Ducks incubating eggs. What should be the temperature and humidity in the incubator? How to breed ducklings at home? When to lay duck eggs? ⋆ 👨‍🌾 Farmer-online ⋆

Many poultry farmers have incubators in their arsenal that greatly simplify the care of poultry eggs. It should be borne in mind that the incubation periods for birds of different species also differ, especially for waterfowl. Duck testicles are larger and contain much more fat than the eggs of their counterparts. Today we will analyze in detail all the necessary subtleties of the incubation of duck testicles.

Fundamental rules

If you keep ducks on your farm and plan to start breeding them, then the incubator will be a great helper for you. Before using it, you should understand the basic rules for its operation.

The incubator must be equipped with all the necessary devices for breeding chicks. In addition, they must work properly.
The material must be properly selected and properly stored. Only in this case, you can achieve good results.
The laying of testicles must be done exclusively in an already warmed-up device.
The incubation period is quite difficult for birds, so it is very important to take care to maintain the ideal temperature and humidity level in the incubator. Otherwise, the survival rate of ducklings may decrease.
In no case should there be hypothermia or overheating in incubator conditions. The temperature must always be kept under control.
Heating in the incubator must be uniform – there can be no sharp drops.
It is necessary to provide the duck testicles with a sufficient supply of fresh air. Without good ventilation in the incubator, they will be uncomfortable.
All equipment that is in the incubator must also meet a number of requirements. First of all, all components must be clean and dry. The trays must be washed in a timely manner, then dried, and only then returned back to the incubator.

Farmers who have been hatching chicken eggs at home for a long time know that their laying has many differences from duck eggs. The duck incubates its offspring for 28-30 days. In chickens, this period is less than one week. Waterfowl species are able to regularly moisten eggs. A similar procedure is required for the artificial method of breeding offspring.

Egg selection and preparation

If you plan to breed healthy and productive ducks, then you should not only properly equip the incubator for them, but also correctly reject eggs that are not suitable for further hatching. This is a very important step that should never be neglected.

Duck testicles, which are ideal for further incubation, should have the following basic characteristics.

Absolutely all incubation material should have almost the same mass and the correct shape. Eggs that do not meet these requirements are usually seen immediately and must be culled early.
The shell of duck eggs must be smooth, clean, without cracks, chips and various kinds of deformations. If you nevertheless noticed any, then such eggs will need to be rejected without a doubt.
You will need to check the fertility of the testicles that you plan to keep in the incubator. For this, a special tool is usually used – an ovoscope. They check each egg by careful transillumination. If a special blood mesh is visible inside, then the testicle is fertilized and is suitable for further incubation.
High-quality eggs will never have calcareous growths and deposits.
It is not recommended to send products to the incubator in which 2 yolks are shown in the light.
Permitted storage – a week from the moment of laying. At the same time, the temperature in the room should be maintained at 10-12 degrees.

It is also important to carry out the preparatory work correctly before laying eggs in the incubator. First of all, experts advise paying attention to the litter, which is located in the duck nest. It must be changed every day – in this way, you will prevent the formation of various kinds of dangerous parasites, mold harmful to birds and other serious infectious lesions. Pathogenic microflora will remain on the shell, and in favorable conditions for it, it will simply penetrate into the inside of the testicle, which will adversely affect the state of the embryo.

Before laying the material in the incubator, it is necessary to sort duck eggs very carefully and carefully. Many experts prefer to store them in well-ventilated areas where the temperature is maintained between 8 and 13 degrees. It is desirable that the humidity level in such spaces be kept within 75%. Do not transfer the material to the refrigerator. It will be more convenient to collect it using special plywood trays. Lay duck eggs in one layer. Their blunt end should “look” down.

Experienced poultry farmers recommend turning the prepared incubation material at least three times a day. Thanks to these simple manipulations, it will be possible to achieve maximum hatchability of poultry offspring.

