# Incubator during power outage?



## GaGoats2017 (Sep 5, 2017)

I have an incubator full of Pekin and Khaki Campbell duck eggs, some 1 week and some 2 weeks along. I have never had luck with duck eggs anyway, I tried them twice last winter and they made it to around 2-3 weeks and would die. 

I am also from southeast ga and in the way of Hurricane Irma. So I'm expecting to lose power for at least a day.

I have already just assumed none will make it through the power outage, just to be prepared for the worst. Guess this is more of a hopeful experiment. 

Has anyone ever had luck hatching eggs after they go through a period of low temp for that long? I'm thinking I will take them out, wait until the power is back and let the incubator heat back up, then placing them back in the warm incubator. I think leaving them in when it starts to warm back up is a bad idea. The incubator is upstairs inside, so once the power shuts off it will be in the 80s up there anyway, so not too cool.

I have heard people say to have a cool off day for duck eggs or something like that? I can't remember the exact method to incubate, but it's something like that I think. 

Like I said I'm 90% sure none will make it. Just hopefull to hear of anyone who has tried? Ill let y'all know if it works, maybe I'll just sit on them myself since the duck won't volunteer.


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## New-goat-mom (May 21, 2017)

I have never done duck eggs but I have had that happen with chicken eggs before. If it was me I would leave them in the incubator, wrap it to retain as much heat as possible, and just start it back when the power is on with them still in. If you do that just watch the temp very close to make sure it doesn't start to get too hot when it comes back on. I would candle them before the power goes out and know exactly how each one looks and candle a week or so later to make sure they are still developing. I think the biggest thing with ducks (and really any poultry) is make sure the humidity stays as good as possible. Hopefully someone with more duck experience will know more than me, though. Good luck. I hope they make it through. And stay safe!


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## PippasCubby (May 13, 2015)

I second what New-goat-mom has said...(I haven't done ducks either, just chickens).


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## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

Maybe you can get some of those hand warmer packets at the sporting goods store? I think they work by chemical reaction.


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## GaGoats2017 (Sep 5, 2017)

So far we still have power, crossing my fingers it stays on most of the night. 

I wrapped it up really well. And when power goes out or if lightning gets too bad, I'll unplug it. And hopefully I'll get it back on soon. 

I never thought of the hand warmers, great idea to at least keep them decently warm. My thermometer is battery powered, so I'll check it a couple times to see how low it gets.


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## PippasCubby (May 13, 2015)

Good luck. I hope things go well for you.


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## GaGoats2017 (Sep 5, 2017)

Thanks everyone! 

Btw PippasCubby I love your profile pic.  Is it a border collie?


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## PippasCubby (May 13, 2015)

Thanks! That's Pippa...she's 1/2 Border Collie, 1/2 Heeler. It is a picture of her waiting for me to throw her tennis ball


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## GaGoats2017 (Sep 5, 2017)

I love it! haha I have 2 border collies. I love the border collie heeler crosses, I'm really leaning towards that as my next dog I add to the group.


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## GaGoats2017 (Sep 5, 2017)

Update on the eggs. The lights just came back on Tuesday at 9:45 AM. They went off Monday at 1:20 AM.

I checked the eggs right after the electricity came back on, the incubator was at 82 degrees, but the eggs felt cold. I took them out, since I have made the mistake in the past of letting them warm with the incubator. The incubator is heating up and should be ready in 15 mins or so.

I candled the 2 week eggs, they don't look that great. Very stiff inside, and dark clusters of build up around the air cell, I don't know what that is but I have found that it usually means they are dead. They were extremely active and loose before, so I'm thinking those have definitely gone bad. I'm going to keep them in for a day or so just incase, unless they start stinking.

I haven't checked the 1 week old eggs, but I'm assuming they didn't make it either. 

I've already got another batch of eggs ready to go in, so I guess I'll try again tomorrow if the first batch still looks bad.


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## GaGoats2017 (Sep 5, 2017)

With the 1 week old eggs. They don't look like what I would want a 1 week old eggs to look like. Not much growth, looks like 4-5 day old stage, which was when the lights cut off. 

