Duck Egg Day 20 Blood Clots

[WhiteTreeOfGondor]

Check your thermometer to make sure the temperature is correct. If it is reading right then the embryo was weak or defective. It happens. I had a single call duck egg in my incubator which died yesterday. I know my incubator did not malfunction. It happens just as some human pregnancies end in miscarriage; sad but it happens. Try again and if this is something new to you, reread about how to use your incubator and look at egg development charts, found online, so you know what to expect. Sorry and good luck with your next eggs.

What kind of incubator do you have? Does it keep a stable, unchanging temperature? Mine keeps a temperature to within 2/10ths of a degree; 1/10th of a degree above and below the desired temp. Does yours have an automatic turner or do you turn manually? Mine has a turner, but I prefer to turn the eggs by hand three times a day.

I have the Nurture Right 360. The temperature on it reads a steady 99.5, but I don't have another good thermometer to check it with. I do have a kitchen one I use for cheesemaking and it's reading 92, which I hope isn't right. I'm going to find another one to test it with. I did use the auto turner and it was working. I think it turns them at least every hour.

 

[nchls school]

I have the Nurture Right 360. The temperature on it reads a steady 99.5, but I don't have another good thermometer to check it with. I do have a kitchen one I use for cheesemaking and it's reading 92, which I hope isn't right. I'm going to find another one to test it with. I did use the auto turner and it was working. I think it turns them at least every hour.

If the temperature had been 92 the eggs would not have felt warm enough to the touch. Do you have experience in using an incubator ( I'm guessing yes as you have been a member since last April).

My incubator is a small Safego that has rollers that very slowly turn the eggs. I didn't feel confident that it was turning the eggs adequately so I decided to trust in myself more than the rollers that turned so slowly it was difficult to see if it was working right.

 

[WhiteTreeOfGondor]

If the temperature had been 92 the eggs would not have felt warm enough to the touch. Do you have experience in using an incubator ( I'm guessing yes as you have been a member since last April).

My incubator is a small Safego that has rollers that very slowly turn the eggs. I didn't feel confident that it was turning the eggs adequately so I decided to trust in myself more than the rollers that turned so slowly it was difficult to see if it was working right.

I got my first ducklings last April but this is my first time incubating eggs. I actually went to the pet store today and bought a fish aquarium thermometer. I tested it in ice water and it read 32 degrees, so I put it in the incubator. It showed exactly 99.5 for the middle but about 98.5 for the outside edges. The egg I was incubating was on the outside edge. Would 98.5 be low enough to harm it? Should I raise the temperature a little next time or would that be too hot for the middle eggs?
I think the rollers in mine work ok. It is gentle but turns the eggs well.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

98.5F would likely slow the development of the eggs situated in those zones. One way to deal with this (common) situation is to periodically rotate the eggs around in the incubator so that none end up in the cooler zones the whole time.

 

[nchls school]

I got my first ducklings last April but this is my first time incubating eggs. I actually went to the pet store today and bought a fish aquarium thermometer. I tested it in ice water and it read 32 degrees, so I put it in the incubator. It showed exactly 99.5 for the middle but about 98.5 for the outside edges. The egg I was incubating was on the outside edge. Would 98.5 be low enough to harm it? Should I raise the temperature a little next time or would that be too hot for the middle eggs?
I think the rollers in mine work ok. It is gentle but turns the eggs well.

Does your incubator have a fan to circulate the air? The temperature should be 38C or 101.4F; and never go over 102F. 98.5 is a bit low. As to why the egg died, it is just guesswork. Next time raise the temperature to the desired level in the center and do what you can to keep the eggs in the center. If there is a fan the temperature should be the same throughout. You might want to test it again.

The aquarium thermometer should have an accurate reading.

 

[WhiteTreeOfGondor]

98.5F would likely slow the development of the eggs situated in those zones. One way to deal with this (common) situation is to periodically rotate the eggs around in the incubator so that none end up in the cooler zones the whole time.

Does your incubator have a fan to circulate the air?

Yes, it does have a fan. I tested the thermometer a little farther from the wall which is probably closer to where the outside eggs are and it was showing about 99. I cleaned the incubator yesterday, ran it overnight, and set 11 more eggs today. I'll plan to rotate the center ones with the outside ones just to make sure they are developing evenly.

 

[BelovedBirds]

I was a little worried about this duck egg when I candled it today. It's on day 20. It looks like it has some blood clots or some dark spots, one of which was floating around. It has defined veins and it looked like it was moving with a heartbeat rhythm, so I think it is alive. Is it possibly dying? This is my first time incubating.

View attachment 2952715View attachment 2952716

I saw something similar on one of my duck eggs, he hatched healthy. Still not certain what caused it