Try to use only fresh eggs. In those materials that have already lain for some time, the development of chicks is noticeably slowed down – this must be borne in mind if you are breeding poultry.

Bookmarking rules

In order for the breeding of ducklings to be successful and give good results, it is necessary to correctly lay the eggs in the incubator. It is from the literacy of this stage that the subsequent development of the chicks will depend. Let us analyze the basic rules regarding these procedures.

The device must be preheated to 38 degrees. Eggs can only be laid in an already heated incubator.
At the bottom of the incubator, you will need to put a pan with water.
The incubation material will need to be removed from the main place of its storage, and literally left for a couple of hours in a room where the temperature is kept at 25 degrees.
The laying of the incubation material should take place step by step. The largest eggs are laid first. After 4 hours, you can put medium ones, and after another 4 hours – the smallest specimens. If you strictly follow this simple bookmark rule, then all the chicks will hatch at about the same time.
Each egg will need to be laid separately. Place them horizontally.
If the incubator does not have an automatic flip, then you should draw small marks on the shell with a pencil. Due to such marks, it will be clear which testicle you turned over and which one did not.

Experienced poultry farmers who have been breeding ducks for a long time recommend that just a few days before the immediate laying, they once again check the correct operation of the incubator. It must be run for several hours and track exactly what temperature the thermometers will show. It will also be necessary to pay attention to whether the structure gives a signal about its overheating, how well the required humidity level is maintained in it. Only after careful checks will it be possible to lay incubation material. Otherwise, you are at serious risk, and you may be left without a new brood.

Can it be washed?

Duck eggs are among the dirtiest, so many poultry farmers are concerned about whether they can be washed. Some experts say that this cannot be done, while others say that such procedures should be carried out if more than 50% of the shell surface is contaminated.

If you decide to wash the material, then you need to be as careful as possible. If you act carelessly, you can damage the shell. In addition, eggs can be treated with disinfectants, for example, a solution of potassium permanganate.

Incubation modes by periods

Consider all modes of incubation for individual periods.

Lay the eggs in the incubator in such a way that there are small gaps between them. The temperature regime should be 38 degrees (not higher than 38,3 degrees). Humidity – no more than 75%. These conditions must be observed during the first 7 days.
From the beginning of the second week, the temperature in the incubator should be 37,8 degrees. This indicator should be maintained up to 14 days. Humidity will also need to be reduced to 60%. At this time, water can not be added. At least once a day during this period it is necessary to spray the eggs. You will need to open the vents so that fresh air enters the incubator.
The next incubation period is 10 days – from 15 to 25 days. During the specified time, poultry farmers carefully monitor that the temperature remains at 37,8 degrees. Humidity should be approximately 60%. It is recommended to turn the incubation material more often – 6 times a day. On the 18th day, the temperature indicators under the shell may change and reach 42 degrees.
In the same period, it is necessary to carry out good ventilation and cooling of future birds. For this, the incubator is opened 2 times a day for 20 minutes.
The last stage falls on the time period from 26 to 28 days. Here the temperature will need to be reduced to 37,5 degrees. The humidity level for this period should be about 90%.

This schedule must be kept in mind. You can make a table for yourself with all the dates and temperature / humidity indicators, so as not to make a mistake anywhere. These tips are most often used by novice poultry farmers.

Embryo development

Separate several stages of development of the embryo of a duckling.

The initial stage lasts from 1 to 7 days. In the specified period of time, the formation of all organs and systems of the chick takes place. The yolk will actively acquire blood vessels. Toward the end of the week, the duckling’s heart will begin to beat, and its length will be approximately 2 cm. For the first 7 days, ducks incubate eggs without leaving them, so it is very important to maintain a constant temperature.
The next stage will last from 8 to 18 days. The chick will begin to form a skeleton. The temperature in the incubator is reduced so that it develops correctly.
The third stage lasts from 18 to 25 days. At this point, all systems and organs in the embryos will be fully developed. The mass of the chick will begin to increase, it will consume more oxygen. At the same time, the temperature and humidity in the incubator should not increase – this will have a bad effect on the embryos.
The last stage will last from day 25 until the moment when the chicks begin to hatch. To make it easier for the chicks to break through the shell, it is recommended to soften it a little. To do this, increase the humidity level in the incubator. The embryo will already be large and will consume much more oxygen, and will begin to move. The equipment during this period must be adjusted to the maximum level of ventilation.

