INCUBATING
If you have your own ducks and plan on using a incubater to hatch the eggs you need to make sure you collect the eggs daily to ensure they are clean as possible, I would aviod washing the eggs but dirty eggs will hatch out, you need to make sure the eggs are a good shape/size for the specific breed of duck.
If you need to store the eggs there are two ways of storing eggs the first way is by laying the eggs down and mark one side with an X and other side with an O so you can see which eggs you have turned, you need to turn them 180 degrees each day to stop the membrane sticking to the side of the egg.
The second way is to have the egg pointing down and tilting it side to side at least 2-3 times a day, same as above to stop the membrane sticking to the side of the egg.
Eggs can be stored for up to 7 - 10 days before incubation.
The incubater temp should be set at 37.5c, humdity 55% and turned 2-3 times a day, if you have an automatic turner then that makes it easier for you. The last 3 days the temp should be 36c, humidity 65% and stop turning, once pipped up the humdity to 70%.
Once you have put your eggs in the incubator at day 7 check the eggs to see if they are fertile, get a torch and shine it through the bigger end of the egg (this is called candling) and you should see red vains forming, if any of the eggs are clear take them out the incubator and bin them.
If you get any hatch out make sure you leave them in the incubator for upto 12 hours so they fully dry out, they dont need food or water at this stage, dont worry if you see they wobbling about as they are awkward on the feet for awhile.
People say by leaving them in the incubator helps and encourage the other duckling to hatch out.
BROODER BOX
Once the duckling have fully dried out they need to be moved to a brooder box, you can buy special brooders or you can use a plastic/wooden box with a normal 100 watt bulb, just keep an eye on the ducklings if they are huddled together under the light they are to cold and if they have moved away for the light they are to hot, just move the heat lamp up or down till its just right.
If kept indoor they shouldnt need heat after 3 weeks, sometimes less you will know when they dont need the heat as they wont sleep under it.
If the ducklings have been kept indoors at about 4 weeks let them outside in the day but bring them back in at night till around 6weeks old when then can go outside all the time. You can put them outside before they are off heat if its a nice hot day but only for a short while so they get used to the outdoor weather.
FOOD AND WATER
Once the ducklings are in the brooder box they will require water, only enough so they can get there beaks in to have a drink and to clean their beaks as long as they can't dunk their heads they can't drown seem strange saying that as in the wild they go striaght in the water for a swim.
They dont need food for the first 24 hours as it gives them the chance to absorb the goodness from the yolk when they were in the shell, after 24 hours they will require chick crumb also known as start crumb for upto 4 weeks you can get this from any good poultry supliers, agricultural suppliers and some pets at home store have started selling poultry products as keeping water/poultry is growing every year.
SEXING DUCKLINGS
Vent sexing duckling should be done after 3days old and upto about three weeks, tho sexing early is abit more difficult as its hard to see, I find at around one and a half to two weeks is best as its all becomes abit clearer.
Just to say its not 100% doing it this way as people do make mistakes, im around 98% about 5days old but once the ducklings are about two weeks old im 100%.
The diagram shows how to vent sex them.
click on the diagram to make it bigger
If you have your own ducks and plan on using a incubater to hatch the eggs you need to make sure you collect the eggs daily to ensure they are clean as possible, I would aviod washing the eggs but dirty eggs will hatch out, you need to make sure the eggs are a good shape/size for the specific breed of duck.
If you need to store the eggs there are two ways of storing eggs the first way is by laying the eggs down and mark one side with an X and other side with an O so you can see which eggs you have turned, you need to turn them 180 degrees each day to stop the membrane sticking to the side of the egg.
The second way is to have the egg pointing down and tilting it side to side at least 2-3 times a day, same as above to stop the membrane sticking to the side of the egg.
Eggs can be stored for up to 7 - 10 days before incubation.
The incubater temp should be set at 37.5c, humdity 55% and turned 2-3 times a day, if you have an automatic turner then that makes it easier for you. The last 3 days the temp should be 36c, humidity 65% and stop turning, once pipped up the humdity to 70%.
Once you have put your eggs in the incubator at day 7 check the eggs to see if they are fertile, get a torch and shine it through the bigger end of the egg (this is called candling) and you should see red vains forming, if any of the eggs are clear take them out the incubator and bin them.
If you get any hatch out make sure you leave them in the incubator for upto 12 hours so they fully dry out, they dont need food or water at this stage, dont worry if you see they wobbling about as they are awkward on the feet for awhile.
People say by leaving them in the incubator helps and encourage the other duckling to hatch out.
BROODER BOX
Once the duckling have fully dried out they need to be moved to a brooder box, you can buy special brooders or you can use a plastic/wooden box with a normal 100 watt bulb, just keep an eye on the ducklings if they are huddled together under the light they are to cold and if they have moved away for the light they are to hot, just move the heat lamp up or down till its just right.
If kept indoor they shouldnt need heat after 3 weeks, sometimes less you will know when they dont need the heat as they wont sleep under it.
If the ducklings have been kept indoors at about 4 weeks let them outside in the day but bring them back in at night till around 6weeks old when then can go outside all the time. You can put them outside before they are off heat if its a nice hot day but only for a short while so they get used to the outdoor weather.
FOOD AND WATER
Once the ducklings are in the brooder box they will require water, only enough so they can get there beaks in to have a drink and to clean their beaks as long as they can't dunk their heads they can't drown seem strange saying that as in the wild they go striaght in the water for a swim.
They dont need food for the first 24 hours as it gives them the chance to absorb the goodness from the yolk when they were in the shell, after 24 hours they will require chick crumb also known as start crumb for upto 4 weeks you can get this from any good poultry supliers, agricultural suppliers and some pets at home store have started selling poultry products as keeping water/poultry is growing every year.
SEXING DUCKLINGS
Vent sexing duckling should be done after 3days old and upto about three weeks, tho sexing early is abit more difficult as its hard to see, I find at around one and a half to two weeks is best as its all becomes abit clearer.
Just to say its not 100% doing it this way as people do make mistakes, im around 98% about 5days old but once the ducklings are about two weeks old im 100%.
The diagram shows how to vent sex them.
click on the diagram to make it bigger
