Incubating found duck eggs first time, are they viable?

muskovy

In the Brooder
Mar 17, 2016
30
3
49
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Hi! 8 days ago I found 3 duck eggs laying by the side of the road near my house. We have many feral Muscovy ducks in the neighborhood, but it's the first time I saw some eggs just laying around in an open area like this. I brought them home and build a little styrofoam incubator. The temperature has been more or less stable between 99-101F, except for a few colder nights, and humidity between 45-60%. However, I candled the eggs today and they aren't showing any veining. It's the first time I'm attempting to incubate eggs and I don't really know what I'm doing. Is something wrong with them?
Here's a different side:


and another:
 
Yes, sorry, they appear to be duds. :( Probably too old or infertile. (i.e. not your fault)

Muscovy eggs are actually one of the hardest types to hatch artificially. So if you'd like to try using your new homemade incubator you can try to find some inexpensive unwashed unrefrigerated fertile barnyard mix chicken eggs.

Have fun, it can be addicting! ;)
 
Thank you! I think I will do that, having invested so much into this project I really don't want to just quit! :)


You're welcome. :) And welcome to BYC, there is a ton of information here!

Forgot to mention in my list above "fresh." Optimally 1-4 days old, kept at about 65F if I remember right, but anything between 60-75 will work. (I haven't incubated in a few years, it was so addicting I didn't know when to quit, LOL.) Make sure to wait a day post-laying before putting the eggs in the incubator, the undeveloped embryos actually benefit from a 1 day rest period/cool down after being laid. Any eggs kept more than a couple days should be turned twice a day, to prevent the yolk from becoming attached to the shell.

Good luck! :)
 
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That's so interesting, thanks for the tips! And yes, I've found tons of great information here on BYC. I guess in my mind I knew the eggs weren't fertile but my heart didn't want to give up :) Off to the feed store then to buy some chicken eggs!
 

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