Hey, everyone. So here's a "candling" video from tonight. My brother-in-law, Daniel, is candling while I'm recording. 4 eggs are lively and well, 2 are questionable but I'm still going to wait a few more days before I throw them out. I'm not going to include much else... So enjoy the video!
P.S. This is a video of the first egg we candled. As you can tell, we were both giddy with excitement!
Candling part II
Monday, May 30, 2011
Where are we now? Living on a street corner somewhere? Mississippi? With Condoleezza Rice? No. I'm living with Andrew's brother and his wife about 20 minutes north of Provo and Andrew is living with my dad in Boise. You better believe it. The only reason for these strange arrangements is I have to stay out here and finish my school term which ends on the 16th. This is also around the time that my ducks should hatch, assuming they survive.
I did have the option to stay in our place until the 16th but I hate being by myself and I figured it would give me a good opportunity to get in some good bonding time with family before we leave for Maryland in August. They were kind enough to take little old me in.
Wondering how the eggs are doing? SO. AM. I. Today was hectic. I was super nervous about transporting them. I made sure that they were the absolute last thing to go. I hurried them out to the car and left as soon as possible with the heat blasting. The roads were bumpy (for those of you that haven't acquainted yourself with the Utah County freeways, consider yourself lucky) and I could hear my eggs rattling around! I should have cushioned them with something. I don't know what I was thinking. The temperature dropped ten degrees and all the extreme heat in the car did was amp the humidity up to 80% which is actually not good at this point in the incubation period.
Those poor eggs have been through a lot. I did NOT candle them today because they have been through enough. I will check their progress in a few days and share with you all. In the meantime, I will be missing my Andrew and having lots of fun with my family.
Hope everyone had a fantastic Memorial Day!
-Marcie
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Things are lookin' good for my duck eggs so far. We started out with 9 eggs. One cracked during shipping, one cracked because the shell was too thin, and one didn't look fertilized at all when I candled it. That leaves 6. There are two that look suspicious but I will incubate them a few more days and see what happens. It was very difficult to get a good picture but I did my best. Here is one of my eggs candled at 8 days:
In order to candle most effectively, you have to be in a completely dark room. You take the egg and shine a flashlight through it and allow the light to illuminate the egg (kind of like covering a lit flashlight with your fingers - notice how your fingers glow red?) So in the middle, the darkest spot is the eye, the gray area surrounding it is the body, while the veins are trailing outward. Amazing, huh? I candled a few days ago and didn't see the eye so it's amazing how much development has taken place in just a few days! If you think about it, a full-sized duck has to develop in 28 days so there has to be a lot of development each day.
It's so incredible to get to witness this first-hand. It is certainly a learning experience. I am eager to see what will happen next. I was telling Andrew how if somehow none of the eggs survived, I would be bummed but I'd be okay because I will know I did my absolute best with what I had. Plus, I'm grateful that I get to try it at all. I would have regretted it if I didn't.
I will continue to keep ya'll posted. Hope you're having a fantastic Sunday! We get to play with our niece, Princess Chloe, today!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
(Visiting for the first time? Check out my first blog post - the blog title will make more sense!)
So... Andrew and I have had this on-going shoe war since we were dating. You might be wondering what a shoe war is. I will tell you. First let me introduce you to my awesome extremely old moon boots from Payless.
I have had these babies since elementary school... I think. All I know for sure is that I've had them long enough to not remember when I got them. It's possible they belonged to my little sister and since she has bigger feet than me, I inherited them. I am definitely not a pack-rat so this isn't me hoarding old items of clothing. (I regularly go through my clothing stash and donate what I don't wear). I love these boots. They're good for shoveling sidewalks and for trekking in snow when you know you're going to get dirty. They have treated me well all these years and they're so Napoleon Dynamite-esque.
Now let me introduce you to Andrew's... shoes. (P.S. I hope I am not offensive. To anyone out there who had these shoes or likes them, this is all a matter of opinion. I cannot control my initiated gag reflex when I see these).
When I see these shoes I think of the following: a) the word "elderly" b) Geppetto from Pinocchio and c) creepy things. I do not like these shoes. Andrew uses them frequently for quick trips outside and what-not which means they are frequently left at the bottom of the stairs (we live in the basement) for all to see. I have told him, "Please hide these somewhere where they won't burn my eyes out." I say this facetiously, of course.
What's the war, then? Andrew hates my moon boots and I hate his old man sandals. He will say, "please throw those away." And I say, "Only if you throw yours away."
This conversation has been repeated over the years and yet, we both hold on dearly to our shoes.
It's quite funny. They've become quite the legend. Which ones do you prefer?
So... Andrew and I have had this on-going shoe war since we were dating. You might be wondering what a shoe war is. I will tell you. First let me introduce you to my awesome extremely old moon boots from Payless.
Now let me introduce you to Andrew's... shoes. (P.S. I hope I am not offensive. To anyone out there who had these shoes or likes them, this is all a matter of opinion. I cannot control my initiated gag reflex when I see these).
What's the war, then? Andrew hates my moon boots and I hate his old man sandals. He will say, "please throw those away." And I say, "Only if you throw yours away."
