Your expert advice please , incubating Pekin eggs

[PenrodHill]

I've had a sportsman cabinet model incubator for several years , so I'm not a complete rookie at the incubation thing . Still, I've never incubated duck eggs . Could I beg you to share your experiences ? The dos , the don'ts , the tips , etc.
Can I incubate them with chicken eggs ? Aside from different gestation lengths are there other reasons not to ?
Egg storage protocol pre set ?

 

[Gerty0630]

I've had a sportsman cabinet model incubator for several years , so I'm not a complete rookie at the incubation thing . Still, I've never incubated duck eggs . Could I beg you to share your experiences ? The dos , the don'ts , the tips , etc.
Can I incubate them with chicken eggs ? Aside from different gestation lengths are there other reasons not to ?
Egg storage protocol pre set ?

I recently just successfully hatched 3 pekin eggs (last week!). From what I know, ducks need a higher humidity than chickens which is why you maybe shouldn't incubate them together. I read so much about not opening the incubator unless you have to, or limit it, blah blah. I opened the incubator every couple days to candle with no issue. I was quick about it every time. When it was time for lockdown my air cells were smaller than they needed to be so per a tip from someone on here - I sprayed the eggs with warm water to help pull some moisture out which worked! Ducks take longer to unzip than chickens do. My first egg that hatched took 48 hours after externally pipping to fully unzip and hatch. It was a real nail biter. Good luck!

 

[Kiki]

I highly recommend a few calibrated thermometers and a calibrated humidity gauge no matter the incubator you use.

Be prepared to play the waiting game at the end.
DUCKS ARE SLOW.

 

[Gerty0630]

I highly recommend a few calibrated thermometers and a calibrated humidity gauge no matter the incubator you use.

Be prepared to play the waiting game at the end.
DUCKS ARE SLOW.

AMEN

 

[Tess_hyland]

All above posts are so accurate! Ducks are very slow hatchers, so be ready to wait! Try to keep a thermometer in there too, like someone said earlier and try to keep the temp at around 37/38 degrees Celsius... also they need quite a humid environment so every day (or whenever) try to just dip your fingers in lukewarm water and gently splash it onto the eggs. I have also recently hatched two pekin ducklings and I bought two more from a distributor near us. Am loving the duck life so far! Good luck to you and your duckies!

 

[Kiki]

I have never nor will ever spray or splash water on an incubating egg.

 

[Tess_hyland]

Hmmm interesting since I did dribble a few drops af warm water on my little Pekins and they all were successful

 

[WVduckchick]

I recently just successfully hatched 3 pekin eggs (last week!). From what I know, ducks need a higher humidity than chickens which is why you maybe shouldn't incubate them together. I read so much about not opening the incubator unless you have to, or limit it, blah blah. I opened the incubator every couple days to candle with no issue. I was quick about it every time. When it was time for lockdown my air cells were smaller than they needed to be so per a tip from someone on here - I sprayed the eggs with warm water to help pull some moisture out which worked! Ducks take longer to unzip than chickens do. My first egg that hatched took 48 hours after externally pipping to fully unzip and hatch. It was a real nail biter. Good luck!

I think your air cells were small because of the higher humidity idea. They don't really need higher humidity, like would seem logical. Their shells are actually "usually" a waxy finish, and thicker than chicken egg shells, so there shouldn't be any harm in incubating them along with chicken eggs.

I have hatched ducks with chickens several times. Just start the ducks earlier so that they hatch near the same time, or move the eggs to a different hatcher.

I have never nor will ever spray or splash water on an incubating egg.

Spritzing/misting can help with duck eggs that haven't lost enough moisture. Although it seems counter-productive, as the mist evaporates, it helps to draw out excess moisture from inside the egg.

 

[Gerty0630]

Seems like there's a lot of conflicting opinions on spritzing eggs. Some people say they always do it, some people say NEVER do it. There will always be someone on here to scold you and tell you you're doing it wrong. I chose not to do it until I needed moisture loss and it worked out for me. Everyone is different and you just have to find what works for you

 

[WVduckchick]

Seems like there's a lot of conflicting opinions on spritzing eggs. Some people say they always do it, some people say NEVER do it. I chose not to do it until I needed moisture loss and it worked out for me. Everyone is different and you just have to find what works for you

Storey's Guide says they did some studies on misting, and found a slightly higher hatch rate when they do mist, once a day, during the middle of incubation (days 5-24, I'm thinking?) But I only do it if I need the extra moisture loss too. And only those eggs that have smaller air cells.