Silver Appleyard Hatching Eggs

[DucksAndGardens]

So I've just been given 12 silver appleyard hatching eggs as a gift from a co-worker because I was saying how I wished I had been able to buy silver appleyards when I ordered my chicks but Metzer Farms doesn't have silver appleyards. A generous gift was on my desk this morning of these lovely eggs.

So what I have to incubate is an old styrofoam still air Hovabator.
1 egg turner
2 Thermometers
1 hygrometer/thermometer
1 Water Weasel


So I'm going to let the eggs rest for 3 days once I get them home, plus I need to get the incubator set up and get the temp set at 102*F on it and make sure it's stable for 48 hours.

So for the one question I have about this. My incubator can hold up to 48 eggs but obviously I'm not hatching that many, I only have the 12. So should I fill in the spaces of the incubator with egg shaped rocks in order to maintain the best temp?

I've only hatched duck eggs once and didn't have a very successful hatch. I think I got 2 out of 12 eggs. I bought the hovabator years ago to hatch tortoises and I'm much better at tortoises apparently than I am at ducklings. Now of course I have more information about temps and humidity that I am going to apply here which is why I think my hatch rate was so abysmal but I'm still concerned about the empty space in the incubator causing temp fluctuations.


I'm going to try and use this thread to document my hatching for those who want to follow along. Hopefully I will succeed. Advice is welcome from experienced duck hatchers.

 

[DucksAndGardens]

Ok so I ended up only incubating 10 eggs. 2 of the eggs had small cracks in them that I wasn't sure went all the way through but I wanted to be on the safe side. I put them in the incubator Saturday April 2nd in the afternoon. The incubator had been holding steady at 102 for 3 days, the water weasel had been a 99.3. I added the eggs. Sunday, the egg turner motor seized up. So I've ordered a new one and it's due today but I've had to turn the eggs by hand in the mean time. Unfortunately this is causing A. temp fluctuations and B. I work so they go for about 9 hours without being turned. I just get up in the middle of the night to turn them but hopefully the egg turner will be here today so I can put it in and get them back on egg turning schedule.

One thing I have noticed is that when I am turning the eggs the temp of course drops but my water weasel goes from 99 down to 97. It does move back up eventually though.


Another observation is that at least 7 of the eggs have detached air cells. I'm rather worried about this but since they are upright in the egg turner and just being turned from side to side I'm hoping this will become a moot issue once they start developing.

 

[Kathy farms]

Ok so I ended up only incubating 10 eggs. 2 of the eggs had small cracks in them that I wasn't sure went all the way through but I wanted to be on the safe side. I put them in the incubator Saturday April 2nd in the afternoon. The incubator had been holding steady at 102 for 3 days, the water weasel had been a 99.3. I added the eggs. Sunday, the egg turner motor seized up. So I've ordered a new one and it's due today but I've had to turn the eggs by hand in the mean time. Unfortunately this is causing A. temp fluctuations and B. I work so they go for about 9 hours without being turned. I just get up in the middle of the night to turn them but hopefully the egg turner will be here today so I can put it in and get them back on egg turning schedule.

One thing I have noticed is that when I am turning the eggs the temp of course drops but my water weasel goes from 99 down to 97. It does move back up eventually though.


Another observation is that at least 7 of the eggs have detached air cells. I'm rather worried about this but since they are upright in the egg turner and just being turned from side to side I'm hoping this will become a moot issue once they start developing.

I guess you meant May 2nd, if not then your eggs have hatched already.

 

[DucksAndGardens]

Oops, yes May. This is what happens when people talk to me when I'm typing.
We are only on Day 4 of Incubation.

 

[Kathy farms]

Oops, yes May. This is what happens when people talk to me when I'm typing.
We are only on Day 4 of Incubation.

Wishing you a succesful hatch in 24days time.

 

[DucksAndGardens]

Thanks!

Thankfully the egg turner showed up so I switched the eggs into the turner. I did candle them while I had them out and I believe I have at least 5 that are viable. I'm not sure about the others.

 

[DucksAndGardens]

This is a day 4 candle.
Now that the egg turner is in I'm not opening again 'til Saturday.

 

[Kathy farms]

This is a day 4 candle.
Now that the egg turner is in I'm not opening again 'til Saturday.

Once you know the stages to check for the state of development I guess you'll be having a successful hatch.

 

[DucksAndGardens]

It's hard to see in those pictures because the eggs were slightly dirty but there were little darker almost reddish blobs in those eggs. The other ones didn't have the blobs but that could be because they aren't visible through the shell. I will probably know for sure by Day 10. I will candle them on Saturday and see what I have.

 

[Kathy farms]

It's hard to see in those pictures because the eggs were slightly dirty but there were little darker almost reddish blobs in those eggs. The other ones didn't have the blobs but that could be because they aren't visible through the shell. I will probably know for sure by Day 10.  I will candle them on Saturday and see what I have.

Once blobs are forming, then I think they're viable. Let's wait for the Day 10 for the others. Fingers crossed