I don't know if my duck eggs are still fertile.

[dangerboy]

Hi, I Have questions about hatching Mallard duck eggs. I witnessed a Female duck get spooked out of her nest and two redtailed hawlks teamed up on her and killed her. I looked under the bush from which she came and sure enough 12 eggs. I carefuly took them into my warm car and drove to Farm & fleet to get an incubator. I got them set up in the back bedroom of my house. I saw that they were fertile when I candeled them. they all had red veins and were about 2/3rds of the egg full minus the air cell. I turned them 5 times a day and misted them once a day. The eggs looked full yesterday and the light only shown through in the air cell. Because I don't no when the incubation was started by the mother my quess is that they should be near hatching because the eggs are now dark when I candle them. I stopped turning them when I saw that the eggs were full. I had read that they fill up fast and then get ready for hatching and that you are to stop turning them the last three days. I have not seen any sigh of piping into the air cell. I am worried that I am going to screw this up. Let me know if you think I am on the right track. I know the eggs would have died if I would have left them alone.

 

[Wifezilla]

Sounds like you are on the right track. Unless the eggs start to look "bruised" on the outside, let them continue to develop. Sometimes you can hear a tapping noise or peeping from the eggs a day or so before they hatch.

Keep the humidity and temps steady. Try not to candle too often. If you see an internal pip at any point, you may still have 3-5 days before they are totally out. Relax and leave the incubator closed until they are out of their eggs.