Duck eggs - air cells growing at different rates!

[quackingdom]

A mother duck doesn’t add water.

Yes she does, she'll have a bath a few times throughout incubation and return to her nest with wet feathers. I've noticed that my ducks even lose some of their water repellency while they're broody.

 

[Jenbirdee]

i just tagged you @cheezenkwackers
someone needs help

 

[Jenbirdee]

here it is https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/pekin-duck.1615664/post-27599148

 

[My15Ducks]

When you dry incubate, is there any humidity you consider too low? Or just watch the air cells?

 

[cheezenkwackers]

When you dry incubate, is there any humidity you consider too low? Or just watch the air cells?

I suppose if my humidity was under 40 I might add some water. I just never have had that happen in the 10 years I have been hatching (I hatch chicks and ducklings several times a year). I just watch the air cells. I also have tried weighing the eggs and graphing expected weight lose, but I got really mixed results and it did not seem to affect my hatch rate.

 

[My15Ducks]

I suppose if my humidity was under 40 I might add some water. I just never have had that happen in the 10 years I have been hatching (I hatch chicks and ducklings several times a year). I just watch the air cells. I also have tried weighing the eggs and graphing expected weight lose, but I got really mixed results and it did not seem to affect my hatch rate.

Thanks! Mine has stabilized at 46% now. I’ll check the air cells again in a few days

 

[My15Ducks]

Hello fellow duck people. I’m back with some new air cell photos and other questions.

My incubator has been at 40-46% humidity for the last 2 days. Here are some new photos of their air cells. What do you guys think?

2 of the eggs that I candled have this weird little dip in the air cell. Any idea what this means?

In this last picture, the egg has veins but I saw no movement and there is this weird clot. I’m concerned that this one is dying.

Last question: what could be causing embryo death at this fairly late stage? I have 4 eggs that appear to have died after day 14. Is it because I lowered the humidity? Probably not.. The temperature has been steady between 99.5- 99.9 F. And yes I have multiple thermometers.

So far the majority of the eggs that have died have been my Indian Runners that I bought. The eggs had water stains and had been washed when I got them. Some already were rotten by day 7 and I removed them. So maybe it’s just poor egg quality? Most of the eggs from my duck flock are doing well.. I’m just hoping I’m not doing something wrong. I started with 22 Indian Runner eggs and I’m down to 10, with 2 more that are probably dead. It’s depressing! I started with 26 of my own eggs, and of those I still have 22 going strong.

Thanks!

 

[My15Ducks]

P.S. I forgot to say the eggs are on day 17 now