Candling On Day 5!

[Zen Wildlife Rescuer]

Hey everyone! So today is day 5 for my duck eggs. Tonight I am going to candle them and see if there is life I have that excited, terrified feeling everytime I think about it! My question is, if I don’t see any veins inside the eggs today does that mean they’re all dead/infertile? Or should I wait a few more days? I know I haven’t candled them yet but I just wanted to be prepared.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I think 5 days is too early to candle duck eggs. I even think it is too early for chicken eggs.
I might think of it differently if I had chalk white eggs but I have dark eggs.
If I discarded everything in which I couldn't see development at a week, I'd never have any eggs hatch.
I say, if they don't leak or stink, keep incubating them.

 

[Zen Wildlife Rescuer]

I think 5 days is too early to candle duck eggs. I even think it is too early for chicken eggs.
I might think of it differently if I had chalk white eggs but I have dark eggs.
If I discarded everything I couldn't see development in at a week, I'd never hatch eggs.
I say, if they don't leak or stink, keep incubating them.

Okay great to know. So my eggs are actually white and pale blue. Very easy to see inside of them. Do you think I should still candle tonight or should I wait till day 7?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I've always been told to wait till 7 for all eggs. I know people get anxious. You can candle if you wish but don't be too hasty to discard.

Patience is a virtue - and I want it now!!!

 

[Zen Wildlife Rescuer]

I've always been told to wait till 7 for all eggs. I know people get anxious. You can candle if you wish but don't be too hasty to discard.

Patience is a virtue - and I want it now!!!

We ended up candling them Not what I hoped for. This is all three of them, excuse the dirt on the one. We got it like that.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I totally agree with Canoe on this, though timing is up to you. Candling does not help the eggs to hatch, they will hatch the same whether you candle or not. But it's fun to candle and can be educational. Nothing wrong with candling.

Light blue eggs may be harder to see inside than you think. That light blue coloring goes through the thickness of the shell which makes it harder. The equipment you use and how dark it is when you candle also make a difference. Your experience level also makes a difference.

I agree, unless it leaks or stinks do not toss it, at least until you have a lot more experience.

I typically candle mine around 7 days, out of curiosity. Then I candle my chicken eggs again at 18 days as I go into lockdown. That's when I remove the eggs that I know from experience will not hatch.

Looks like your candler is pretty good. I can't tell from those photos if you have veining or not. Try again in a few days.

 

[Zen Wildlife Rescuer]

I totally agree with Canoe on this, though timing is up to you. Candling does not help the eggs to hatch, they will hatch the same whether you candle or not. But it's fun to candle and can be educational. Nothing wrong with candling.

Light blue eggs may be harder to see inside than you think. That light blue coloring goes through the thickness of the shell which makes it harder. The equipment you use and how dark it is when you candle also make a difference. Your experience level also makes a difference.

I agree, unless it leaks or stinks do not toss it, at least until you have a lot more experience.

I typically candle mine around 7 days, out of curiosity. Then I candle my chicken eggs again at 18 days as I go into lockdown. That's when I remove the eggs that I know from experience will not hatch.

Looks like your candler is pretty good. I can't tell from those photos if you have veining or not. Try again in a few days.

Okay thank you. We just used a phone flashlight to candle them. I really hope they’re alive We may go and pick up some more eggs on Saturday but we’ll see. There was no veining when we candled. But I’ll just give them some more time and leave them until day 18 like you said. But if I candle on like day 14 or something and there’s no veining does that mean they’re duds or should I just leave them still?

 

[Ridgerunner]

You are doing ducks so your timing will be different. Hopefully you an find photos online of what you should be seeing. It should be a lot more than just veins.

For your first time I suggest you let the process unfold. Gain that experience so you better know what to look for.

 

[Zen Wildlife Rescuer]

You are doing ducks so your timing will be different. Hopefully you an find photos online of what you should be seeing. It should be a lot more than just veins.

For your first time I suggest you let the process unfold. Gain that experience so you better know what to look for.
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I did find pics of duck eggs on day 5. Here’s a few. (These AREN’T my eggs) here they are:

These pics are all on day 4 or 5 and they are all duck eggs. Kinda starting to lose hope If I’m being honest.

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

We ended up candling them Not what I hoped for. This is all three of them, excuse the dirt on the one. We got it like that.View attachment 2318629View attachment 2318639View attachment 2318640

All of the eggs in the picture are infertile!! And you can candle on day 3-4 and you should be able to see vains!