Mama Duck Attacked!!

[chickboss]

Temp ranges are dependent on the type of incubator. They are lower (98,99,100) for forced air models opposed to still air modles. Yours would be a still air because there isn't a fan to circulate air.

When I did candle the four of them, I saw veins throughout the egg. That means a duck, right? I also saw one MOVE!!! I actually gasped I was SO excited

That is so great!!! Yeah, get those bad ones out of there! They can explode and comprimise the other eggs because of the bacteria. I'm almost scared to ask, but were the four the floaters?​

 

[ChickenCrazed]

I too am so sorry for your loss of your momma duck...What a great Momma she was trying to protect those eggs...I sure hope you get these babies to hatch...You are doing a heck of a job trying...Best of luck!...These little ones deserve to be here!

I read this thread and I was in tears...I really commend you for your effort to save these babies...Momma duck is watching you and I am sure very happy!

 

[MamacatPatch]

Thanks so much for all that wonderful information. I feel better now that I may actually be able to pull this off! I know the bottom of the aquarium has about an inch or two of water in it, but should I also spray/mist the eggs to increase the humidity? Or will that crack them? There is no steam/sweat on the inside glass at all.

The few eggs I did view look like the ones at Day 16 on that candle chart of pix in that link!!! I am going to find a dark closet in the house and have hubby help me and go through them all today so we can discard any that are not duck filled! We even bought new flashlights today so maybe I can get a better view of the inside. Whatever that person used on that website was amazing!

By all means, get anyone interested involved in this thread. The more info the better and we can all learn more! Funny thing is, I have two parakeets who've laid two eggs and I'm watching them too. At least they got a mom and dad to watch over them. Never seen parakeets lay eggs or hatch em. I have raised two batches [clutches?] of cockatiels tho! We have 5 of them now and said ENOUGH!

I am trying to keep a log of the duck egg care....times weighed, candled, when turned, etc. A real learning experience for me to say the least.

Back later !!!!

 

[katharinad]

I'm glad to hear that you are giving it a try. I hope you will be rewarded. As for bad eggs. Smell each egg first. Then candle them. Any that are completely dark with air sack are good. You are looking for eggs that are clear or have a mix of clear and dark with possible blood rings. I'm sure you are in the clear once you sniffed out the bad ones. You can't go by egg weight at all. Even the size of the air sack can be an issue, especially when you have never done it. Keep on turning the eggs 4-5 times per day half way around until you see one rock. Then stop all turning and increase humidity to 75%. Use cups with sponges sticking up. The more water surface, the higher the humidity. Don't worry if you don't get it 100%. Just try to get it close to it. Once hatched leave them in the incubator for another 12-24 hours, then it is off to the brooder. The brooder does not need humidity, but you need one area with 90 degrees by having the heat lamp over it. Use the dimmer to adjust the light, and reduce by 5 degrees each week until you hit 75 degrees. You may need to give them a mash of ground duck food and water for a few days. After that ground duck food and water on the side. After one week they should be able to eat the normal sized crumble. Also offer a small bowl of sand on the side. I hope you have a good hatch. It's not as bad as it seems, and nature will do most of it for you anyway.
Katharina

 

[MamacatPatch]

Ok, we took our flashlight and 'candled' them all and from our best guess we have seven definite ducks and six maybe ducks. I didn't see any movements so I don't know if they are alive or not. Time will tell!!!

Took some pix of two of the eggs lit up!

I think that is a vein going across it?

Easy to see air pocket.

 

[katharinad]

Wow, different stages. The first one is near the end of its first week. The second one in the second week I would say. They still need 2-3 weeks in the incubator. It's actually good to be that early, because of the cooling they had without mom. Keep on candling every 4-5 days.
Katharina

 

[MamacatPatch]

Wow, you can tell the age of the egg by that??? I'm impressed!! Thank God you showed up here! All I remember is the female duck laying eggs like crazy for weeks then suddenly she was sitting on them all the time. I think the constant sitting went on about two weeks or so, but we're not sure.

Maybe I should take candling pix of all of them every four days or so?

 

[chickboss]

Yay...An Expert!! And seven + maybe more, that is great!!

 

[katharinad]

Ducks do that. They lay eggs for days and then when they think it is time, they start to sit and incubate them. Eggs can lay around for 2 weeks idle without developing and then when heat gets applied they start to take off. Thats why breeders sometimes keep eggs in the fridge at 65 degrees for 2 weeks until they get ready to incubate. That is also the reason why you can mail eggs. The fertility will go down after 2 weeks. Check out this link. It really show the stage of development. These are chicken eggs and they develop faster then duck eggs, but the principle is still the same. Also check out these files from the same site.
They eggs will later get all black when they are ready to hatch. They don't really move until the last couple of days. Sometime they don't even move until they hatch. Keep on candling every 4-5 days, because you may not be able to see a difference when doing it every day. I do it only weekly and weed out the quitters or those that stay clear. Leave them alone when in doubt. Check for bad smelling eggs, because that is the best indicator.
Katharina

 

[mylittlechickpea]

so excited to see your candling, very excited for you that you've got some ducies in them, too! good job, can't wait to see the results