Hatching duck eggs
November 17th 2011 13:19
Well, Kleo is very excited...With my tendancity to get ENthuSIAStic its exteremely hard because....Theres not a lot you can do for eggs. And eggs dont do a lot for you. Theres lots of ANTiciPAtion, which leads to thinking about cute baby ducks (AND WHAT YOU CAN NAME THEM!) but if you are as enthusiastic as little Kleo, you gotta nip that right in the bud. Because some eggs may not hatch, realistically, I have to consider none of them will.
But that is so hard to contemplate.
I am using a halogen lamp (not sure of wattage) which is very small. Im misting them when I turn them, and thats about it. I move them around as it seems some eggs are warmer than others, but overall, Im noticing, they seem too cool. I remember I had Wists clutch for about 3 weeks before he pipped, but on day one Mum broke an egg that was already badly cracked out of curiosity - what species, how far along - and it was easily identifiable as Pacific Black duck, and almost full grown. So now Im thinking, Wists clutch was too cool. It shouldnt have taken 3 weeks, but I read SO MUCH about how cooking them was so easy with a lamp, and high temps are so dangerous. What I do know now is that humidity is vital, as the egg shell gets thinner with the ducklings growth, they lose moisture. This I did not know before and its clear Wist was one tough lil duck.
I cant find a whole lot about this on the web - theres lots of info but its difficult to apply it if you dont use incubators regularly - is that so long as they are warm, not cool, they will develop. It will just happen slower, and the babies will pip much slower (I assume) as they will need more time to absorb the yolk. I also did not know that eggs are viable at room temp for up to a week - sometimes more.
Of course, after that week we just had, it would be bloody 20 degrees now, wouldnt it? I cant believe Im wishing for hot weather, but it would be so much easier to create a good temperature. Theoretically. I might find its a nightmare and I constantly think they are too hot. Which I do anyway. Problem with damn eggs is that they cant TELL you anything!
Ive candled them, but again, this is something that is very difficult to do correctly and with a proper result if you are inexperienced. I also dont want to get my hopes up - I think I see clear blood vessels in them, but do I just want to see them? Are they just shadows that I believe look like blood vessels?
Well, its off to do the bed time thing - too hot? Too cold? Damn....
But that is so hard to contemplate.
I am using a halogen lamp (not sure of wattage) which is very small. Im misting them when I turn them, and thats about it. I move them around as it seems some eggs are warmer than others, but overall, Im noticing, they seem too cool. I remember I had Wists clutch for about 3 weeks before he pipped, but on day one Mum broke an egg that was already badly cracked out of curiosity - what species, how far along - and it was easily identifiable as Pacific Black duck, and almost full grown. So now Im thinking, Wists clutch was too cool. It shouldnt have taken 3 weeks, but I read SO MUCH about how cooking them was so easy with a lamp, and high temps are so dangerous. What I do know now is that humidity is vital, as the egg shell gets thinner with the ducklings growth, they lose moisture. This I did not know before and its clear Wist was one tough lil duck.
I cant find a whole lot about this on the web - theres lots of info but its difficult to apply it if you dont use incubators regularly - is that so long as they are warm, not cool, they will develop. It will just happen slower, and the babies will pip much slower (I assume) as they will need more time to absorb the yolk. I also did not know that eggs are viable at room temp for up to a week - sometimes more.
Of course, after that week we just had, it would be bloody 20 degrees now, wouldnt it? I cant believe Im wishing for hot weather, but it would be so much easier to create a good temperature. Theoretically. I might find its a nightmare and I constantly think they are too hot. Which I do anyway. Problem with damn eggs is that they cant TELL you anything!
Ive candled them, but again, this is something that is very difficult to do correctly and with a proper result if you are inexperienced. I also dont want to get my hopes up - I think I see clear blood vessels in them, but do I just want to see them? Are they just shadows that I believe look like blood vessels?
Well, its off to do the bed time thing - too hot? Too cold? Damn....
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