Went into Lockdown too early?!?

[Ruralpearls]

I think I calculated my hatch date wrong. I put my DUCK eggs in to the bator on the 11th of April at about 4pm. On Monday May 5th I pulled the eggs out of the turner, filled the water troughs up and placed my eggs on their side. I candled each one as well and saw that they were all doing well and alive. This is my first time hatching eggs out and purchased these eggs online. I was so happy to see that all seven were alive and well!! I noticed that the humidity jumped to about 80% but I didn't do anything about it because the incubator instructions stated that I needed to fill ALL of the troughs. I left them and noticed three wiggling on Monday night. Tuesday night I saw one egg move but nothing else. This morning I was online and read a thread about hatching eggs and saw that the humidity was too high. I asked about it and was told to get some of the water out. I did and candled all of the eggs. Only three were moving. Only one air sac had dipped. The humidity is now at 65%. I am worried that A) I should have been turning them for longer and so they are sticking to the shells and B) that my high humidity killed some of the eggs? I have been worried that I opened the bator and interrupted lockdown but I got to thinking that perhaps I mis-calculated the date?? If that is so then do I consider today lockdown and don't disturb them from now on??

Sorry for all of the questions, I am just driving myself crazy thinking that my foolishness killed some of the babies.

 

[Ruralpearls]

Anyone?? Please???

 

[Spongegirl]

its ok. what kind of incubator do you have? at first there are a lot of issues to work thru. the hatching technique is what matters most...not if you are off turning by a little bit.

 

[Ruralpearls]

its ok. what kind of incubator do you have? at first there are a lot of issues to work thru. the hatching technique is what matters most...not if you are off turning by a little bit.

I have this: https://www.gqfmfg.com/pdf/circ instructions.pdf

Thank you so much for responding! Do you think the humidity is going to be a problem?

 

[Spongegirl]

I have a little giant. stryofoam. it regains heat and humidity quickly. I have excellent hatch rates now, and I never obey the lockdown rules. The lockdown rules are for those big cabinet or different types of incubators. They lockdown rules are also for people who cant really keep hands off and worry woo much which can be disruptive to the end few hours before hatch.

 

[Ruralpearls]

I have a little giant. stryofoam. it regains heat and humidity quickly. I have excellent hatch rates now, and I never obey the lockdown rules. The lockdown rules are for those big cabinet or different types of incubators. They lockdown rules are also for people who cant really keep hands off and worry woo much which can be disruptive to the end few hours before hatch.

Hahaha, I think I am one of those worry too much people! I will do my best to keep hands off now

 

[Spongegirl]

haaa! yeah, I guess we all do at first. I still do. I think I was damaging mine with turning. Now I just kinda take my palms and rollem around this way and that! lol a couple of times a day, never on time

 

[Spongegirl]

you asked about humidity. hard to say because so much is all about environment. You are in Utah? Is it super dry there? I don't hatch ducks, I hatch chickens, so I really haven't a clue about hatching those. I know this...the dry incubation method in Kentucky in the winter is too dry and dried up many chicks before they developed.

 

[Ruralpearls]

you asked about humidity. hard to say because so much is all about environment. You are in Utah? Is it super dry there? I don't hatch ducks, I hatch chickens, so I really haven't a clue about hatching those. I know this...the dry incubation method in Kentucky in the winter is too dry and dried up many chicks before they developed.

It is really dry where I live... like miles and miles of sage brush and cedars and cactus dry. I know that ducks need a bit more humidity than chicken eggs. I also figure that mamma duck probably lays on them with wet feathers from swimming so I have tried to keep the humidity up and it seems to have worked...but now I am second guessing myself. I saw you were from Henderson and I assumed Nevada

 

[dheltzel]

Do you know if they evaporated enough water before lockdown. Duck eggs do not need higher humidity as a rule. Mine (muscovy) have more of a waxy coating than the chicken eggs and so lower humidity is needed to evaporate enough moisture from the egg. You cannot drown a chick with the humidity too high, but they can drown by not losing enough of the moisture inside, which kind of amounts to the same thing since high humidity reduces the evaporation.

There are lots of good references on this site about hatching duck eggs. You can read up on that and see if that helps.