Sally wanted an incubator for Christmas this year ( I kid you not) so that’s what she got. We had over a dozen duck eggs and all you had to do according to the advertisement was enter duck on the controls, add water, and let it go to work.
Problem number one is that we have Muscovy ducks and they are different. They take five extra days and as she read about it most folks said it was mission impossible. She kept reading and found someone who said you had to break a few normal rules but that it was indeed possible. It was almost guaranteed that not all would hatch. He said that if you did it his way probably some would.
This is what it looked like on the 35th day. Not the healthy looking egg in the foreground. Nothing grew there. The ugly dirty egg with the spot. Something is coming out. That is how we left it when we had to go to a Doctors appointment.
Problem number one is that we have Muscovy ducks and they are different. They take five extra days and as she read about it most folks said it was mission impossible. She kept reading and found someone who said you had to break a few normal rules but that it was indeed possible. It was almost guaranteed that not all would hatch. He said that if you did it his way probably some would.
This is what it looked like on the 35th day. Not the healthy looking egg in the foreground. Nothing grew there. The ugly dirty egg with the spot. Something is coming out. That is how we left it when we had to go to a Doctors appointment.
And this is what it looked like when we came home. He was tuckered and you can’t tell much from the picture. Couldn’t tell much in person either. His head was inside the eggshell on the right. No room to move so Sally removed the shell.
A little distance adds perspective. The white spot is eggshell. Sally candled the other eggs (again) after he was born and he was the only one.
We aren’t much for having the outdoor animals in the house but he wouldn’t survive if he were placed outdoors by himself. That meant he needed to have a home that was easily cleanable. Sally had found a plan for such an item (called a brooder) and I had picked up the parts on Tuesday. It needed to start with two picture frames exactly the same size.
Next we needed a tote that I found at Lowes. Using the inside of one of the frames, mark and remove a hole the size of the inside of the frames.
Cut a piece of 1/2 inch hardware cloth and attach it to the top of the bottom frame. Then make a frame, hardware cloth, tote top, and top frame sandwich. Someone was a master craftsman here if I do say so myself. We wound up with something large enough for the 15 day-old Black Runner ducks that we are getting in March.
By late afternoon this is what the baby looked like. He looks wet but is actually dry. We thought he would be ok right where he was but he kept banging in head on the ceiling. Muscovy ducks are big even when new.
We needed to adjust the heat to 95 degrees before we moved him. I had bought a lightbulb that I thought was just about right for that size box but it was stuck at about 91.
That meant we needed to raise the floor. That called for sacrifice. Sally donated a tablecloth to the cause and we put it on top of a couple inverted boxes that we cut down.
That meant we needed to raise the floor. That called for sacrifice. Sally donated a tablecloth to the cause and we put it on top of a couple inverted boxes that we cut down.
By this time we figured he was ready to move. He kept looking bigger (he wasn’t) and the incubator kept looking smaller. Look at the feet on this little dude.
On the other hand when he made it from newborn into the nursery he was tiny and the space was mammoth. We had found that we were setup for chickens or ducks but not one duck or one chick. The small red feeder and waterer are from Tractor Supply. The cuddle toy also. It was a big hit the first night but then on the second one he had become used to humans and is staring at me as I write this.
This stuffed tiger or whatever will be useful later when we have to leave him alone.
This stuffed tiger or whatever will be useful later when we have to leave him alone.
He seemed to be splay footed. Sally figured Physical Therapy was in order. I agreed. Cupping your hands and letting him walk seemed to be in order. By later in the day he was running. Perhaps we were overanxious parents.
Just making sure he was drinking. He was. He didn’t seem to be eating so we added a couple crumbles to the water. He adapted and now seems to divide his time between eating, drinking, sleeping, and staring out at us.
Really doesn't look like the same bird. I suspect he thinks that Sally is his mom. Not terribly surprising as he has only really seen the two of us and our two dogs. She is the most likely suspect for motherhood.
And we leave you with these thoughts.
1. A day makes a lot of difference. and,
2. The first one is always hardest.
1. A day makes a lot of difference. and,
2. The first one is always hardest.
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