My hatch is finally over. The incubator has been cleaned and 20 Ancona duck eggs already set! Yes!!!!
I am new to incubating and there were two parts I struggled with; not assisting hatching and the egtopsy. I did not assist our chicks but it was very hard to resist at one point. In the end not assisting was the right thing to do, had I helped it hatch I would have done that chick no favors! The egtopsy was VERY hard for me, but I feel it is SO VALUABLE. It was so difficult for me my husband did it for/with me. We learned more about candling and chick development from the egtopsy then a book told us. It also gave me information to use in the future about my incubator, egg suppliers, chick development.
So, here are my final results for the Farmers Market vs Micro Farm hatching.
Farmers Market, sold as fertile eggs
18 eggs set, 5 fertile
4 hatched (2 normal, 1 yolk not fully absorbed(minor) and 1 malpositioned w/naval issues and kinda crusty)
1 was a day 20 or 21 death
Micro Farm, sold as fertile eggs
12 set, 10 fertile
10 hatched normal
The farmer told me yesterday that she suspected her welsummer eggs were infertile due to her ladies avoiding her rooster. I confirmed that tonight when I opened them.
Total
15 fertile eggs, 14 hatched (1 didn't make it to 24 hours old though... Poor #14, we tried, we did try so hard.