Call Ducks Finally Hatched

[AmandaVirginia]

EGG ONE HAS A HEARTBEAT!

(I just candled it again, I couldn't wait until tomorrow night, had to get an even better look at the little booger) All 6 are alive, well, and growing! I couldn't be happier! Now if I can do my best to keep them all alive, well, and growing until they hatch! I'm worried ab egg one's air cell though. It's just not as defined as the others, or maybe it is. I'm not really sure. The egg is just much more... liquidy...I don't understand.

 

[Amykins]

Yay! Okay, now that you know they're alive, try to stop the constant candling. The movement and constant cooldowns are gonna stunt their development!

 

[WVduckchick]

A saddle-shaped air cell is just what it sounds like; instead of a nice round air bubble, it becomes warped and pinched in the middle, like this: I've never used the weight method personally, and if you're only in the first week of incubation I wouldn't sweat it too much. If you're constantly taking the eggs out to weigh them, that could actually do more harm than good. Lacrystol posted an excellent hatching guide a few posts above, I recommend you check it out! Good luck with the eggies!

Ok my air cell isn't saddled. Its inside that i see saddled look, I assume its just the position of the yolk and chick. And by the way... I'm not constantly taking them out to weigh. I weighed before they went in, then I weighed on day 7 when I took them out to candle. Since then I have selectively weighed a few to see if they are losing more. Best of luck with your hatch!

 

[Julie Birb]

So, I candled one of Perdy's six eggs in the incubator last night! They are on day 5! And I saw this wonderful little site! One of the little baby's little heartbeat!

Wish it was as easy to upload videos as it is pictures! Then y'all could see!

Needless to say, I'm over the moon excited! They are due to hatch on March 21st!

That is priceless that you saw a heartbeat. So sweet that there's a little web footed baby in there.

 

[Julie Birb]

So, as you know, I have Perdy's first six eggs in the incubator now...

And, she has her other three outside in their coop in her nesting box!

She's my proud momma!

Sweet little Perdy.

 

[Julie Birb]

LOL don't worry I have no clue if its mine.  Could be I guess, I would think though 9 more would be with him.  If you see a Chocolate bibbed with him then I would say OMG,  If you call out a name Sassy and she starts Yapping.  Tell Sassy Get your BUTT home..  LOL

Haha, I'll do that after she gets a squeeze and a kiss.

 

[CyndiD]

A misshapen egg just means there's a risk of becoming egg bound. Some hens as they get older will start laying wonky eggs that are more susceptible to getting stuck. If she's just laying two eggs a day that's not bad, she's just very, very productive, hehe! As for hatching, unless you're 100% sure you have a drake and you've seen them mating, then they're probably not fertilized. There's a lot more to hatching eggs than just tossing them in an incubator and hoping for the best!

Do you have photos of your ducks? How old are they and what breed? If they're both old enough to be laying eggs you should certainly be able to tell their gender.

 

[18angovem]

So have you seen development on the eggs amykins.

 

[CyndiD]

Hi Amykins, I have seen them mating for many months (6-7 months). Recently I have seen the smaller/lighter duck on top of the bigger one. This is new, it has always been the bigger one on top, (pic/the one in front)
I seperated them last night & got only one egg from the smaller duck, (the one in the back/pic) the one I have been palpating & feeling an egg inside her. The bigger duck I have not felt an egg inside her/him, but I will seperate them again until I find out who is laying & who is not or if they both are laying.
They are 9 months old. They are fawn & white Indian runners, I love them, they are so friendly and trusting & entertaining.

The duck in the back is the one I am feeling an egg inside her. Last night she layed an egg. Can u see the difference in the shape & color of the eggs? The eggs on the right are more round & the ones on the left are a little bigger & have a pointy end & they have a green tint to them. I have always gotten the round eggs, the green eggs are a new addition!
I am thinking I have two hens now, when all these months I thought I had a hen & a drake!
Do hens mount each other?
Do you have a breeder, or are you a breeder? If I do have two hens I would like to get a drake!
Thank you so much for all your help, comments & suggestions.

 

[Amykins]

Er...yes, I'm afraid you have two gorgeous ladies! Drakes have a curly tail called the "drake feather". It's not uncommon for females to mount one another when there are no drakes, some people speculate it even helps jumpstart egg production! As for the egg color, that's largely dependent on the bird and their diet. Some birds like Cayugas start out laying black eggs, and get gradually lighter as they age. Cool stuff, huh? TheMoreYouKnow (rainbow)

Since you have two girls, getting a single male would be awesome. He won't overbreed either one of them, and you'll still have a nice, easy-to-manage backyard flock. <3