is this egg dead?

[snackquack]

i candled my duck eggs last night and this one is smaller than the rest and it didnt seem to be moving. were on day 16 as of today and i was wondering if this egg was dead or just developing slower? all the babies seemed to be different sizes (theyre assorted breeds, this one is a cayuga) but all of them were moving around a little except this one. sorry for the blurry picture, i might be able to get a better one later tonight if you cant tell with this one

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Hi!

To me, from that pic...it does appear that the embryo is dead. At 16 days the embryo should be fill up most of the egg. And with that much air cell the embryo would never be able to grow completely and have enough fluid. But I also rotate it and judge by the action of the embryo in the fluid. A dead embryo is dark and moves as a solid lump.

If that was an egg at say...day 10, the lack of veins would signify that the embryo had died. If I'm ever in doubt AND the egg doesn't smell, I keep it in until I'm certain.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Yes, it appears to be a quitter. Sorry.

 

[snackquack]

Aw that sucks, it was one of my favorite breed ones poor baby. Thank you for letting me know though.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I'm so sorry that it didn't make it.
It's frustrating when it seems to be the ones that you really want.