The Quack Shack

[Supercow]

... Or is the answer to all of the above, "cool it dude, just leave the eggs, the hen will know what to do"

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

what a deal!!!

yes and bacteria is drawn towards warmth so , no bloom, cold ( duckypoopy) water, warm egg =

I always keep the dux-eggs refrigerated, washed or not. I think the calcium shell, together with the inner membrane is a significant barrier for bacteria. Also i never eat raw eggs.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Well Frank you are still around so they must not hurt you. lol

Remember, i was shat on head to toes by ducklings last year!
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

That was one heck of a storm @WannaBeHillBilly !

Over in the Great Wet North, we just came off a few days of unseasonably warm temps (again) that melted half the snow all the way down to the ice underneath. And now we are having a flash freeze as it dips from 12C to -16C overnight. Tomorrow remains cold and windy, but back over freezing temps on Friday.

The winds are bad though. Part of the dead tree at the end of the driveway (which my daughter keeps saying she's going to have cut down!) cracked and fell on the roof of the mud porch. Then later, some more, smaller branches fell on her van. So far no damage though, just a lot of firewood to be cleared. Keeping my fingers crossed the rest of the tree stays up, as well as the power!

We lost power, internet, cellular-net, water and the gas-pressure became so low, that i had to decide between generator or boiling water for tea. Firing up the chimenea during that storm wasn't an option, so i boiled my tea-water on an Esbit-Stove.
Similar forecast here: Tomorrow cold but sunny, Friday cold and rainy, Saturday a tad warmer and dry. Then big warmup on Sunday and Monday with temperatures up to 298K.
March looks promising, a minor cold-snap in week 3 and 4 but it seems we're almost done with winter here.
I haven't looked around for fallen trees on my property, its a bit too cold for wallowing at the moment and upright walking towards the pond is out of the question. Brought the garbage down this afternoon and there were a lot of dead branches on the driveway…

 

[Canadian Wind]

So we've decided (and been encouraged by other local duck keepers) to try and hatch some eggs.

My plan is basically to start leaving eggs in the duck house and see if one of the hens decides to sit. If nothing happens in a week or so, say oh well, collects the eggs for eating (it's still cold enough outside) and try later with an incubator.

Now, my understanding is that the eggs should be clean and that it's better for them to be larger rather than smaller. But I would like to clear that up a bit more in the practical sense so I have some questions (yay).

- Do the eggs I leave need to be 100% super clean or can they have a dirty pinprick or two or a light stripe? We normally only get let's say 1 or 2 really clean eggs out of 6-7 per day.

- If the egg is somewhat dirty, can I try and clean that with a dry paper towel as to avoid damaging the surface? Does this even serve a purpose as the result will not be 100% super clean anyway, just cleaner?

I wipe the majority of the much off as best as I can with a slightly (barely) damp paper towel That's it. Ducks are notoriously messy, yet their eggs hatch out fine with a momma on them.

- What happens if the eggs left in the house were super clean originally but I find out later on that they are not so clean anymore? For example while the eggs are still being accumulated and the hens are still thinking about whether to sit... then one comes along and poops on the lot Do I need to discard them all and start anew?

See above.

- How important is it for the eggs to be large? (To what extent does them being smaller affect the chances that the duckling will hatch and develop well?)

A larger egg ensure the duckling will be able to develop properly and give it room to move at that crucial hatching moment.

- (depending also on the answers above) If the only eggs in a day that are super clean are the ones that are the smallest, is that acceptable or should I say oh well let's wait for another day?

For those left in the duck house, only pick the larger ones (without them being overly large, like a double-yoke).

Also,

- Does the drake need to be rehomed out of the common duck house in order for a hen to decide to sit? For example because he would be bothering her, or trampling around... (Or will a broody hen soon show him who's the boss)

I've never had issues with leaving the drake in with the ducks.

- In the last several days I've noticed that whereas before all the hens laid their daily eggs in one place, with very few random exceptions, now it seems that most of the eggs are in one spot but there are also separate places each with one egg, is that an indication of anything?

Thank you!

It may... It takes a duck several days before she starts sitting on the eggs she's layed, you may have some that are feeling the pull of broodiness. That being said, KC are not known for this trait, so that may be as far as their mothering instinct goes.

Good luck, let us know how it goes!

 

[Canadian Wind]

We lost power, internet, cellular-net, water and the gas-pressure became so low, that i had to decide between generator or boiling water for tea. Firing up the chimenea during that storm wasn't an option, so i boiled my tea-water on an Esbit-Stove.
Similar forecast here: Tomorrow cold but sunny, Friday cold and rainy, Saturday a tad warmer and dry. Then big warmup on Sunday and Monday with temperatures up to 298K.
March looks promising, a minor cold-snap in week 3 and 4 but it seems we're almost done with winter here.
I haven't looked around for fallen trees on my property, its a bit too cold for wallowing at the moment and upright walking towards the pond is out of the question. Brought the garbage down this afternoon and there were a lot of dead branches on the driveway…

Wow. Well, so far, *knock on wood* power has remained steady. My three heaters are working overtime though to keep the trailer warm. You heating your water that way shows you the priority of tea

This weird weather is wreaking havoc on the maple syrup industry. Temps need to be above freezing during the day but below at night for the sap to move. With so any early days/nights above, there's no sap to tap.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

So we've decided (and been encouraged by other local duck keepers) to try and hatch some eggs.

