Hatching ducks in the incubator question ...`

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Hatching ducks in the incubator question ...`

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chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35934
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Mon Mar 28, 11 11:23 pm Post subject: Hatching ducks in the incubator question ...`
I want to hatch some of my duck eggs ... what sort of humidity should I be giving them? I have the main incy running at about 30% and the hatcher at 45% to 65%. Help!

girlracer265

Joined: 30 Jan 2010
Posts: 292
Location: brent knoll, somerset

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 11 7:03 am Post subject:
chez, i would do the ducks about the same

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 11 7:06 am Post subject:
Chez. I have two cracking little books on incubation. Just say the word and they could be with you tomorrow.

Debbie

Joined: 04 Dec 2004
Posts: 160
Location: Exmoor Devon

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 11 7:37 am Post subject:

The last timeI hatched duck eggs with any sucess I went for a very old fashioned manual method. I ran the incubator dry but each day took the lid off for ten minutes, sprayed the eggs with water then replaced the lid.....apparently this mimicks mother duck leaving to feed and swim for 10 mins a day then coming back wet. 4 days before hatching I filled the water reservoirs but continued with my daily spraying. 80% sucess which I was quite pleased with.

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35934
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 11 7:53 am Post subject:
Thanks, all. I have the Rob Harvey book on incubation, Bodger ... clearly I should have looked it up, but I was on the gin last night . I will pop some in with the hen eggs I am setting later this week then and see what happens!

welsh veg grower

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 2030
Location: here today but tomorrow...

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 11 7:53 am Post subject:
I cant remember exactly but it was very dry until last few days then thye needed high mositure to hatch if I remember right. I ahve a duck book here somewhere will have a look for it

sicknote

Joined: 26 Oct 2009
Posts: 235
Location: Cornwall

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 11 5:41 pm Post subject:

We have always done 30 to 40% to start (running dry in our house) until day 24ish and then up the humidity to 50 to 60% until they have all hatched. Once the first couple are out the humidity goes up naturally anyway (pretty much the same a chooks)

We found loads of books, manuals, websites etc recommend really high humidty throughout but when we first tried this had the same as with chickens, lots of 'sticky' ducklings.

We have always incubated ours alongside the chicken eggs, but the secret is to candle quite often as the gas from a bad/dead duck egg will poison the forming chicks in the other eggs.

Becki

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 6293
Location: Devon

Posted: Wed Mar 30, 11 7:46 am Post subject:
I put the humidity right up to 70 when the table gets turned off, can't remember what it was before, I'll ask when E gets in, she's the expert I've had a good hatch rate so far, with more on the go.

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