HELP! Mother Duck Killed- How long can Eggs Survive W/O Heat?

[ancona91]

Hello!!!!
Sorry I haven't replied much sooner....I've been having computer problems the past few days. Muscovy ducks take about 35 days to hatch. During the latter part of it sometimes it's really hard to tell if the embryos are still alive.....I imagine it gets cramped in there, thus maybe restricting movement somewhat. I've had eggs that I swore were no longer viable turn out to eventually hatch into healthy ducklings...so go figure(smile). I'm sure there'a a chart on egg development showing the correct air sac ratios....just google it. Don't give up yet......there's definitely still hope!!! Sounds like you have the proper temp and humidity levels!!!!
Kathy

 

[chickeepoo]

Thanks- Wow, that's a whole week longer than I thought it took for hatching…I guess we'll hang in there and give them while. If I THOUGHT they should have hatched by the end of this week, I really need to give them at least another week (?) plus a couple of grace days. When do I quit turning them, seeing that I really DON'T know where they are in the end of their development?

 

[ancona91]

Hello chickeepoo!!!
Yea....Muscovies take an extra week or so to hatch.......all other ducks take about 28 days. If you can find a chart on duck eggs maybe you could compare your eggs to it and maybe get an idea how much longer till they hopefully hatch. If it seems they have a while to go yet you should probably drop the humidity back to about 50-55%. It's really a guessing game due to the circumstances.
Kathy

 

[ancona91]

Oops.......I forgot to tell you that you're supposed to stop turning them on Day 32 of incubation.....three days prior to the hatch date. Again a chart would perhaps be helpful in figuring out an approximate hatch date. An extra day or 2 of not turning the eggs shouldn't harm the embryos.
Kathy

 

[chickeepoo]

Can't find a good set of pics that show the stages plus the air sac- I'll post under the other heading for Incubating and Hatching eggs and see if anyone has a link. Thanks for all the info and support- I'll keep an update as things change… if they change!

 

[chickeepoo]

On candling, the eggs have made no development since I put them in the incubator; I think it's safe to say they were without the mother longer than I originally thought or simply died at some point before or after I found them. Thanks so much for the advice as we tried to help them- if there's another egg emergency, the chances will be better at least. But at this point I'm sure none of these is alive.

BACK UP-REVERSE THAT… thankfully I'm a procrastinator as well as prone to giving miracles a little chance… I left the bator on and figured what could it hurt- I'll take care of these in a couple of days, and… looks like life! I couldn't resist candling again to be sure before pulling the plug this week. The hard outline softened in places to a greyer mass with a little movement in several eggs- looks like some ducklings are still trying! Temp is around 96-97º and humidity 70%- hoping for some tough little survivors!

 

[chickeepoo]

I can hear soft peeping coming from the incubator this morning- no cracks in eggs yet. Fingers are VERY tightly crossed at this point…

 

[ancona91]

Good Morning chickeepoo!!!!!
OMG......that's totally FANTASTIC news!!!! I always believed in "little miracles"(smile). After having a really horrible night(and a crappy week in general) hearing your news of peeping from the bator made me smile. My little Pomeranian"Poodle mix, Cody, crossed over early this morning....he was my steadfast friend and constant companion for almost 15 years. I already miss him greatly. Reading your post was a mucvh needed lift.
It sounds as though you have the temp and humidity perfect!!! Please keep us posted on how it goes!!! And, of course, I'll want to see pics of my "Grandducks" (SMILE)!!!!! Speak to you later!!! Congratulations!!
Ecstatic In New York!!!!
Kathy

 

[blueid10]

omg so happy for you!! I'm new to this website and read your story. Gotta know how it all turnes out!!!!

 

[chickeepoo]

Oh, I am so sorry for your loss…

… I still get teary eyed when I think of our Golden we lost 4 years ago, so I know it must be hard for you right now. He sounds like a devoted friend and helper; I like to think we'll get to have our close companion pets with us later wen we cross over, too. Kind of counting on that.

Yes, the peeping was a real boost to my hope that these ducklings will somehow beat the odds; my son now says he heard noises like that coming from the incubator for a day or so. (NOW he tells me?) I still think they'll be smaller than usual based on how much air space is in those eggs, so I hope they have the strength to peck the shell open. How long can they go in the egg talking to themselves before they run out of time to hatch? I'd be afraid to meddle with them, and at the same time I'd sure be sad if they came all the way to the end and died in the egg. But I remember too well as a little girl "helping" a duckling out of its egg over my Grammy's objection when I thought it was taking it too long to hatch… we don't want that ending either.

I'll keep my hands out and update as I see progress. This could take a couple of days?