Duck Egg Candling Photo Diary

[OreoPlymothRock]

I am incubating some duck eggs right now. They are getting incubated by a broody bantam hen

 

[411fjb]

Newbie here w/ duck egg questions. If any of you would be willing to help me out I'd appreciate it. I have the Storeys Guide to ducks but there isn't a lot of info in it regarding natural means of hatching duck eggs. So I have two runners, a female and a male. I've been leaving eggs in the nest box to see if the female will get broody.
1) Is that correct? After she begins to have a certain number in the nest box WILL she possibly then feel the desire to GET broody? She will be a year old this May.
2) I also have 5 hens.... Possibly one of them might? They are now two years old as of this week.
3) So IF the female duck doesn't but the hen does, does that mean I need to sprinkle water on the eggs daily? Once or twice?
4) And if a chicken sets, she will turn the eggs or do I need to do that too?
I do not have an incubator and don't plan on buying one... So of no one decides to set my neighbor may take them.
5) While a clutch is being laid the eggs just sit in the box w/o any adult bird sitting on them, until there is a number the birds sees worthy to set on, correct?
6) While those eggs sit in the box waiting to be set on, does the air temperature matter?
I tried candling yesterday the five in the box (there were 6 but my bf inadvertently picked them up and dropped one). I can see the air sac in each on the more pointed end and a few seem to have that darkening look in the middle. I wish I'd marked the eggs from the first laid onward but I didn't think too. This is my first ever trying this. The oldest egg in the box will be 6 days tomorrow. It wasn't night but the inside of the coop is quite dark. I'm going to try to look again in the next few days at night w/ the flashlight and the toilet paper tube like some suggested.

 

[millergirlz]

Wow! I really loved your article and pictures with the duck eggs. I just (unfortunately) had to move a nest and the mother abandoned it once it was disturbed. I candled the eggs the best I could, and saved 9 that I have under a broody hen I own. I am hoping to save a few of them.. They did get pretty cold during an hour travel. I have no idea if they will survive or not, but I am keeping my fingers crossed. Have you had this experience?

 

[duckmomma]

We need some help. We can't tell if these eggs are ok or not. We definitely saw movement in two of them and the rest were just as dark and had veins but we can't be sure. We have been raising Indian Runner Velociraptors for many years and this is the first girl velociraptor to actually sit on the eggs and she is very protective.

 

[411fjb]

Hi, I never got a response on my note from 4/9 so I thought since I just got email notification I'd respond at min to you.
My female ended up laying a clutch of 16... And she sat. She's still sitting too. 7 have hatched and I was able to take from her just as they came out. She was totally ok w/ me taking. Today I found three dead. They were outside the nest and cold. One was pretty far away and had been pecked prob by one of my chickens. Hating them right now. So since this AM, mama has moved the remaing 6 eggs and nest to where neither I not anyone or chicken can reach.
I'd managed to candle on day or what I thought was day 30 and saw a bill move up into the air sac! I was sooo excited. After that began the waiting game. Finally on again what I think was day 33!!! Cracks started to appear from inside on a bunch of the eggs. And by afternoon that day two were hatched. I'm taking them away because I'm afraid I'll never get them from her and I'm worried about her husband and what the chickens might do. I plan on only leaving her w/ two but now she's moved the nest and I'm guessing won't come out (its in a very tight spot behind the coop) till all remaing are hatched.
I'd think your pix of the dark egg could be a correctly developing embryo but I'm def no expert. Depending on what day you think your at, I'd just check again in a few. Someone told me tho that if you move the egg, keep it in the same position you picked it up in so you don't mess up the embryo and the membrane.

 

[duckmomma]

I typed the above post on my phone and evidently the auto correct turned duck into velociraptor. I meant duck!!!

 

[jodisueo222]

Love the pics new to chickens and a deep love for ducks I just stared incubating Ancona duck eggs. First time ever for me and I can't wait. Have 7 doing good about day 8 in this pic.

 

[Duckkie24]

I love this!! I'm incubating some pekin ducks in my kitchen lol

 

[Snoozeys]

I just candled my eggs that should of hatched ... finally bought a candler ... i set 4 cayuga eggs 29 days ago ... 3 are clear as.. 1 eggs is very dark and if you spin the eggs you can see something move ... so my first attempt at doing duck eggs is a failure

 

[Danielle R]

Hi I have some questions! Recently we rescued an abandon duck egg. (I love on a farm in Florida) I'm 16 and doing my very best to read up on how to incubate the egg. My mom bought an incubator and the egg is on day 17 and we think it is a Muscovy duck egg. I have been candling and keeping track of the humidity and temp as well. Here are my questions: first of all I have read from many many different sites on what the humidity should be. All answers are different. I have the humidity at about 55-60% (it varies) also I have the temp at 100.5 F. Is this right? Do I need to adjust anything? Second, how much should I turn the egg? (I have been turning it up to 3-5 times a day so far) third, I candled the egg today (I have been candling almost every day) and the air sac still looks small. It is day 17 and I don't know how big it should be. Does it have to do with my humidity? There are veins and I can see something move a little sometimes in there so I know it is alive. I can post pictures if need be (although I just signed up on this website and I still don't really know how to work it) if some could PLEASE answer back to these questions as soon as possible it would be much appreciated!!!