Ducks Eggs...

[casportpony]

Hi, I've just started breeding ducks and i have one male and two females, they started nesting about 3 weeks ago and one of my females leaves the nest all the time and I'm afraid they're getting cold, because her eggs have all gone black and she started with about 15 eggs and only has 3 left. I think the other mother might have killed them because earlier on when they had been nesting for about 1 week my dog snuck into they're pen and ate half her eggs leaving her with six and now they also went black, but when i candled them i couldn't see any veins so I'm not sure what to do, should i take all there eggs out and start them again, but now I'm not sure if the eggs were even fertile to begin with... does anyone have any ideas because i can't find an answer?
cheers bree

If the eggs have turned black they are rotten.

 

[casportpony]

How do you tell if the eggs are fertilized? I heard of a trick of holding them up to light, but not sure if that's true? I have 2 Peking ducks, one male and one female. She has laid about 23 eggs as of today, but isn't sitting on them to hatch them. How do I know if she will hatch them or if they are just there because she laid them?

Crack one open and look for the bullseye (blastoderm).
http://slideplayer.com/slide/1737572/7/images/31/Backyard+and+Pasture+Poultry.jpg

 

[buggymuffin]

Ok, but how can I tell if they are fertilized? At this point, I think all of the eggs would be wasted unless she keeps laying them because they have sat outside for so long in the heat. Thanks

If you want to be able to tell without cracking them open, you have to wait until they are incubating for about a week, then you can candle them. If they are fertile, you will be able to see the veins starting to develop. Duck eggs don't change colors as they are incubating, so if they are turning black (from the outside), they are rotten. As an embryo develops inside the egg, a dark shadow will develop, but you can only see it by candling. If she is not sitting on the nest pretty much 24/7, she isn't broody and they won't hatch.

 

[Crazychicknmomma]

If you want to be able to tell without cracking them open, you have to wait until they are incubating for about a week, then you can candle them. If they are fertile, you will be able to see the veins starting to develop. Duck eggs don't change colors as they are incubating, so if they are turning black (from the outside), they are rotten. As an embryo develops inside the egg, a dark shadow will develop, but you can only see it by candling. If she is not sitting on the nest pretty much 24/7, she isn't broody and they won't hatch.

They aren't changing colors. She sat on the nest all morning, but once it warmed up, she has come out to walk around. When she left the nest, she covered the eggs with the bedding. I hadn't planned on incubating any of them and just letting nature take it's course. Lol

 

[buggymuffin]

They aren't changing colors. She sat on the nest all morning, but once it warmed up, she has come out to walk around. When she left the nest, she covered the eggs with the bedding. I hadn't planned on incubating any of them and just letting nature take it's course. Lol

Have you tried candling any of them?

 

[CayugaJana]

I haven’t experienced it but have been told to get rid of the rotten ones as they can be “stinkers”. And they can explode if you will from the gases