Duckling expert needed!!!!!

[PoultryBird12]

I am trying to hatch a Pekin egg and this is day 4 and I candled it and if I look really closely at the egg and kind of move it around I can see a very faint dark spot on the yolk. I'm not seeing any veins or anything . . . but could this possibly be a duckling growing? I tried previously to hatch four other eggs and they all failed so now I am trying this one and I'm hoping it will work. I can't see anything if I hold the egg still . . . but, like I said, if I move it I can see a tiny little black blob on the yolk. Does anybody know what this is????

 

[Amykins]

If you're on day 4, that "black blob" is indeed an embryo. You should start seeing veins in the egg from day 5-7, but don't do all gung-ho on daily candling as it can actually hinder development, especially as such an early stage. Trust me, I KNOW how hard it is to restrain yourself, you just wanna know if the lil' buggers are alive!

 

[PoultryBird12]

If you're on day 4, that "black blob" is indeed an embryo. You should start seeing veins in the egg from day 5-7, but don't do all gung-ho on daily candling as it can actually hinder development, especially as such an early stage. Trust me, I KNOW how hard it is to restrain yourself, you just wanna know if the lil' buggers are alive!

Cool! That's good to know! I will resist my temptation to candle every day... Thanks!

 

[18angovem]

If you're on day 4, that "black blob" is indeed an embryo. You should start seeing veins in the egg from day 5-7, but don't do all gung-ho on daily candling as it can actually hinder development, especially as such an early stage. Trust me, I KNOW how hard it is to restrain yourself, you just wanna know if the lil' buggers are alive!

Your telling me! For emus you cant ever candle so you dont even know if the are fertile until the hatch date, 60 days later!!!! If they dont hatch they are not fertile or dead and if they do well yeah.

 

[aeiou]

Your telling me! For emus you cant ever candle so you dont even know if the are fertile until the hatch date, 60 days later!!!! If they dont hatch they are not fertile or dead and if they do well yeah.

Wow, is that because the light will harm the embryo or are the shells just too thick? That would be quite a disappointment after 2 months of waiting.

 

[18angovem]

Wow, is that because the light will harm the embryo or are the shells just too thick? That would be quite a disappointment after 2 months of waiting.

Just too thick of a shell. I believe someone once told me that they are 7 times thicker than a chicken egg. Dont know if that is true though..... I know that you can stand on an ostrich egg they are so thick! I know, I would hate to wait that long and then have them die. Some people weigh them but that is hard to track. Also on day 45 sometimes if you poke the egg the chick inside will wiggle in the egg and sometimes chirp.

 

[Amykins]

Cool! That's good to know! I will resist my temptation to candle every day... Thanks!

It's harder than it sounds! Just ask around, last year I was so paranoid that when I didn't see veins on day 6 I was candling every 12 hours like a madwoman. Saw 'em on day 8, but now I feel sheepish.

Your telling me! For emus you cant ever candle so you dont even know if the are fertile until the hatch date, 60 days later!!!! If they dont hatch they are not fertile or dead and if they do well yeah.

That has to be hard!

 

[PoultryBird12]

Your telling me! For emus you cant ever candle so you dont even know if the are fertile until the hatch date, 60 days later!!!! If they dont hatch they are not fertile or dead and if they do well yeah.

Wow. I can hardly resist not candling duck eggs for a day!! You must have to be very patient to hatch emus!

 

[PoultryBird12]

So, when exactly does the embryo start growing veins and moving? I've never hatched ducks before.

 

[18angovem]

So, when exactly does the embryo start growing veins and moving? I've never hatched ducks before.

Well embryo starts growing eggs on day 2 of incubation but they are not normally visible until day 5. Movement can be see at almost any time...(I believe)