Candling photos - would appreciate advice!

Duckieduck

Chirping
Mar 4, 2017
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I candled our hatching duck eggs today after them being in our broody muscovy's nest for one week, and expected to see just red veins but saw this (please see photos)! Is this usual for one week in? Also, why are some big and some small? I expected them all to be about the same. We put 11 hatching eggs in the nest and, weirdly, two vanished, but all the other 9 have big or small dark sections like this. Does that mean they are all developing? Do I need to do anything else, or just leave them now? Am I meant to candle them again? It's very exciting! They are a mix of runners, cayuga, and khaki campbells. Im hoping they all develop at the same time, Im learning as I go! Any advice is greatly appreciated!





 
If they haven't developed in a week, I don't see them making any progress going forward. By "giving her more eggs," are they laid locally or shipped hatching eggs? Has this duck successfully sit eggs before? Do you have an incubator or is the duck your only option?
 
These were shipped hatching eggs form Metxzer Farms (they're in Northern California, Im in Southern California). I adopted my muscovy 4 months ago so don't actually know how old she is or if she's hatched eggs before. Are some ducks not successful at hatching? I don't have an incubator but could borrow one, but wanted her to do it and have it all happen naturally. Could I start in an incubator and then give them to her or does that not work? If I bought more shipped hatching eggs, would it be too late since she's been sitting for two weeks already? I feel so sad for me and for her, I was so excited.
 
She seems to be amazing mama to me, she sits all day except for two ten minute periods where she comes out to get food and water, the eggs are really warm and she covers them up whenever she goes out, and the nest looks amazing and cozy. I can't see that it could be anything she is doing wrong.
 
I'd give them another couple of days. But at 7 days, you should start to see the start of the veining. But I'd wait a few more days before calling them duds.
 
It could be that she's doing exactly what she needs to be doing. Shipped eggs, even those shipped a short distance, can go through a lot. Unfortunately, the postal workers don't care about our birds as much as we do and it's not unheard of for the to handle eggs roughly. It's fairly common to have shipped eggs fail during development, or not develop at all - simply because they are shipped eggs.

I don't see a single sign of development in those eggs unfortunately and if it were me, I'd probably start thinking of tossing the eggs and would open them up to see if there are any signs of fertilization or development, but again, for eggs that are a week or two under incubation, they don't seem to be showing signs of life.

As far as incubation via the duck after her sitting for this long or if she'd take them after incubating artificially - I don't really know. I vaccinate my birds and as a result, I incubate artificially as to avoid exposing them to the environment before I vaccinate. Hopefully someone who knows pops in here sooner than later..

Also, are you set on the breeds that you ordered the eggs of? Maybe look in the hatching eggs for sale here or on local trade boards and fb groups to see if you can find some eggs you could buy locally in the same/similar breeds? It may give you a boost in success rates during your hatch to not have them manhandled by the USPS.
 
Thank you for replying Owen, really appreciated. I will look to see if I can find some hatching eggs locally. I was hoping for some runner ducks but am open. Id rather have them hatch! I am new to the area Im in as well as new to ducks, so don't know where to look - but will begin the search. And yes, hopefully someone will be able to tell me what best to do next. I am ridiculously sad about my little eggs. Thank you again.
PS. What do you inoculate against?
 

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