is it okay to open the lid for a split second to throw it in?
plus I think i’ll have to calibrate it first... gah!

I was hoping someone would answer that had more experience. I believe that as long as there isn’t an external pip it’s okay to open quickly.

 

[AAcres]

I was hoping someone would answer that had more experience. I believe that as long as there isn’t an external pip it’s okay to open quickly.

It’s okay. I figured I would do it quick. no external pips yet.
I took the hygrometer/thermometer out and reset. It’s showing the same reading once I put it back in. But when it was out it did adjust to my house temp and humidity so either the hygrometer is off or my incubator is doing a really good job at keeping the humidity consistent.
time will tell! I did throw another hygrometer in there when I went back in, just to be sure.

ahhh so stressful.