- Apr 24, 2013
- 48
- 1
- 26
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/seven-little-duck-eggs
I had enough requests that I caved and set up a cam. It is not live yet but there is a candling video from 6/18 that is about 11 minutes to watch for now. Estimated hatch date is 6/28 and I will go live 6/26 and leave it up until hatching is completed.
A few things because I am sure this will come up. I do not use an incubator, I have yet to find one that I feel I would be truly happy with that would not cost me an arm and a leg.
While ducklings are always a joy I real have no desire to be adding more ducks especially when I don't have a choice in gender (they always end up male, right?) I pick up the eggs when they lay but unfortunately because they do free roam, every now and then one will sneak a nest in. The reason I do not want them nesting is because they have a really bad habit of ditching the nest a week or two before they are to hatch. I don't mean just walking away for a while but full on leaving, not a care in the world to go back to their nest. None of them have ever been really broody and this is always the end result. I don't mind tossing eggs that are under 7 days but anything over that is my cut off. I have been hatching eggs this way for years and my hatch rate is better than most incubators (I haven't done the math but I can promise it is around 95% or more) I wouldn't go suggesting this method to everyone of course but I work from home and have the time to be able to closely monitor everything which is why this works for me.
This is the first time I have had to incubate eggs longer than 2 weeks as mama decide to bail out around 10 days in during a really bad rain storm which soaked the whole area she was in. This made sense for her since she doesn't have the means to pick them up, dry them off, and set up in a new dry area but it also meant I didn't have the heart to toss them, so in they came! There were 8 eggs total but 1 was not fertile. The other 7 are doing great so far.
I'd love to hear any suggestions or anyone who does incubation their own way too!
And for anyone wondering, mom is a blue swedish and no clue who is the dad or dads, lol.
I had enough requests that I caved and set up a cam. It is not live yet but there is a candling video from 6/18 that is about 11 minutes to watch for now. Estimated hatch date is 6/28 and I will go live 6/26 and leave it up until hatching is completed.
A few things because I am sure this will come up. I do not use an incubator, I have yet to find one that I feel I would be truly happy with that would not cost me an arm and a leg.
While ducklings are always a joy I real have no desire to be adding more ducks especially when I don't have a choice in gender (they always end up male, right?) I pick up the eggs when they lay but unfortunately because they do free roam, every now and then one will sneak a nest in. The reason I do not want them nesting is because they have a really bad habit of ditching the nest a week or two before they are to hatch. I don't mean just walking away for a while but full on leaving, not a care in the world to go back to their nest. None of them have ever been really broody and this is always the end result. I don't mind tossing eggs that are under 7 days but anything over that is my cut off. I have been hatching eggs this way for years and my hatch rate is better than most incubators (I haven't done the math but I can promise it is around 95% or more) I wouldn't go suggesting this method to everyone of course but I work from home and have the time to be able to closely monitor everything which is why this works for me.
This is the first time I have had to incubate eggs longer than 2 weeks as mama decide to bail out around 10 days in during a really bad rain storm which soaked the whole area she was in. This made sense for her since she doesn't have the means to pick them up, dry them off, and set up in a new dry area but it also meant I didn't have the heart to toss them, so in they came! There were 8 eggs total but 1 was not fertile. The other 7 are doing great so far.
I'd love to hear any suggestions or anyone who does incubation their own way too!
And for anyone wondering, mom is a blue swedish and no clue who is the dad or dads, lol.
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