Do not set eggs that are cracked, double yolked, misshapen, oversized, undersized or dirty. Select eggs to be set by carefully inspecting and candling them at the time they are put in setting trays. Most automatic turning devices are set to change the position of the eggs hourly.
Eggs must be turned, either automatically or by hand, a minimum of 4 times a day. Set ventilation as recommended by the incubator manufacturer. Set the temperature at 37.5☌ (99.5☏) and relative humidity at 55% (84.5☏ on wet bulb thermometer). If the incubator is not already in operation, start the incubator and allow the temperature and humidity to stabilize a day or two before setting eggs. Basic procedures and conditions for hatching duck eggs are as follows. It is not necessary to turn eggs in the hatcher. Eggs are automatically turned while in the setter (usually hourly). Pekin duck eggs are kept in a setter for 25 days and then transferred on the 25th day to a hatcher where they remain until they hatch on the 28th day. When larger numbers of duck eggs are to be hatched, large commercial incubators (setters) and hatchers are normally used. Eggs from common ducks like Pekins require 28 days to hatch.Įggs from Muscovy ducks hatch in about 35 days after setting. Since duck eggs are larger than chicken eggs, setting trays must be designed to accommodate their larger size. If you're new to incubating, my advice would be to start with a small incubator and add to your collection later, if you enjoy the experience.Much of the information available on incubating and hatching chicken eggs can be applied to ducks, as long as the important differences between these two species are taken into account. How would you and, probably more critically, your children deal with that disappointment?ģ. Know that you will want to hatch more than you think when you first do it.
If your eggs have been sent by post, that will potentially drop to around 50%. Remember that not all the eggs you set in any incubator, no matter how good it is and no matter how careful you are, will hatch. Even in the most ideal circumstances only around 80% are likely to be successful.
If not, take my short quiz to make sure that hatching is definitely for you - and this one too, to make sure that you can legally keep chickens.Ģ. Have you thought through what to do with them, and in particular with any roosters (cockerels) you might end up with? Whilst hatching is fun and exciting, it will leave you with chickens afterwards. It's unlikely you'll want to go down the 'several thousand' route, but you do need to think carefully about how many eggs you'd like to hatch.ġ. Incubators come in all shapes and sizes, from a few eggs to several thousand. Step 1: How large should your incubator be? In this article I'm going to share with you the lessons I learned when choosing my incubators to help you decide which would be the ideal chicken egg incubator for your individual situation. I have four incubators, ranging from the very small to a larger, 24 egg machine. But there are a lot of incubators on the market, each with unique features. When you're hatching chicken eggs there's really only one "must have" item if you don't have a broody hen: a reliable incubator. Backyard chicken keeping has become a huge industry in the past few years and there are a lot of choices out there.