Found ducks eggs

[ADDD]

We had to have a big old oak cut down on out property and the workers knocked on my door to let me know there were ducks living in the tree. As they got closer the pair flew away and they realized that there were eggs. They were able to salvage a couple and we have them in an incubator. It looks like one has pipped about 36 hours ago. There has been no peeping or visible sounds or zipping at this point. I am pretty sure that three of the six or not viable but we’re hopeful on the three. Two of the three that I believe are not viable way almost nothing. I had them wrapped initially in a moist towel under a heat lamp until we got them into an incubator. From the time they were out of the tree to the incubator was about four hours.

Question is: when do I intervene? And will that affect the two other potentially viable eggs that have not pipped?

We have never raised ducks or chickens so only educating ourselves via Google.

Not sure what type of ducks were in the tree. The workers said they were “normal” ducks.

Thanks for any suggestions or insights!!

 

[CloneFly]

I've never hatched ducks, but I would suggest candling the viable eggs to see if there's any sign of life/movement. Usually you'll see veining if the baby is still alive. If the other 3 eggs aren't viable, (candle them too just to be sure) I would toss them out. They could potentially explode and contaminate the good eggs. If the baby is alive and has pipped but isn't chirping or trying to unzip... you may want to intervene. Hope it all works out. Best of luck and please keep us updated!

 

[ADDD]

I've never hatched ducks, but I would suggest candling the viable eggs to see if there's any sign of life/movement. Usually you'll see veining if the baby is still alive. If the other 3 eggs aren't viable, (candle them too just to be sure) I would toss them out. They could potentially explode and contaminate the good eggs. If the baby is alive and has pipped but isn't chirping or trying to unzip... you may want to intervene. Hope it all works out. Best of luck and please keep us updated!

Thanks! So what is the best way to intervene?

 

[CloneFly]

Thanks! So what is the best way to intervene?

If the pip is already made, you would want to dampen the area around the hole and very slowly and carefully pick away pieces of the shell. There are several how to videos online. But please, don't intervene unless you feel that you absolutely need to; and then only if there's a pip in the egg... while it's rewarding to help the baby, it can also be dangerous as there are still blood vessels attached to the membrane. If one of those vessels tears before the baby can absorb them, he could bleed to death.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Pyxis wrote a very detailed article on assisted hatching that you may find helpful.

 

[Egger4me]

How did it turn out????

 

[Coops Dad]

"Normal" ducks don't nest in trees. Wood ducks do, and they're a coveted game species. Another tree nesting breed are black bellied whistlers aka squealers aka whistlers, a non-native breed from Mexico which has now colonized the Gulf states.

Where are you at, OP?

 

[BelovedBirds]

We had to have a big old oak cut down on out property and the workers knocked on my door to let me know there were ducks living in the tree. As they got closer the pair flew away and they realized that there were eggs. They were able to salvage a couple and we have them in an incubator. It looks like one has pipped about 36 hours ago. There has been no peeping or visible sounds or zipping at this point. I am pretty sure that three of the six or not viable but we’re hopeful on the three. Two of the three that I believe are not viable way almost nothing. I had them wrapped initially in a moist towel under a heat lamp until we got them into an incubator. From the time they were out of the tree to the incubator was about four hours.

Question is: when do I intervene? And will that affect the two other potentially viable eggs that have not pipped?

We have never raised ducks or chickens so only educating ourselves via Google.

Not sure what type of ducks were in the tree. The workers said they were “normal” ducks.

Thanks for any suggestions or insights!!

So they found the eggs after cutting the tree down or before?
You said they got closer and the pair flew away, so I wouldn't have thought this would be before it was cut down? Flying away does not equal abandonment. Usually they will come back. Where are you located? As others have mentioned, these are likely wood ducks since they nested in the tree.