Hello everyone!
I have seen bits and pieces of discussions about these topics on here but wanted to post in case someone else maybe has the answers I have not been able to find much on.
I have currently 6 duck eggs in the incubator and this is my first time ever hatching eggs of any kind so it has been an adventure to say the least. All the weird math aside and the beginners mistakes I inevitably made and noted for future reference, I could use some pointers from anyone who may be knowledgeable on the subject and can offer any tips.
Out of all 6 eggs, I have been monitoring the heat and humidity within the incubator which was a (expletive) to try and find the balance and that was between 2 different incubators I have tried. 1 egg in particular from the beginning the air cell was on the side of the egg and has continued to grow on the side of the egg which in itself has potential problems that I am worried about.
I have 4 ducks currently and 2 of them are the ones laying these so it is not because of any shipping issues that I have seen may cause the air cell on the side. I do grab them pretty quickly after they are laid to avoid them getting trampled and I let them set, pointy end down for a day or 2 before putting them in the incubator. I have done my best to balance the heat at 99.5 - 100 degrees as it fluctuates and I have tried to keep the humidity at 55 which has been the hardest part because there are days it sits at 31 until I mist or add water and then it will sit at like 74
.
I have an automatic turner that does its thing every 2 hours and have cooled and misted them ever since day 10 of the incubation period. I have candled often as it is my first time and I feel like an anxious mama lmao but have kept track of the growth of the air cell as well.
They are all alive and well, moving around in there and I have seen some of the eggs get a lil wobbly every so often. On 1-2 of the eggs when I candle, it looks almost like there is a little beak in there (queue the song “I want to break free” - Queen). I cannot tell if the beak is in fact all the way through the membrane internally or if it is still just trying. There is also some that look like they have a little yellow spot developing on the side of the egg which is new, is this normal?
They were put in the incubator on 07/22 and it is now 08/15 which would technically be day 24 I think? There are currently no peeps or noises I am hearing but I feel like some are ahead and some are behind by like a day or 2. I know once they hatch you should not open the incubator to maintain heat and humidity and they can’t stay in there after hatching for an extended period.
So my concern is, if I think 1-2 have or are about to internally pip, should I stop turning those 2? Take the turn table out and just turn by hand? But wouldn’t that throw of the humidity and heat each time I had to turn by hand?
I don’t want to take it out too early and cause issues, I don’t want to decrease the heat too early, but I am genuinely panicking my own dadgum self from how much conflicting info there is out there and how much you have to monitor and add steps to the process lol.
Y’all please excuse my anxious ramblings and the fact I probably provided a novel but I know it helps to have as much info as possible to be able to provide a good answer. I currently have them in a little Apdoe forced air incubator with the auto turn still on. I have been using a little of the water reservoir it has plus misting daily to try and maintain humidity. I will provide pictures for reference as well. I just need opinions if you have any knowledge on this on if I should stop turning, if I should hand turn all the ones that look like they may still be ok to?
If it internally pips can you still turn them? If the one with the air cell on the side starts hatching, should I turn it a certain way to try and ensure it hatches safely??
Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated as you can tell I am all over the place lol. I have a whole new respect for people who can do this all so calmly and just adjust with all the twists life throws during incubation lol.
The pictures are of the eggs I see little beaks maybe? And of the yellowing on the shells, and the eggs showing air cells up so you can see how big some are compared to others because I have no idea what normal is supposed to look like
I have seen bits and pieces of discussions about these topics on here but wanted to post in case someone else maybe has the answers I have not been able to find much on.
I have currently 6 duck eggs in the incubator and this is my first time ever hatching eggs of any kind so it has been an adventure to say the least. All the weird math aside and the beginners mistakes I inevitably made and noted for future reference, I could use some pointers from anyone who may be knowledgeable on the subject and can offer any tips.
Out of all 6 eggs, I have been monitoring the heat and humidity within the incubator which was a (expletive) to try and find the balance and that was between 2 different incubators I have tried. 1 egg in particular from the beginning the air cell was on the side of the egg and has continued to grow on the side of the egg which in itself has potential problems that I am worried about.
I have 4 ducks currently and 2 of them are the ones laying these so it is not because of any shipping issues that I have seen may cause the air cell on the side. I do grab them pretty quickly after they are laid to avoid them getting trampled and I let them set, pointy end down for a day or 2 before putting them in the incubator. I have done my best to balance the heat at 99.5 - 100 degrees as it fluctuates and I have tried to keep the humidity at 55 which has been the hardest part because there are days it sits at 31 until I mist or add water and then it will sit at like 74
. I have an automatic turner that does its thing every 2 hours and have cooled and misted them ever since day 10 of the incubation period. I have candled often as it is my first time and I feel like an anxious mama lmao but have kept track of the growth of the air cell as well.
They are all alive and well, moving around in there and I have seen some of the eggs get a lil wobbly every so often. On 1-2 of the eggs when I candle, it looks almost like there is a little beak in there (queue the song “I want to break free” - Queen). I cannot tell if the beak is in fact all the way through the membrane internally or if it is still just trying. There is also some that look like they have a little yellow spot developing on the side of the egg which is new, is this normal?
They were put in the incubator on 07/22 and it is now 08/15 which would technically be day 24 I think? There are currently no peeps or noises I am hearing but I feel like some are ahead and some are behind by like a day or 2. I know once they hatch you should not open the incubator to maintain heat and humidity and they can’t stay in there after hatching for an extended period.
So my concern is, if I think 1-2 have or are about to internally pip, should I stop turning those 2? Take the turn table out and just turn by hand? But wouldn’t that throw of the humidity and heat each time I had to turn by hand?
I don’t want to take it out too early and cause issues, I don’t want to decrease the heat too early, but I am genuinely panicking my own dadgum self from how much conflicting info there is out there and how much you have to monitor and add steps to the process lol.
Y’all please excuse my anxious ramblings and the fact I probably provided a novel but I know it helps to have as much info as possible to be able to provide a good answer. I currently have them in a little Apdoe forced air incubator with the auto turn still on. I have been using a little of the water reservoir it has plus misting daily to try and maintain humidity. I will provide pictures for reference as well. I just need opinions if you have any knowledge on this on if I should stop turning, if I should hand turn all the ones that look like they may still be ok to?
If it internally pips can you still turn them? If the one with the air cell on the side starts hatching, should I turn it a certain way to try and ensure it hatches safely??
Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated as you can tell I am all over the place lol. I have a whole new respect for people who can do this all so calmly and just adjust with all the twists life throws during incubation lol.
The pictures are of the eggs I see little beaks maybe? And of the yellowing on the shells, and the eggs showing air cells up so you can see how big some are compared to others because I have no idea what normal is supposed to look like
thanks again for your help.
