Abandoned eggs, no incubator... will this work?

[Flockandfowl46]

What to look for when candling duck eggs at various incubation periods...

• 1) Clear when candled may be infertile or had a very early death (when candled at 8 days).
• 2) Embryo with red blood ring early death when candled at 8 days.
• 3) Fertile with red blood vessels after 8 days.
• 4) Red or black staining early death when candled at 8 days.
• 5) Dark outline with ill defined detail possible late death (10 16 days) Give them a little more time though.
• 6) Live embryo with bill in air sack due to hatch in 24 48 hours.
• 7) Normal development of air pocket according to number of days.

 

[WVduckchick]

Yeah, most of them do have that opaque/grayish look.
A couple of them don't though... How do I candle them? I've searched up on it before, but I've also tried had couldn't really tell what I was doing...

Find a dark place, closet etc. Shine into the fat end with a bright flashlight. Cell phone flashlights work too. Look for darkness or clear yellow with red blood vessels. Note how large the air cell is (should look like a clear area in the fat end of the egg)

 

[EggWalrus]

If you have an old coffee can, you can cut a one inch hole in the middle of the lid, put a bright light source in it (the brighter the better), put lid back on, put egg on hole in lid. I use an old plastic Folgers can with a black lid. The black lid keeps you from being blinded so you can see into egg. If using a clear lidded can, you can black it out with spray paint or use a thick piece of card board for a lid.
Sometimes you can smell a rotten egg thru the shell.
Also when candling some eggs, you may see an air cell on one end, and the rest of the egg interior may look black. This doesn't necessarily mean it's rotten. It's usually a fully formed chick ready to hatch. Sometimes you can tap lightly on the shell with your finger nail and you may see the baby move in there.

 

[chickens really]

Don't put wet cloth directly on the eggs. It actually draws out the moisture. Place a wet sponge close to the eggs.
Momma leaves a nest when the first to hatch are needing feed. She lives for the living. Hopefully you can hatch out a couple more...

 

[June Chick]

Another egg cracked, it was either infertile or died in early development, it smelled BAD.

 

[Flockandfowl46]

It will definitely make you gag

 

[happy duck]

Hope some of these eggs work out!

 

[EggWalrus]

It will definitely make you gag

Gag? That funk makes me Puke!
projectile vomit:

 

[June Chick]

I smelled all of them, they were ALL rotten, and smelled putrid when up close!

 

[EggWalrus]

I smelled all of them, they were ALL rotten, and smelled putrid when up close!

Sorry to hear that. I know you and everyone here were hoping for them to hatch. But at least now you have the nose for rooting out rotten eggs!