Taking care of new hatchlings

[sonjab314]

I have 10 Silver Appleyard eggs that are going into lockdown on the 15th. This is my first time hatching ducks. Does the humidity need to be higher than compared to chickens during lockdown? How do I take care of them after they hatch? Can they stay in the bator 2 days like chicks can? Any advice for a duck newbie? Thanks in advance.

 

[duckyfromoz]

I have my humidity around 70 - 80 % during lockdown at the moment - as it is winter here I have the heater on in the house and my eggs are all drier it seems so I have been running the humidity high. Ot does depend alot on the climate and temperature where you live- and different people have different methods they use.
I usually find 24 hours is the longest I can leave my ducklings in the incubator after hatch- usually less than that as they really do tend to run amok in there once hatched.
After they hatch they can be brooded like chickens...But they need access to deeper water to be able to keep thier nostrils and eyes clean. But not so deep they may get into the container and not get out again. I give mine a small plastic container with half the lid cut off for the first few days- sp They cant actually get into the water- but can still get their heads in a fair way.
Ducklings are a lot messier than chickens- finding ways to minimise water wastage on the brooder floor will help.

 

[Kekko]

I just finished hatching our second batch of Silver Appleyards for this year. On lock down I upped the humidity to 70 % as advised in prior post. I also misted the eggs every day with a spray bottle (warm Water) which would up the humidity to around 80% for a while so 70 – 80% should be good. I remove the ducklings as soon as they are dry and mist the inside of the bator any time I open it during hatch. When I remove the ducklings they are moved to “what I call” the warmer box. It is a box that I have a light bulb in and maintain 90 – 95 degrees. A simple cardboard box with a towel folded in the bottom would work. I leave the ducklings in the warmer box for about 24 hours to let them get their balance and strength back. When they are up moving around and active I move them to a brooder with food & water. I dip their beaks and play with their feed pan until they peck at the food a couple of times. If there are already ducklings in the brooder that are eating I don’t worry about the newbie’s finding the food.

This is what I do but I’m new at this duckling game myself so I may be all wet with my advise. I’ve only hatched ducklings for two years now but have pretty fair success and not lost a duckling that made it out of the shell (YET)! Knock on wood!!!!!

I hatch a LOT of Turkeys and use the “Warmer Box” method for them also.

We love our Silver Appleyards!

 

[sonjab314]

Thanks for the responses. They helped me a lot.