The Complete Homestead Duck Guide
(Page 5 of 9)
Remember, too, that a mother duck will attack anything or anyone if she's provoked while nesting or caring for her young. Your "midwife" job is to do nothing other than set out food and water, as most ducks will handle the rest of the affair very efficiently.
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HATCH 'EM YOURSELF
If you can't get almost mature ducks (which are usually available in the late summer and early fall)—or if your birds seem uninterested in brooding—you might obtain a "setting" of eggs to hatch yourself.
Duck eggs are very porous, and dirt and bacteria can penetrate the shells and harm the embryos ... so you'll have to clean any soiled eggs with lukewarm water or a warm, damp cloth. (Don't use detergents, as they'll remove a film that retains moisture and provides the shells with an antibacterial shield.)
You can store the settings—small ends down—in egg cartons in a cool (50-60°F) area with about 75% humidity. To keep the yokes centered, elevate alternate ends of the carton each day . . . and try to gather—and start incubation of—your entire clutch within a week. After that, the number of hatches begins to decline, andonce you've stored your eggs for two weeks-your success rate will be just about nil.
Commercial duck incubators are available and should be used according to the manufacturer's recommendations. You can use a chicken incubator, too, but you'll have to allow for the larger size of the duck eggs. Also, you must keep your incubator meticulously clean to avoid infant duck deaths.
Remove the eggs from storage five to six hours before they're to begin incubation ... to allow them time to warm to room temperature before you start your hatch. Then, be sure to turn the eggs—always keeping the small ends down—at least three times a day. (By putting a mark on one side of the eggs, you can tell which ones you've rotated.) Put a pan of water in the incubator to maintain the necessary humidity, and spray the eggs with warm water twice a day. (If you don't, the shells will be too hard for the ducklings to "pip" their way out of.) Don't move the justhatched babies into the brooder until they've rested and their down has dried and fluffed out.
In lieu of a mechanical incubator, you can use a setting hen. However, since chicks hatch in three weeks—while ducks require four—the hen may tire of the job unless you start her in the first week of broodiness. (A good hen can usually hatch eight to ten duck eggs.) Keep food and water near throughout the hatching period so the surrogate mother won't leave the nest for long periods and permit the eggs to get chilled . . . and be sure to moisten the eggs with warm water daily.
Since "Mom" is whatever creature the ducks first see and "imprint" after hatching out, they and the silty hen will have no trouble accepting each other . . . at least until the ducklings decide to take their first swim!
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