This conversation has been repeated over the years and yet, we both hold on dearly to our shoes.
It's quite funny. They've become quite the legend. Which ones do you prefer?
Thursday, May 26, 2011
So Andrew and I are in the process of moving. We've been working hard the last week or so pacing ourselves and doing bits of cleaning and packing here and there. While I was cleaning the blinds in our bedroom, Andrew was outside and yelled, "Uhh... Marcie, you're going to want to come see this."
I was nervous. I thought I did something wrong. I slipped on some shoes and ran outside. Andrew was standing on the front lawn. He told me he saw a bird that looked injured and it was flitting around in the bushes! My bird-loving maternal instinct kicked in. We were able to coax it out into the open and I saw it was a little fledgling! I couldn't tell what if it was a robin or a starling since its coloring was all brown. I was worried that it was injured! We observed him for a bit and then I went over to pick him up. I know. Disgusting? I didn't care! Diseases? Psh. Andrew kept saying, "We are not taking care of that thing! It's fine!" Just then it jumped out of my hand and was flying toward the truck. "See? I told you tha..." "SMACK!" It collided with Andrew's truck cab.
Just then a starling swooped down toward the little guy, flew up and landed on the telephone wire above the truck. Another one flew in and joined it. "Ohh! It's the mommy and daddy! It's a starling! Well clearly my work is done here," I said. (Here's what a starling looks like - they're EVERYWHERE here in Provo).
We moved to the side of the house so the parents couldn't see us. I told Andrew to run and grab my camera. It clumsily flew up onto our neighbor's roof where its parents joined it. I was only able to get this crappy picture before it went over the other side of the roof.
Well little guy, we sure enjoyed your company today. Hope you learn how to fly soon! Happy trails!
I was nervous. I thought I did something wrong. I slipped on some shoes and ran outside. Andrew was standing on the front lawn. He told me he saw a bird that looked injured and it was flitting around in the bushes! My bird-loving maternal instinct kicked in. We were able to coax it out into the open and I saw it was a little fledgling! I couldn't tell what if it was a robin or a starling since its coloring was all brown. I was worried that it was injured! We observed him for a bit and then I went over to pick him up. I know. Disgusting? I didn't care! Diseases? Psh. Andrew kept saying, "We are not taking care of that thing! It's fine!" Just then it jumped out of my hand and was flying toward the truck. "See? I told you tha..." "SMACK!" It collided with Andrew's truck cab.
Just then a starling swooped down toward the little guy, flew up and landed on the telephone wire above the truck. Another one flew in and joined it. "Ohh! It's the mommy and daddy! It's a starling! Well clearly my work is done here," I said. (Here's what a starling looks like - they're EVERYWHERE here in Provo).
We moved to the side of the house so the parents couldn't see us. I told Andrew to run and grab my camera. It clumsily flew up onto our neighbor's roof where its parents joined it. I was only able to get this crappy picture before it went over the other side of the roof.
Well little guy, we sure enjoyed your company today. Hope you learn how to fly soon! Happy trails!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Hello, world! Welcome to the our blog. Welcome one and all!
**Crickets chirping**
Ok. Well... Welcome to our one reader whoever you may be. Take off your shoes. Let your hair down. Make yourself at home but don't stay for too long because you may get bored!
Anyway, if you couldn't tell already, this is Marcie. For my first post I want to explain the title of this blog. For those of you who don't know, I have recently taken a new adventure "under my wing" (PUN! LOL!). I'm currently trying to hatch a brood of duck eggs. Check it out:
How did this happen? Did I receive a spark of inspiration? Was it a long concocted plan? Not necessarily. It all started when I found out that my dad and my step-mom, both civil engineers, decided that they would invest in a FARM. Once I found this out, I got so excited I felt like a little girl at Christmas time. Seriously. My dad told me that they were planning on getting cows, chickens, land, the works. I got the fever. The FARM fever. I wanted to contribute! I wanted to experience it, too! My dad consented to let me contribute a duck to his farm. I did a ton of research to figure out what breed would be best. I found that the Pekin (Aflack) duck is a hearty and good tempered domestic breed and is good for first-timers.
Let me rewind briefly about 15 years ago... I was always obsessed with birds. They fascinated me. Sure I loved animals in general but birds had my attention over everything. I recall many times that I either a) brought a nest full of baby birds home for myself and had them taken away by my father, b) brought a nest full of bird eggs home in hopes I could hatch them for myself (they never hatched - turns out wrapping them in toilet paper and sticking them in socks doesn't work) and c) even tried AND succeeded in catching ducklings multiple times but was then attacked by a persistent and volatile mother. I was obsessed. When I reached my senior year in high school, I begged my dad to let me have a pet duck since I would be leaving for college soon. He said, and I quote, "absolutely positively definitely NOT." So instead I got a pet tarantula which did a really crappy job in filling my void.
