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[bqmccabe]

Hi! I'm new to the site. I received 3 dozen fertile Pekin duck eggs and have been asked to try to incubate and hatch them for the person who gave them to me. I don't mind as I am retired, but I don't think the majority of them (or any for that matter) will actually hatch. Candling the eggs, I saw they are in varying stages of development. I ordered an incubator which should arrive tomorrow. I spent a portion of my youth on my grandparent's subsistence farm and have a little experience with raising chickens but not ducks. If these eggs hatch, what is the best way to care for them? Also, if I end up with a flock, am i able to sell the non fertile eggs at my local farmers market or flea market? Is a permit required? Thanks in advance for any helpful advice. Barbara

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Welcome to BYC @bqmccabe

Glad you could join us here! When you say they are in varying stages of development do you mean they have already been incubated?

 

[nuthatched]

It depends on your local areas laws if you need a permit or not.
The fertile eggs were already developing when you received them? Thats highly questionable of the givet to do that. Were they shipped?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/categories/ducks.30/

 

[bqmccabe]

No, when shining the light on the eggs some look as though they have a developing embryo that takes up about a third of the inside of the shell and others look like they are just beginning to develop

 

[nuthatched]

No, when shining the light on the eggs some look as though they have a developing embryo that takes up about a third of the inside of the shell and others look like they are just beginning to develop

That's odd, they likely won't hatch if they were developing previously, I'm sorry.

 

[bqmccabe]

It depends on your local areas laws if you need a permit or not.
The fertile eggs were already developing when you received them? Thats highly questionable of the givet to do that. Were they shipped?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/categories/ducks.30/

The eggs were passed on to me by a coworker of my husband. He has several Pekin and Muscovy ducks as pets. Some other Muscovys visit his ducks from time to time. He usually shares his eggs with us since he gets more than he can consume. I always check the eggs when he shares them with us. He was out of town a little while ago and he returned to find a lot of eggs. I don't think many of the embryos are viable since he doesn't know when they were laid. He just gave us another batch of 17 eggs some are definitely fertile but not like the first batch.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

They can only develop if they have been incubated either by a hen, duck or artificial incubator. If development has started then they have been cooled down for a prolonged period of time the embryos will have died. I’m very sorry.

 

[bqmccabe]

They can only develop if they have been incubated either by a hen, duck or artificial incubator. If development has started then they have been cooled down for a prolonged period of time the embryos will have died. I’m very sorry.

I thought as much.

 

[Kenneth Zweerink]

Welcome to BackYard Chickens. And a Big Hello from Eastern Nebraska!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I don't think many of the embryos are viable since he doesn't know when they were laid.

Are you meaning the fertility?