Fertile Eggs

[chess0125]

We have incubated four batches of eggs this season, each with the same results - out of every twelve, only 3/4 are fertile. Why is this? I'm talking about ducks here, I have one hen and one drake, but I imagine the answer would be the same from species to species. Why are only 25% of my eggs even fertile?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

We have incubated four batches of eggs this season, each with the same results - out of every twelve, only 3/4 are fertile. Why is this? I'm talking about ducks here, I have one hen and one drake, but I imagine the answer would be the same from species to species. Why are only 25% of my eggs even fertile?

Are you stating they are infertile due to not hatching or due to not seeing any development at all at the first candling and having cracked the eggs to verify that there was no development at all vs. having started to develop and then quit at some point? Also, is it 3/4 that are developing or only 25%?
Have you cracked a set of eggs without any incubation and checked the germinal discs of them all?

 

[chess0125]

I have never cracked one open, only candled. First batch I incubated, there were fifteen. I candled them once a week, not throwing any out just writing on them just in case I was wrong. Four were fertile and the rest were blank for the whole four weeks. Next batch I let momma do. 21 eggs, five fertile. Next two batches I did, first had fifteen, only four fertile, this one has twelve only two fertile. I leave them all till hatch day or smelly, just in case I'm wrong but they never develop.

 

[chess0125]

Another issue is hatch rate but I figure that's my problem, not the ducks problem. Total of four babies out of all four hatches. Things keep going wrong with the incubator. But that's another story

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Egg storage, your breeder flock's diet, and the health or age of the hen and rooster is important for maximum fertility in chicken eggs and I assume that the same is true of waterfowl. BTW, how many hen ducks and how many drake ducks do you have?

 

[chess0125]

One boy one girl, this is their second summer so 18 months old or so. Fed layer pellets, eggs stored in garage