The Duck Thread

[sryglet]

Yep! Little Giants at tractor supply are $40, I think, and then another $40 for the autoturner if you don't want to hand turn. You can also order a starter hovabator kit for around $50: http://incubatorwarehouse.com/hova-bator-thermal-air-incubator.html

You have at least ten days before you need to start incubating the egg so you have some time to figure out what you'd like do and to collect a few more to incubate with it

Awesome! Any idea how long I can expect the eggs to be fertilized for? The drake was alive and mating with her three days ago (I guess he potentially mated with her again in the morning two days ago). My new drake isn't old enough to mate.

 

[Pyxis]

I know in chickens, they can be fertile for up to three weeks after a mating, but of course as time passes the likelihood of each egg being fertile decreases.

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Awesome! Any idea how long I can expect the eggs to be fertilized for? The drake was alive and mating with her three days ago (I guess he potentially mated with her again in the morning two days ago). My new drake isn't old enough to mate.

You've already gotten some great advice here, so I just want to add a couple of things.

Good egg fertility since last mating in Mallard-derived ducks like yours ranges from a week to 10 days, in general. I've read things on the Internet about it lasting for up to 2 weeks, but I think that's the exception. As far as your duck not being broody, Pekins are not great for going broody, as @Pyxis mentioned, but even ducks that tend toward broodiness don't set on just one egg. They lay enough to have a clutch they're satisfied with before they set on them. (I have no idea how they decide how many is enough, and it can vary dramatically with the individual duck.)

As big a fan as I am of the high-end Brinsea incubators, I wouldn't recommend you get one of those right now unless you're sure you'll use it in the future for a lot of incubating. You'd be looking at spending $300-400 USD for an incubator that might not hatch anything this time. I say that only because I want you to try this but don't want you to be devastated if nothing comes of it. The first eggs of the laying season often won't produce viable ducklings, and that's even more the case with the very first eggs a young duck lays.

Any chance anyone you know, or maybe even a local school or co-op, has an incubator you can borrow or rent inexpensively? That would give you a chance to try it with your little girl's eggs without sinking a lot of money into it and feeling like you wasted it if it doesn't work out this time.

 

[sryglet]

You've already gotten some great advice here, so I just want to add a couple of things.

Good egg fertility since last mating in Mallard-derived ducks like yours ranges from a week to 10 days, in general. I've read things on the Internet about it lasting for up to 2 weeks, but I think that's the exception. As far as your duck not being broody, Pekins are not great for going broody, as @Pyxis
mentioned, but even ducks that tend toward broodiness don't set on just one egg. They lay enough to have a clutch they're satisfied with before they set on them. (I have no idea how they decide how many is enough, and it can vary dramatically with the individual duck.)

As big a fan as I am of the high-end Brinsea incubators, I wouldn't recommend you get one of those right now unless you're sure you'll use it in the future for a lot of incubating. You'd be looking at spending $300-400 USD for an incubator that might not hatch anything this time. I say that only because I want you to try this but don't want you to be devastated if nothing comes of it. The first eggs of the laying season often won't produce viable ducklings, and that's even more the case with the very first eggs a young duck lays.

Any chance anyone you know, or maybe even a local school or co-op, has an incubator you can borrow or rent inexpensively? That would give you a chance to try it with your little girl's eggs without sinking a lot of money into it and feeling like you wasted it if it doesn't work out this time.

I posted something on Facebook to see if anyone has an incubator. Hopefully someone will! If not, I may get a kind of crappy one and just hope it works. If it doesn't, I won't be too upset. More than anything I just feel weird eating eggs that I know may be fertilized by our favorite, late duck =\

 

[City farm]

Hello from the wild,wild west. . Today's temperature is a high, 114'+..
Jacqueline won't fit in, we have a large horse trough with water lettuce. Rick and Lauren, the couple will get in but not these girls. They like to just stand on the stairs thinking about it.

Wish i had more time to check in.. stay cool

 

[City farm]

Rick in the horse trough with a water lettuce.

These are his new girls, so they are shy. .

 

[City farm]

Not just duck drama around here today. I came home to find this little girl in the dog pool. It's a young grackle. I let her dry off and just released her. Everything went well.

 

[Debs Flock]

Not just duck drama around here today. I came home to find this little girl in the dog pool. It's a young grackle. I let her dry off and just released her. Everything went well.

Aww, glad she got cooled off and went on her way.

 

[Y-Knot]

My membrane eggs have ceased. To my surprise yesterday I had seven eggs. Some were a little small but they are probably first eggs and are large enough to be whole eggs. I had two that did not have a yolk. I was rather surprised again this morning when there were seven eggs. 'Here is my rather confusion. I found the 7 eggs this morning around 8:30 a.m. when I had let the ducks out of the duck house. When I went out at noon to put the duck food bag away, here was another egg in "Aflac's area." Is it possible for a gal to lay two eggs within 16 hours?

 

[Y-Knot]

Not just duck drama around here today. I came home to find this little girl in the dog pool. It's a young grackle. I let her dry off and just released her. Everything went well.

Glad the grackle drama turned out with a happy ending. My last bird drama did not.