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Hatching duck eggs?... I promised we'd do this...

910 views 10 replies 9 participants last post by  bestjob 
#1 ·
I promised my kids we'd hatch duck eggs. Now I've found out it costs $200 to hatch 9 eggs!

Still, a promise is a promise, and I will continue my research. Anyone got any ideas, experiences, or advice they'd like to share?
 
#2 ·
$200! I fail to understand how in the word it could cost so much


Years ago my Mom founds some eggs scatered around a park they werent in a nests so she picked them up and brought them home for me. We had a styrofoam incubator (less that $50) and that was it. I got 2 ducks out of that batch. I later when on to hatch 13 more


We used that incubator for so many types of eggs from quail to geese. Pharoh (sp?) quail are the best I feel, mine laid me an egg most everyday till someone stole her out of a cage in our yard
I was heartbroken. I also had a Button quail but they dont seem as hardy as Pharoh Quail.

Duck eggs are great for cake making
 
#3 ·
$200 seems really high to me as well. I hatched chicken eggs every year with my Kindergarten class when I was teaching and it never cost me that much! I had a styrofoam incubator that cost about $70, and an automatic egg turner that fit inside. FIL has a friend with a farm, so I always got my eggs from him for free. If you have a local 4-H chapter/organization, you can contact them for resources - they should be able to tell you where to get stuff cheap in your area, and many have incubators that you could borrow.

HTH!
 
#4 ·
Call your local extension office or 4-H office ask them if you know anyone who could lend you the equipment.
Or ask them to put you in touch with a farmer.
I have a friend whose grandpa owns a farm and he lets local kids raise sheep on it. Kinda neat kids get there own sheep free.
Anyway definately call your extension office
 
#5 ·
ITA w/ idaismyname. We did chicken eggs last Feb. We got the equipment and eggs from a lady in our HS group. They had already hatched several eggs and were offered more! She didn't want to do it again so she offered it to anyone in our group.

The incubator came from an extension office. The eggs were from a lady she knew who had a farm.
 
#6 ·
I agree with the above posters about calling the extension office or the local 4-H.
Another good idea is to call a feed store and ask if they know a source for fertile eggs. This is how we met our 'chicken lady', who took an interest in helping us. She let me borrow her ancient incubator, and saved fertile eggs from her variety of chickens.

After hatching ducks, California Quail and chickens, the ducks were the cutest!!
 
#7 ·
I agree with all of the suggestions above- they have various ducks and chicks at the feed store in our town fairly often, although not during winter as much.

Here's are some links to websites, too, 'cause I couldn't resist googling around on this:

http://www.ritzville.com/hardershatchery/
http://www.talbottenterprises.com/eggs/ Eggs

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/prod...incubator.html
http://www.dblrsupply.com/ Cheap incubators

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/cat...d-incubat.html Incubator with quail eggs, really cheap

Dar
 
#8 ·
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Your responses have been wonderful. I've discovered that the eggs themselves are a buck fifty, and I can build an incubator from a stryrofoam cooler for about twenty bucks. The nice thing is that the folks who wanted two hundred dollars were still kind enough to send me their printed materials.

Quack, quack, quack! (Dh said, "You know, they'll imprint you as their mother!" I'll go from three children to twelve!)
 
#10 ·
Most certainly go through county extension agencies or local feed stores.

Do NOT gather ANY wild bird eggs!!!! This is ILLEGAL, and there are hearty fines should you do this.

Also, just as an interesting side note, did you know it is illegal to collect birds nests? It doesn't matter if it is Winter or that the nest appears abandoned. Birds DO reuse nests, and many will hunker down and roost for the night in old nests in the Winter. If you have birdhouses, leave them up year 'round, as they will use them for Winter shelters, too. Empty them in the Spring so the birds can start afresh.

Can I ask what you will do with the ducks once they are grown?? Do you live on a farm?

Leslie
 
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