Is there a difference in interior color between Pekin and Rouen eggs in the incubator?????

[Fabidon]

I am in the process of hatching both Pekin and Rouen eggs. I started on January 9th and had one Pekin hatch out late on day #26; another early on day #27 and another late on day #27. I now have two with signs of breaking out but they have been this way for over 24 hours with little to no progress....still peeping though. Today is day #28.
There are several eggs that have dark insides; would that be from being Rouen ducklings or are they eggs that have not developed and are rotting? Do the Rouen's take a little longer to hatch?
When I first candled, I marked some with an "X" that did not show the spidery development but continued to turn them and care for them as though they were viable. Of the 5 marked that way, 3 of them have gone on to be almost filled with dark matter and I don't know if it is a duckling of dark color or a rotting interior.
I guess my question is: is there an interior difference in color between Pekin and Rouen eggs when developing?
How long should I wait before deciding they are finished and should be discarded? I would absolutely hate to discard a developing baby.
Sorry for all the questions; this is the first time hatching for me and I don't want to do anything stupid to endanger these potential babies.
Any advice?

 

[Chiko]

OK First of all, You shouldn't open an incubator with hatching chicks inside of it to candle the eggs. All eggs take different times to hatch and you should set eggs synchronized. (All on the same day) On day 25-26 of incubating, you should raise the humidity by adding more water and not touch the incubator to take out ducklings or adjust anything until all babies have hatched. This is called the Lock-Down period.Opening the bator can result in lowering the humidity level and temperature which is bad for the chicks. All Ducklings should look the same when being candled. You can't really see their color through the shell. Rouens and Pekins take the same period of time to incubate. 28 days. I'm not sure how marking an egg with an X makes it easier to see the spidery thing. You usually mark eggs with an X on one side and an O on one side.(Or with whatever 2 different things you want to mark them) This just helps you know if the egg has been turned. When you candled the eggs and saw dark stuff, was there a big empty space on the fat end of the egg? If so, The black stuff is just the duckling, and the yolk. Don't throw away the eggs until most have hatched and the last ones have lasted at least 3 days showing no movement. Usually if the others are hatching, the ducklings still in their eggs should be moving or absorbing their yolk to supply them with food and strength to hatch.

If your babies don't make it, don't be to hard on yourself. I did this with my first chicken hatch. I put in tons of eggs each day and when hatch day came, they were all hatching and dying and rotting, I couldn't keep up. I did the same thing you did. I guess we just get excited on our first time and don't really slow down and do everything calmly. You'll get the hang of it soon.

 

[Chiko]

The big black space at the fat end of the egg is called the air cell, this is where the duckling gets it's first breath when it internally pips (pipping through the egg to the air cell) and continues to breathe from until it pips the shell. If you candle an egg on day 28 in a room that is about the same humidity and temperature as the incubator, you can usually see the ducklings beak pipped through the air cell, once it has done this, it starts pipping at the shell so it can take it's first breath of fresh air It's really cute to see the beak. But don't have the egg out too long, oh! and put it back in the same position it was in, in the incubator.

 

[Fabidon]

What great information....thank you. The little guy I helped is doing just fine; he is smaller than the earlier hatchlings but gets right in with their antics. I had one of the Rouen's hatch out this morning and his feet are not operating quite right. They are tight against him and have improved a little as they no longer look like they are on backwards! Are they just tight from being so confined in the egg? I worry because the 4 Pekins did not have that problem getting their feet to work correctly. Do I need to do anything or just let him be?
Sorry to be a pest, I just don't want to do any harm and this is all new t me. Thanks again for your advice.

 

[Chiko]

No problem, I love helping people out Congrats on your newest babies. I have 5 new chickies myself under my broody hen I think I'm happier than she is! lol

What do you mean he looks backwards? Is the baby in this position still?


Usually after the baby has a while to rest it will start to fluff up and start trying to walk, when it does start to walk his legs will usually go into place. If they stay in an awkward position it might have spraddle leg. That usually kills the chick since it can't walk. Heres a link on what spraddle leg is and how to fix it Even if your baby doesn't have spraddle leg, it's useful to bookmark this page if you plan on continuing to hatch since you never know what might happen to your chicks

http://www.2ndchance.info/spraddle.htm

 

[Fabidon]

From what I have researched, his are not spraddle legs, they don't go out to the sides, instead they are locked at the joint and do not open for him to walk or swim. He looks very much like the one in the photo; his legs are locked in that position as though you closed your arm and had your hand at your shoulder and it would not open to normal position. I have been gently massaging it but the joint is just as tight as it can be so I don't think I will have an affect on it. I want to give him every chance possible though; perhaps a warm water soak will help. I'll try anything; he is so sweet. Thank you for your interest in helping; I'll keep you posted as to his progress. Fingers are crossed.

 

[Chiko]

Oh my I don't think I've ever heard that. That's never happened to me. Have you tried posting this little guy in the Emergencies, Diseases, and Cures Forum? Or the Ducks forum? You might get some answers there. I'm really worried about your baby. Did you help him out? When I helped a chick out one time, He couldn't walk. They said it was because I didn't give him the chance to work out his legs the first time he could so he didn't know how to use them. He started walking about 5 days after hatching but was a really awkward chick his whole life. It might be reversible but I'm not sure. I had to cull that baby since he was in lots of discomfort and couldn't walk after he turned a year old. I hope I'm not scaring you I hope your baby does OK. No Problem. I love helping people.