Will It Hurt?

[The Wolf Queen]

If I place my scovy eggs in a carton from lockdown till hatch day? I have 2 staggered scovy hatches in my hovabator due the 5th and the 17th and this will be my 1rt bator hatch so im kinda nervous plus ive heard about the mess it can make. I want the carton in there for a cleaner hatch since I cant go over the bator because I will still have the 2nd hatch in there but ive also heard that it is better for Muscovy eggs to be on their sides so the babies can hatch easier. Is this true and does anyone have any advice?

 

[duckyfromoz]

I wouldnt recommend the use of a cardboard carton- But some other form of container could be used. The cardboard can effect the humidity in the bator by absorbing the moisture- And being your first hatch- you have probably already had enough deal with to go fiddling around with humidity in the last few days.

There are some cloths you can put down that wont absorb too much moisture - or even just a small plastic tray. I now leave all my duck eggs on the side for the entire hatch as I found far better hatch rates than when they are standing up in a turner. Also misting the eggs with a fine spray every 3- 4 days has seemed to have a possitive effect on my hatches.

 

[FenDruadin]

I started hatching in egg cartons after my first hatch, and was amazed at how much better it was. Cleaner, faster, and fewer ducklings dying in the shell right at the end. It takes them longer to get out of the shell once it's zipped open, but on the other hand, it lets them build the strength in their legs so that when they do finally get out, they don't go rocketing all over the incubator running into everything--they have a lot more control right from the start. So all in all, I love carton hatches. On the other hand, I have Runners, not scovies, so it's possible it's different for them.

I do use cardboard cartons, and had never thought about the humidity thing, but I think I'm going to try styrofoam this next time and see if I have an easier time with humidity. Thanks for the tip!

I do get it that they might have a better hatch rate sitting on their sides the whole time, because that's how they'd be in the nest with their mama. On the other hand, their mama wouldn't ever forget to turn them regularly, and wouldn't ever have emergencies that take her away from the nest for a whole day, and so on--so I rely on my turner to do what I don't have all day to do. And, as I said, I've had *better* luck with hatching them out in a carton rather than on their sides, mostly because in a carton the late hatchers don't get knocked around and roughed up by the early hatchers, which is invariably what happens if they're all just loose in the bator. Of course, that wouldn't happen under a mama hen and that's the point--they're not under a mama hen, so we have to do some things a little differently.

That's not to say that I'm by any means completely right about this. That's just been my experience, and I love love love hatching in cartons over hatching on their sides. I am in the middle of my first staggered hatch right now, and I am hopeful that hatching in cartons will also mean the later eggs won't get quite as soiled by the early hatch.

Good luck, anyway. I can't wait to hear how it goes for you.