You have been warned!

My plan is basically to start leaving eggs in the duck house and see if one of the hens decides to sit. If nothing happens in a week or so, say oh well, collects the eggs for eating (it's still cold enough outside) and try later with an incubator.

It usually happens from one day to the next: One duck is missing in the morning when you open the duck-house door and when you look inside there will be a fires spitting dragon.
You should wait for the dragon to leave the nest to take a bath. Quickly snuck into the duck-house and mark the eggs! Come back every day and remove additional (unmarked) eggs. Staggered hatches lead to ducklings, in living rooms…
And some ducks decide after a while that sitting on eggs is boring and just abandon their nests.
So having an incubator as a backup is always a good idea.

Now, my understanding is that the eggs should be clean and that it's better for them to be larger rather than smaller. But I would like to clear that up a bit more in the practical sense so I have some questions (yay).

- Do the eggs I leave need to be 100% super clean or can they have a dirty pinprick or two or a light stripe? We normally only get let's say 1 or 2 really clean eggs out of 6-7 per day.

If a duck is sitting on the eggs, you have to do nothing. (Except marking the dang eggs!) If the eggs were dirty, momma duck's plumage will wipe them clean. And momma duck knows best which eggs are good and which are bad.

- If the egg is somewhat dirty, can I try and clean that with a dry paper towel as to avoid damaging the surface? Does this even serve a purpose as the result will not be 100% super clean anyway, just cleaner?

For an incubator i would only take eggs that come clean out of the duck house, no cleaning of dirty eggs.

- What happens if the eggs left in the house were super clean originally but I find out later on that they are not so clean anymore? For example while the eggs are still being accumulated and the hens are still thinking about whether to sit... then one comes along and poops on the lot Do I need to discard them all and start anew?

Even if momma duck (or aunty-duck) poops into the nest while laying the next eggs, that will be removed by the sitting duck's plumage. - Important is that you mark the eggs and remove additional eggs from the nest.
Don't let the duck sit on more than around 10 eggs! And candle the eggs after about a week.

- How important is it for the eggs to be large? (To what extent does them being smaller affect the chances that the duckling will hatch and develop well?)

I have not seen a pattern for the ducklings size or health that depends on the egg size. I wouldn't try to hatch out the ping-pong ball sized first eggs from a young duck, nor the vent-busters that they sometimes lay in early spring, but anything or reasonable size will hatch.

- (depending also on the answers above) If the only eggs in a day that are super clean are the ones that are the smallest, is that acceptable or should I say oh well let's wait for another day?

As said: Everything that is of reasonable size is good to go. And for the cleanliness, the egg-shell is a formidable obstacle for bacteria.

Also,

- Does the drake need to be rehomed out of the common duck house in order for a hen to decide to sit? For example because he would be bothering her, or trampling around... (Or will a broody hen soon show him who's the boss)

Unless the drake turns out to be a real drakehole it is important that the ducklings hatch and grow up with him. None of my drakes were ever aggressive or even rough with the little ones. Somehow they all know they could be theirs. I never had any problems with integrating the younglings into the flock when they were hatched by a momma duck. Usually everybody here has an eye on the ducklings.

- In the last several days I've noticed that whereas before all the hens laid their daily eggs in one place, with very few random exceptions, now it seems that most of the eggs are in one spot but there are also separate places each with one egg, is that an indication of anything?

They are still searching for the right place where to deposit these strange round things. At the moment i would not leave the eggs in the duck-house, it is a bit too early in the year for ducklings - at least where i live.

Thank you!

You are very welcome!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

... Or is the answer to all of the above, "cool it dude, just leave the eggs, the hen will know what to do"

Well, if you have a good and experienced momma duck, that's exactly the answer!
But you need to keep an eye on your first time mommas and be ready to intervene quickly. Some first time mommas just leave the nest, some are glued to their nest and the ducklings start to wander off and some think that after the ducklings have hatched they are off the hook.
Did i tell you how important it is to mark the eggs and consequently remove additional eggs from the nest(s)? Otherwise you will end up like me last year, having a freshly hatched duckling sleeping on your chest every evening. For two weeks…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Wow. Well, so far, *knock on wood* power has remained steady. My three heaters are working overtime though to keep the trailer warm. You heating your water that way shows you the priority of tea

This weird weather is wreaking havoc on the maple syrup industry. Temps need to be above freezing during the day but below at night for the sap to move. With so any early days/nights above, there's no sap to tap.

Don't talk about Syrup! - @Magnolia Ducks introduced me to that Sorghum Syrup! Now i am addicted, emptied a quarter gallon in just two weeks.
I have ordered 30 Jerusalem artichokes, maybe those are good for Syrup too.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

In the midst of all that chaos and mud, i discovered that the first Kale seedlings have emerged: