Last Year’s Eggs-capade

     If you were expecting this blog not to have any bad puns mixed in, you came to the wrong place.  I promise I’ll try to keep them from being too painful.  Try that is…  Anyway, as part of the recap of last year’s activities, I wanted to post about eggs.  Along with that: how NOT to hatch them.

     I’ve been dying to get my hands on a few ducks for a while now.  They often produce more eggs per year than chickens, and are more cold-hardy.  My readings suggest they are fairly easy to care for, and, like any good homestead animal, are often pretty amusing to keep.  I’ve narrowed down my breed choices to Black Cayuga and Saxony, based on their egg-laying, size, and disposition (aka: neat coloration).  I’ve also decided I’d prefer to hatch from eggs rather than buy ducklings, if possible.  Late last summer I set to work making an incubator and finding some duck eggs.
     They say that the best place to incubate an egg is under the bird that laid it.  This is probably true.  However, getting to watch my future pet ducks break into this world seems like a fun experience.  Beginning last August, I did my homework and put together an incubator based on plans and videos I had found online.  Once I knew what direction I was headed, it was a fairly simple process.  The materials could be gathered and assembled within a day, only requiring novice electrical skills and basic tool use.
     I housed the incubator in a plastic cooler to increase insulation but avoid any risk of fire by avoiding using a wood frame.  I don’t anticipate ever incubating more than a dozen eggs at a time, so I went with a medium-sized cooler.  I installed a pane of glass for viewing and a wire rack a few inches off the bottom.  Under the rack I put a bottle of water to act as a heat sink, and a sponge in a tray to be wet as-needed to maintain humidity.  Next came the wiring.  I installed one low-wattage light to provide continuous heat, and another attached to a hot water heater thermostat.  I also added a small computer fan to keep air flowing and evenly distribute heat.  The final touch was a digital thermometer/hygrometer to keep tabs on the environment inside.

     I found a local backyard homesteader via Craigslist who was offering mixed-batch fertilized duck eggs.  It was very interesting to see how one person could maintain 30-40 healthy, breeding fowl of different species and breeds in one small suburban backyard plot.  I’d prefer to have more room for free-ranging myself, but farm anywhere and everywhere you can!  We brought the eggs home, tucked them into the warm incubator, and waited…

                                …and waited…

    …and nothing happened.          

     Though I incubated at the best temperature and humidity levels, there were plenty of other variables that could have disturbed the process.  From low fertilization, to transporting the eggs, to rotating them enough times per day, it’s tough to imagine what went wrong.  I candled the eggs throughout the incubation, and, though some showed a few correct changes, it was hard as a novice to figure out when things stopped developing.  At least I can now say that candling eggs and reading x-rays are not anything alike.  Another possible problem during incubation may have been temperature swings from the water heater thermostat.  Though most of the time the eggs were at a snug 99°, I know thermostats for electric hot water heaters allow a range of temperatures to keep from constantly switching on and off.
     Despite how things ended, it was a great experience building the incubator and watching the eggs.  We’ve decided not to try it again this year because of the upcoming move back to New Jersey, but are really looking forward to the next attempt.