The appearance of chicks

The hatching order of duck chicks will be as follows.

As soon as it’s time for the chicks to peck, they will try to make holes in the shell with their beak.
Gradually, the duckling will expand the hole he made.
Having rested its paws on the sharp edge of the egg, the duckling will begin to destroy the shell.
If the chick was not bred according to the rules, then this process will be noticeably more complicated. If the duckling cannot get out of the shell during the day, he needs help – holes should be made in a circle so that the hard shell breaks more easily.

Hatching itself usually takes about 24 hours. Healthy chicks will weigh between 50 and 70 grams. A day after that:

the duckling will be able to stand on its paws;
ducklings begin to move actively;
evenly covered with fluff;
eat with gusto.

At first, some important actions will be required from the poultry farmer.

It is necessary to wait until all the chicks are completely dry.
It is necessary to carefully examine all the livestock in order to identify non-viable specimens. You should look at the eyes and beak of ducklings – they should be clean. The belly of the chicks is also important – it should be dense, not hanging. The umbilical cord of babies should heal.
You will definitely need to transplant young individuals into a separate box.
It is important to provide the chicks with the most suitable temperature. Until the beginning of the 10th day, it should be 28 degrees, and from 10 to 21 days – 22-24 degrees.

Common mistakes

As you can see, breeding such poultry cannot be called too complicated. The main thing is to properly incubate the eggs and be attentive to all important periods of their maintenance. However, there are a number of basic common mistakes that poultry farmers often make.

Uneven heating of the material. Before airing or cooling the testicles, they must be stirred. Those copies that lie in the center must be shifted to the edges, and vice versa. Poor heat reception will lead to the death of individuals.
High temperatures. Due to overheating, it will not be possible to breed offspring – all the embryos will die. Heat stroke will stop the development of ducklings, regardless of the stage of their breeding – whether it is the very beginning or the final stages.
Low humidity. Due to such omissions, the weight of the eggs will steadily decrease. If at this moment you enlighten them, you will notice that there are enlarged air chambers in the eggs. In such conditions, the chicks begin to hatch earlier and do not grow large.
Too high humidity settings. Due to this factor, the hatching of ducklings can be seriously delayed. Many of the chicks will die during hatching because they will choke on the amniotic fluid.
Lack of good ventilation. To keep the ducklings healthy, you will need to equip the incubator with good ventilation. If it does not exist, then in the end this will lead to the fact that chicks with certain defects will see the light. Ducklings in eggs lie with their heads towards the sharper end – this is a common pathology.

Useful tips and tricks

When laying eggs in the incubator, make sure that they do not lie too close to each other. If there are no gaps between them, then it will be inconvenient to turn them over. In incubators equipped with the auto-rotation option, it is necessary to lay eggs with a grid fixed at the top.

Please note that every violation of the incubation conditions can result in the death of the embryo at absolutely any stage of its development, so you cannot neglect all the necessary rules.

When the chicks hatch from the shell, a lot of moisture escapes through its pores. Without additional moisture, ducklings can simply die, so it is advisable to regularly spray the incubation material.

Embryos that died at 2 weeks are called frozen. In such testicles, blood vessels will not be visible. The fruit will only be rendered as a dark spot with no shape.

You can spray eggs with a weak solution of potassium permanganate for additional cooling at the right time. It is advisable to do this several times a day from the 6th day of incubation, and at the moments of airing.

Don’t forget to turn the eggs in the incubator. Due to this, you will prevent the embryo from drying to the shell.