Duck eggs turning black? HELP! (pic)

[Aphrael]

Hmmm. I just don't know. I haven't had one look like that. Does it smell?

ETA: It doesn't really look black on the outside. Maybe you have a dark colored baby in there that is making the shell look darker and the air sac area looks odd in contrast because it's empty.

 

[DuckieLover2014]

From our experience the black on the shell appears to be from the lining under the shell is extreamly dry. And hard. Does nit mean your chick or duck has died. Mine was a dark shell and my duckling was still alivie.

 

[Rumi]

i had a muscovy egg turn dark like that, i thought for sure it meant it was dead, but i candled it and duckling was wiggling away!
It ended up pipping through that darkened area a couple days later!

I had six duck eggs incubated out of which two went rotten by sniff test. I threw them out of incubation and did break em and found em rotten.there are four in the incubator they are getting bluer and one have the same black oval round stain. I still have 10 days for eggs to hatch. all of em are smelling good however i am scared after reading all you guys discussion.

 

[Kitty525]

I had spots appear on my duckling egg, the others hatched three days ago, and the mom a bond on this egg, BC there was a tornado, and big storm coming, I took the egg in as it started to rain, my patents keep saying to get rid of it, and they think its dead, but there is an internal pip, and a few hours ago I heard chipping, and it rolled over in the incubator, I helped it pip where it had a internal pip, I didn't know not to roate it anymore, and it's beak isn't by the air sack, it is my first time ever hat hatching, when I helped it pip, it didn't move, I shined a light so I could see it, there are no vains on the membrane,but there are spots of blood on the inside of shell, on the air Sam side, the duckling is black, and looks kind of bloody, but the blood isn't moving when I gently rotated the egg a tiny bit, it has a big vain in its wings, and I can't tell if its alive, I really hope is, it passed the smelling test, and just smelled like a newborn baby, but it won't move,and I had a problem earlier today where the incator got too not, and hot spots appeared, emditly put it in cold water, then dxried the egg a bit, while having the incator cool down, it was chipping a few hpoirs ago, but now that I helppedit a tad with the pip,the duckling looked a tad dry on one end, and wet on the other, I put a little bit of water on it, just a little drop, and it still didn't smell,but I can't smell well BC of allergies, but is it dead, I'll post a pic I'm worried Bout it, I love animals, and want to become a veterinarian, just hope the ypojng one is alive, thx

 

[Kitty525]

This is the best pic I could take, there are white dry spots appearing on part of the duckling

 

[Mykidsloveducks]

I am having a similar problem with one of my duck eggs but just the air sac portion of my egg is turning gray. The duckling pipped internally 1 day ago.

I had another egg do this earlier and died. It appeared as if that duck was "shrink wrapped".

Is there anything I can do to help this duck so it won't have the same fate?

 

[StarCreekFarm]

In my experience duck eggs need to be misted with water in order for the membrane to be soft enough for the duckling to break through. If the membrane is not soft enough the duckling will not be able to break it and will --- so very tragically die, unable to break out of the tough membrane. I had a number of fully formed ducklings who died, unable to break through the membrane because I did not know that the eggs need to be misted with water (the hen would naturally do this by getting wet, then sitting the eggs).

I don't know the details on how long of how much water. Can someone please check with David Holderread's suggestions from his book and post here ?

 

[stengelc]

My duck egg is dark aswell. I seen it moving the other day. Today it's greyish and no movement. I'm sure hoping it's because it's about to hatch. It's the only egg that made it so far...and momma is still sitting on it.

 

[StarCreekFarm]

Can you smell the egg without disrupting the momma or the egg? Maybe when she leaves for a quick drink you can lean down and sniff the egg without moving it ? My eggs that died started smelling bad pretty darn quickly.

 

[stengelc]

...

I sniffed it yesterday. There was no smell. Hopefully I can sneek a peek and a sniff tonight... she only moves off after dinner time. When all the chickens and ducks go to bed.