Incubating ducks

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hannah_gates

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hi,
i have been asked to incubate 7 duck eggs (will tell you their breed soon)
as i have never done them before i was wondering if anyone could help me
is there anything i need to know
are they hard or easy
temperature
how many days
and what they need for their first couple of days
thanks in advance
hannah x
 
non medicated chick crumb
iv never had a good hatch rate with the ducks but i think incubator needs some attention but once hatched they are so much stronger than the chicks, iv not lost 1 duck once hatched unlike chicks. they also grow so fast at 6 weeks old my ducks are same size as my adult females
 
Hi Hannah,
I've just hatched some runner ducks. My "bibles" during this were-Incubation-A Guide to Hatching and rearing by Katie Thear and Keeping Ducks and Geese by Chris and Mike Ashton both available on Amazon with free p&p.
I also spent hours on the internet looking at forums like this.
The temp is 37.5 in the middle of the egg-I had a clinical thermometer in a little holder so it was at the right height.
The incubation time is 28 days with exception of Muscovies which are 35.
I had 6 eggs to start with, one was infertile so removed at 7 days and one failed to get any further than an internal pip. The other 4 are thriving, 2 had no problems hatching but the last 2 had to be assisted.
As for feeding,mine have had oatmeal mixed with chick crumb for the first few days and a mix of natural yogurt/egg for the first 4 days as the last 2 were a bit weaker.
They will be on chick crumb for the next few weeks then onto growers pellets until 16 weeks then waterfowl feed.
I hope this helps, this was my first time hatching and was quite nerve racking but they are so rewarding as they are so comical to watch. I put in a small paint roller tray yesterday with water in so they could have a little spash about and they loved it.
 
hi..
thanks everyone he is bringing them round tomorrow.
shall let you know what happens.
also when do i put the water for a little splash around in. or can it be as soon as theyre born.
thanks again
hannah xxx
 
they are muscovy ducks.
they also came with a leaflet..it says 37.5degrees for 30-37days i put them for 37 and at day 31 no more turning
does this sound right?
x
 
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