Out of 12 there is 1 nonfertile, 3 with what I call "death ring", 5-6 loose jiggly eggs, and a few that look fine but no movement. 

I put them all back in (except the nonfertile). I'll check them again tomorrow to see how they look. But while candling I noticed the incubator is starting to stink. So I will most likely be dumping the whole batch, bleaching everything and starting again. 

Better luck next time I guess. I'll update again when I finally hatch out some cute little ducks. Chickens, quail, turkey, peafowl, and guinneas are no problem. But I've been trying for ducks for more than a year with no luck. Any of you that have hatched them before, let me know what method you use. 

Thanks everyone!!


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## PippasCubby (May 13, 2015)

Ah, shucks. Sorry the outcome wasn't better!

I have only hatched chickens so I can't comment personally on ducks, but I have heard that keeping the humidity just right is really important for duck eggs?



GaGoats2017 said:


> I love it! haha I have 2 border collies. I love the border collie heeler crosses, I'm really leaning towards that as my next dog I add to the group.


She's a good little dog. I am more a Heeler person, myself, so she has a few Border Collie quirks that aren't my favorite! But, we love her anyways!


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## GaGoats2017 (Sep 5, 2017)

Yea mine are a little too herding obsessed. Which when I need them, it works out great, I don't know what I would do without them...but when they are supposed to be "resting", they spend their time pestering the cat with staring contests  lol

The big thing I would change about mine is the timid nature. If they do something wrong, and I tell them no, they just shut down. I think the heeler will add a lot of confidence and over all presence when working. Just love the heeler personality. 

But yea I guess I'll just try again and see how it goes next time. Good thing I have been getting plenty of eggs from them.


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## GaGoats2017 (Sep 5, 2017)

On another note...do any of you eat duck eggs? They are huge pekin eggs, they lay more than my chickens. So I have piles of them, and have nothing to do other than hatch them. 

I tried scrambling them and some other stuff. But I just can't make myself eat them. I think they have a different taste than chicken eggs...but it might just all be in my head. 

I heard they are good to bake with? I have never been able to turn down a cake, so that might be my next attempt. Hahaha


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Duck eggs are great. They are richer than chicken eggs. Definitely bake with them. But omelets are excellent.


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## New-goat-mom (May 21, 2017)

I won't eat duck eggs as eggs... they are way too strong flavored for me but yes, they are the absolute BEST for baked goods.


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## GaGoats2017 (Sep 5, 2017)

Thanks! I felt silly not eating them, they are huge gorgeous clean eggs. They are almost the size of my turkey eggs they are so big. But I agree they have a strong taste on their own. Not a bad taste, but I still prefer chicken eggs and I have an abundance of those too. 

I'll just start baking with them. I'll tell y'all how that goes too haha.


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## capracreek (Apr 5, 2016)

What do you feed??? My ducks eat what the chickens eat and I have not noticed any strong taste. We eat them right along with our chicken eggs. I do though usually fix most of the duck eggs scrambled for the dogs. It is a good protein source. I have some that will eat the eggs raw but some like them scrambled.


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## PippasCubby (May 13, 2015)

I always thought our duck eggs were rubbery and didn't care for them, but it's been almost a decade since I've had them. I have seen several people who prefer duck eggs over chicken eggs though! We used them to bake with and never noticed a difference in our baked goods.


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## PippasCubby (May 13, 2015)

GaGoats2017 said:


> Yea mine are a little too herding obsessed. Which when I need them, it works out great, I don't know what I would do without them...but when they are supposed to be "resting", they spend their time pestering the cat with staring contests  lol
> 
> The big thing I would change about mine is the timid nature. If they do something wrong, and I tell them no, they just shut down. I think the heeler will add a lot of confidence and over all presence when working. Just love the heeler personality.


Yep, those are the two major things that are "Border Collie" about Pippa that I don't like. Nothing really bad, just not my cup of tea.

As to staring contests...We call it "creeping." She stares and creeps on things, and makes them uncomfortable  So, we often have to tell her to "stop creepin' out the goats (or chickens)." Or whoever her lucky target happens to be.


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## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

If your ducks won't hatch their own eggs, wait till a hen goes broody & put the duck eggs under her. You can even let her raise the ducklings if you want.


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