Problems Incubating Duck Eggs

Rozezducks · **Joined:** Fri Aug 17, 2012 2:09 pm **Posts:** 4

Hi
I am wondering if anyone can help me with some problems I am having incubating my Khaki Campbell duck eggs.
I have (the cheap) JN8-48 and generally at day 7, all the embryos - I usually put in about 10 eggs- have developed.
Day 14, generally about 8 of of 10 are developing and have movement. It seems to be the last 5 -8 days that they are dying.
So far I have had only one healthy duckling per incubation and I have done 3 in this machine now.
I have a calibration thermometer and the temperature seems to be OK. I don't open up the incubator very often so the humidity level (set on 55 then increased to about 65 last few days) stays about right.
The one thing that I am unsure about and wonder if it makes a big difference, is the outside temperature. The room I have the incubator in gets very cold.
Could this be my problem?
I have also bought the R-Com Suro 20 and I also just got one duckling out of 11 fertile eggs. Everything I have read says that duck eggs hatch better if they have been rolled, not moved side to side pointed end down. I had the eggs laying down and it seemed to me that the swinging motion still left them one sided.I am trying the next lot in this incubator pointed end down.
I am just getting so frustrated! I bought the Suro because everyone raved about it's performance and I still have no luck. Again, could it be the outside temperature?
Are Khaki Campbell eggs known to be hard to incubate? I would love any advice! Thanks

HatchMe · **Joined:** Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:54 am **Posts:** 3

I think the outside temp maybe your problem if you have the temp and humidity was right then thats all it can be

Callum Woodham · **Posted:** Sat Aug 18, 2012 7:05 pm

I have had similar problems with call ducks and it's not the outside temp of the incubator duck eggs have been hard twice and have good hatches with other eggs directly after when the weather turned colder :-D

HatchMe · **Joined:** Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:54 am **Posts:** 3

Sorry but your post make no sense to me? outside temp is very important how can you dismiss that?

Callum Woodham · **Posted:** Sat Aug 18, 2012 9:58 pm

if it was the outside temp my next hatch would have been the same very poor, but it was not, in colder weather the next batch of chickens not ducks was very succesful even with the cold over night temps.
Yes I AGREE incubators do need and should be in a stable temp room!
I also have hade very poor hatch rates out of call duck eggs.
Under the same EXACT SAME conditions I have had REALLY good hatches of non duck spieces :-D

Rozezducks · **Joined:** Fri Aug 17, 2012 2:09 pm **Posts:** 4

Thanks everyone. Considering I think everything else seems right, I now have the incubator wrapped in an electric blanket on low!
I guess now I'll just have to wait and see what happens. I have my own Khaki Campbell eggs and some bought Indian Runner eggs.
If the bought ones hatch and mine don't, perhaps it has to do with them. 28 days is such a long time to have to wait!!!

SheepFarm · **Joined:** Wed Jul 04, 2012 11:59 am **Posts:** 35

Hatching chicken eggs and duck egg are not the same, so even with identical conditions you can get 80% of 1 breed and 10% from another also diet plays a big part. I agree for most cheaper incubators the outside temp is very important, very important. I think it was the eggs more than the incubator so trying your own eggs will tell you

Callum Woodham · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:16 pm

I used RCOM pro20 for all my eggs but had bad hatch rates for only the ducks got most of the eggs to internal pipping ok but the most of the ducklings just sort of ran out of go to finish the hatch of the ones that did hatch they had the hernia (egg not fully absorbed) some made it some did not

RobertD · **Joined:** Sun Aug 19, 2012 1:40 pm **Posts:** 1

Does that incubator have different setting for duck eggs over chicken eggs in terms of the same temperature and humidity or is the setting different?

intwoChooks · **Joined:** Wed Aug 15, 2012 10:57 am **Posts:** 7

All incubators should have the different settings even the cheap ones and to my knowledge duck eggs are more wet incubated than chook eggs

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