# incubating first eggs - any suggestions?



## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

I am incubating Musovey Duck eggs - any pointers? This is my first time ... momma hen disappeared in the middle of laying her clutch :-(


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## Trip Trap Mountain (May 1, 2011)

i am incubating 14 eggs right now too. total rookie. i'm nervous! but candling shows that they are all growing. due to hatch june 18.

found this site for candling which has helped. 
http://shilala.homestead.com/candling.html


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

make sure you turn them, watch the humidity level and let them go. I have done many chicken eggs, never duck, but did a batch of turkey eggs this year. I had one that hatched, which was the cutest but uglies little guy. I am not sure what happened but he died 5 days after hatch. I have another six turkey eggs in the incubator now. I love incubating eggs and watching them come out of the shell.


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## Trip Trap Mountain (May 1, 2011)

nubians2 said:


> make sure you turn them, watch the humidity level and let them go. I have done many chicken eggs, never duck, but did a batch of turkey eggs this year. I had one that hatched, which was the cutest but uglies little guy. I am not sure what happened but he died 5 days after hatch. I have another six turkey eggs in the incubator now. I love incubating eggs and watching them come out of the shell.


whats the best way to watch the humidity? i have just been making sure the channels always have water in them... i'm not actually measuring humidity.


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

That should do it but I have a dial I purchased at a pet store when my son had lizards that measured humidity. I have been using that since we don't have the lizards anymore. It was just a couple of dollars if I remember right.

When you get closer to your hatch date those last three days make sure you take the plugs out of your vents for air circulation, and make sure that those channels are full. In fact I cut small sponges for my channels it seems to keep the moisture up. The humidity will help the chicks be able to move in their shell to hatch out. Stop turning the eggs three days prior to hatch.


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

Am I supposed to have both plugs in in the beginning or only one?

I started last night with warming the bator and making sure that it held temperature and what not - placed the eggs in there this morning! I am so excited!


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## kitten6500 (Dec 31, 2010)

You definitely need to go out and buy a hygrometer to measure the humidity level. Any pet store should have them, probably in the reptile section. Usually they also have a thermometer attached too so you can monitor your temps- also important. There are ways to do "wet bulb" humidity readings, but as a reptile owner I prefer just using a hygrometer. 

Duck eggs should be incubated around 99, and I kept my humidity at least 60% and then bumped it as high as I could get it (near 80%) for lock down. Turn eggs an odd number of times a day and then stop turning at lock down. Do NOT open the incubator (especially if you are using a Little Giant type styrofoam bator where the lid comes off) at any point during lock down!!! If the humidity drops rapidly once the ducklings start pipping you could accidently shrink wrap them. 

Good luck! I have hatched duck, turkey, chicken, and guinea eggs, but my ducks stopped laying nearly 2 months ago so I haven't done any incubating since March...


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

This is my second batch this year from this hen - I am so sad that she is gone :-( On my way to get the humidity thing right now!


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## cdtrum (Aug 25, 2008)

wet sponges worked best for mine, but I was also using an older incubator......I also put an x with marker on my eggs so I knew I turned them all.


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

Ok - got the hygro thingy majig. I will put it in there when I get home. I did do the "x" and "o" on opposite sides of the eggs so that I know. I will also get some sponge and keep those in there along with the water in the bottom. I am borrowing one of those styrafoam incubators


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