Advice Needed

[Ducks1234]

I had to rescue some duck eggs and I am not sure how long it has been since they were laid. When I candle them, the whole area seems black with a large air pocket on one side. When looking online, it says not to turn them on the last 2-3 days of hatching.. I think they are going to hatch soon because of the way that they look, but I’m just worried what will happen if they are actually more like 5-6 days away from hatching and I haven’t turned them.... should I turn them anyways if I’m not sure? Should I leave them in position and they should be fine?.. is there any other signs I can look for to decide how old they are?

 

[Miss Lydia]

can you get some candling pics?

@Pyxis

 

[Pyxis]

X2 on the candling pictures.

 

[Ducks1234]

can you get some candling pics?

@Pyxis

Sorry it’s hard to get a clear picture.. it has a large air pocket on the larger side of the egg, the top and sides are all black I can’t see through at all and then when I turn them slightly there’s a smaller part that’s a yellowish/orange color and I can see some veins..

 

[Pyxis]

It definitely looks pretty far along. Maybe around day 22 or 23. I would turn it for now, and stop when you see draw down - when the air cell pulls down the side of the egg as the duckling positions for hatching. You'll want to candle it each day to check for this.

 

[Ducks1234]

It definitely looks pretty far along. Maybe around day 22 or 23. I would turn it for now, and stop when you see draw down - when the air cell pulls down the side of the egg as the duckling positions for hatching. You'll want to candle it each day to check for this.

Thank you!!

 

[Ducks1234]

Thank you!!

Will the air move a substantial amount? Like I’ll definitely be able to tell it’s down the side?

 

[Pyxis]

Will the air move a substantial amount? Like I’ll definitely be able to tell it’s down the side?

Yes. My goose eggs just drew down today, I'll get a picture for you so you can see.

 

[Pyxis]

 

[Ducks1234]

View attachment 1374188

Oh okay so it’s down a good part of the shell, thank you for showing me! It hasn’t happened yet so I’ve been rotating them.