Now that I'm a responsible and married adult and my husband and I will be living on my dad's farm for the summer, my dream became less of an illusion and something that could really happen. However, I also realized how expensive it was! The numbers took me to the $300 range! LAME. So I did a lot of research. I found that it is possible to make your own homemade egg incubator because in order to hatch any egg, you have to contain it at the right temperature and the right humidity for the amount of time it needs. As long as you have those two components and you rotate the egg 3 times a day, it doesn't matter how you do it. I was determined to make my dream happen and make it happen for a reasonable price.
So, with a serious amount of dedication, I was able to make it happen. Dependable incubators usually run around $200 but mine was only $30! And much less dependable!
The challenge is getting the incubator to the right temperature and humidity ranges. The temperature is recommended to be at 99.5 with very little deviance permitted, while the humidity can be anywhere from 50%-70%. It took a few days for me to get it at the right range but even then you have constantly check it (I did just now). I wake up multiple times a night to make sure it's in the right range because if it's too high or too low it can kill the embryos. Needless to say, I'm tired. I am also determined. (Can you tell in the picture that the incubator is right next to the bed? It's like waking up for a real baby! Sheesh!)
I ordered the eggs on ebay from a duck breeder with very good credentials. I paid for 6 eggs but she sent 9 which was nice. Since that day we've lost two. One cracked during shipping and another cracked during rotation (shell was unusually thin). I know I mentioned before that I only wanted one but you can't order just one duck egg. Plus, you have to think about hatch rates. In any given number of eggs, you will never get a 100% hatch rate. I was nervous that if I somehow found a way to get one or two eggs that they wouldn't hatch. Assuming all goes well during the incubation process, I should get at least one.
Anyway, as of today the eggs have been incubating for 6 days. I have 22 more days to go. In a week, I will do a process called "candling" where you turn all the lights off and shine a flashlight through the egg. This process illuminates the embryo and if I see the slight beating of a heart and some arteries, I will heave a sigh of relief. If not, I will heave a lesser sigh of relief because it will mean I can sleep normal again. I guess we will wait and see!
Aspiring duck owner,
Marcie
**Crickets chirping**
Ok. Well... Welcome to our one reader whoever you may be. Take off your shoes. Let your hair down. Make yourself at home but don't stay for too long because you may get bored!
Anyway, if you couldn't tell already, this is Marcie. For my first post I want to explain the title of this blog. For those of you who don't know, I have recently taken a new adventure "under my wing" (PUN! LOL!). I'm currently trying to hatch a brood of duck eggs. Check it out:
How did this happen? Did I receive a spark of inspiration? Was it a long concocted plan? Not necessarily. It all started when I found out that my dad and my step-mom, both civil engineers, decided that they would invest in a FARM. Once I found this out, I got so excited I felt like a little girl at Christmas time. Seriously. My dad told me that they were planning on getting cows, chickens, land, the works. I got the fever. The FARM fever. I wanted to contribute! I wanted to experience it, too! My dad consented to let me contribute a duck to his farm. I did a ton of research to figure out what breed would be best. I found that the Pekin (Aflack) duck is a hearty and good tempered domestic breed and is good for first-timers.
Now that I'm a responsible and married adult and my husband and I will be living on my dad's farm for the summer, my dream became less of an illusion and something that could really happen. However, I also realized how expensive it was! The numbers took me to the $300 range! LAME. So I did a lot of research. I found that it is possible to make your own homemade egg incubator because in order to hatch any egg, you have to contain it at the right temperature and the right humidity for the amount of time it needs. As long as you have those two components and you rotate the egg 3 times a day, it doesn't matter how you do it. I was determined to make my dream happen and make it happen for a reasonable price.
So, with a serious amount of dedication, I was able to make it happen. Dependable incubators usually run around $200 but mine was only $30! And much less dependable!
The challenge is getting the incubator to the right temperature and humidity ranges. The temperature is recommended to be at 99.5 with very little deviance permitted, while the humidity can be anywhere from 50%-70%. It took a few days for me to get it at the right range but even then you have constantly check it (I did just now). I wake up multiple times a night to make sure it's in the right range because if it's too high or too low it can kill the embryos. Needless to say, I'm tired. I am also determined. (Can you tell in the picture that the incubator is right next to the bed? It's like waking up for a real baby! Sheesh!)
I ordered the eggs on ebay from a duck breeder with very good credentials. I paid for 6 eggs but she sent 9 which was nice. Since that day we've lost two. One cracked during shipping and another cracked during rotation (shell was unusually thin). I know I mentioned before that I only wanted one but you can't order just one duck egg. Plus, you have to think about hatch rates. In any given number of eggs, you will never get a 100% hatch rate. I was nervous that if I somehow found a way to get one or two eggs that they wouldn't hatch. Assuming all goes well during the incubation process, I should get at least one.
Anyway, as of today the eggs have been incubating for 6 days. I have 22 more days to go. In a week, I will do a process called "candling" where you turn all the lights off and shine a flashlight through the egg. This process illuminates the embryo and if I see the slight beating of a heart and some arteries, I will heave a sigh of relief. If not, I will heave a lesser sigh of relief because it will mean I can sleep normal again. I guess we will wait and see!
Aspiring duck owner,
Marcie
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