Incubating

I get asked and hear all the time incubating calls is so difficult so this page is going to be my own experience of incubating call duck eggs it may not work for all but this is just what I find has worked well for me. It will be added to along the way so please bear with me while I build this page and try to give you as much detail as possible .

So here we go to start with when I collect eggs I store them pointed end down in egg cartons in a cool dry room.

Setting eggs- I put a mark on each side of my eggs usually a identifying mark on one side and an X on the other side.

Incubator- I always clean my incubator in Milton sterilising solution prior to use and lay in the sun to dry. Fill bottom of incubator with water just in one chamber and I add a cap full of Milton to the water some people dry incubate and it does work also with call eggs but I like to keep the bottom with a little bit of water in it so I refill it once a week. The tray base usually have a smooth side and a rough side I lay my eggs flat on their sides in the turning cradle on the smooth side so they roll easily. Call eggs I found dont particularly like being set pointed end down. You can just lay them on a chux on the tray base without putting in the turning cradle and hand turn that way if you dont want to use it. I hand turn my eggs 3 times a day I do not use an automatic turner. Turn on incubator and set at 37.5 degrees the humidity should be set at 55-60%.

Day 8 I start misting my eggs with water and cool just with the incubator top off for 5-10 mins

Candleing eggs- I candle my eggs day
7- 14 -18 -21 and day 23

Lockdown-On day 23 I put my eggs in lockdown I give them a quick candle to see if any have pipped internally and if there are any clearly not alive and discard those( be careful double check for a few minutes they can be sneaky and play dead) Take out egg cradle if you have one in and fill the whole bottom of the incubator. I wet a chux with warm water and lay on the base tray for humidity I also add a little container that sits on the tray with some water in it just to increase that humidity make sure babies cant get into it when they hatch though. Turn incubator temp down to 36.9 and get humidity up to 80%. I find my calls will hatch anywhere between day 24-26 and I have come home on day 23 with eggs externally pipped so it has been a mad rush to do all the above and put into lockdown. I have also had a couple of babies not hatch till day 30 so I tend to keep eggs in there till then if I know they are alive sometimes they just a little delayed in development or they need a little help. Ducklings can take unto 48 hrs to hatch but if one has started to hatch and has not had any progress for 24 hrs I will usually intervene and help. I will do a post on helping ducklings that are struggling to hatch soon . Once hatched they can stay in incubator for 24 hrs unless its really crowded in there then once dry I move to the brooder.

Good luck and happy hatching

Your duck will lay until she gets a pile she is happy with they can

Lay any where from 4-20 eggs in a clutch once she has the number she is happy with she will usually start sitting a young duck sometimes can be a bit hit and miss some will sit like a trooper some will sit but then get off just before hatch( they get board lol ) some will sit till a few hatch then get off but give her time to learn. She will get off and on during the day to eat drink and have a little swim and to cool the eggs this is normal so dont panic and think she has left the eggs give her a bit of time out and you will find she will go back and sit on them again. If she is a young mum just keep an eye on her to make sure she hasn't given upon them and goes back to sit most mum are great but for first time hatchers I always keep an eye on them because you will get the odd one that just hasn't clicked yet on what to do. I learnt the hard way so recommend buying an incubator as back up just incase you can get relatively cheap ones I use janoel 24 and find them really good

Natural Hatch

Candling Eggs

I Candle on day 7, 14, 18, 21 and day 23 above is a chart of what eggs will look like if developing. Some eggs will look almost black inside and fill most of the egg when they are approaching the day 18-20 mark.

Brooders

After hatching your ducklings will be ready to go into a brooder. Newborns can stay in the incubator for 24 hrs unless its crowded I leave them in there till semi dry to dry and fluffy. You can use a number or tubs, hutches, or crates for brooders as long as its dry, draught free and warm. I use round tubs I purchase from cheap as chips for $15-$20 and they can be used as ponds once they are no longer needed for babies. For the first day or so I use an old towel in the bottom and puppy pads the towel is used to stop them slipping DO NOT use newspaper they can not get their footings on it and it can cause splayed legs and other leg and feet issues. After the first day or so you can use just the puppy pads or straw and change it daily they will make a huge mess playing in any water source. For heat I use and recommend ego glow brooder heat plates they need to be set high enough so not to touch the ducklings they will still get warm under them as they are a radiant heat and yes after a few days they will learn how to jump on the and sit on the top . You can use heat globes and set them up high enough that the ducklings cant reach them if they get cold you will know they will all huddle together and cheep if they get to warm you will notice they will move away from the heat source and pant. I prefer not to use heat globes as they will peck at them and they will blow very very easily and the cost is huge if you need to keep replacing them the heat pads are also safer. Refer to feeding ducklings for guide on what to do in brooders