So I know some may be wondering how I became the crazy egg hatcher and I thought this would be a great place to share my story!
It all started years ago when a friend and I were exploring the ground around a duck pond. Under a tree next to the pond we saw a pile of feathers, a nest full of eggs and no mother duck.... Panic mode set in and my friend and I quickly realised the mother had been snatched up in the night by a predator and if we were going to save these eggs we had to do it fast!!
So being the mature age of 10 ;-) we gathered up those eggs threw them into a box covered in blankets and turned on a nearby lamp. I think there was a total of 12 eggs total so that evening when I went to leave her house we decided I would take 6 of the eggs home with me. (This was obviously the best chance of survival!)
I got home, got a box, heat lamp, heating pad and towels. I laid the eggs evenly down, turned the heating pad on high and stared at my soon to be babies!
Okay by now I hope that you have realised just where this story is going but if you haven't let me tell you.
Just a few facts about hatching duck eggs.
1. Hatching Temp is 99.5 degrees EXACTLY
2. Incubation period for the standard duck egg is 25-28 days
3. Eggs need a stable environment in which they can get the proper moisture and be rotated 3 times daily
Weeks went by before our parents realised just what we had done (I think they could smell the distinct odor that a rotten egg exudes). They calmly assured us that not only were our eggs not going to hatch but that we had brutally murdered them! HAHA.
After seeing our disappointment and realising the dedication to the eggs they decided that we would be great parents to ducks. The next week we were surprised with a box full of little yellow quackers!
So that begins my story of how I became the crazy hatcher! After one year of having ducks I began hatching their eggs in an incubator my parents bought for me. I pride myself on the success I have had and just a few years ago I had to hand hatch 6 ducks (moisture issue) and they all survived!
Check out this video of one of my ducks from my 2009 incubation. It has over 21,000 views on YouTube! This is me candling it at day 15 to check for fertility.
So for the past few years I have switched over to hatching chickens for my parents farm. This year I decided that Matthew my 5 year old would be in charge of tending the eggs....I wanted to teach him "Cause and Effect".
On day 7 of the incubation period we found that only two of the four eggs were fertile.
.....And on day 21 we heard the peeps of a little chicken! By the next morning Larry a.k.a Chicken Nugget was born!
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