Mandarin/ Wood Duck questions

[shawnsg]

I purchased a pair of mandarins and a pair of wood ducks around two years ago. Around two weeks ago the male mandarin started really chasing around the male wood duck to the point where he hides quite a bit. I then noticed Friday may 2 that the female Mandarin had started randomly laying eggs around the coop. I was a bit concerned that mama duck hadn't been sitting on her eggs so on Sunday, may 4th I purchased an incubator. Since then she has laid 3 more eggs. I also built some nesting boxes and added them to the coop. Since then, she laid one egg in the box and two more randomly in the coop but I have been checking twice a day to get them in the incubator asap. Is there any chance that the original 3 eggs that sat out for a few days will live? I have tried to candle all 6 eggs and they all seem clear inside. Does that mean that they are dead eggs? Is there a reason why mama duck wont sit on her eggs on her own? I would appreciate any info on caring for the eggs. Thank you for your time.

 

[sumi]

Hens and ducks may lay eggs, but never go broody and try to hatch them. I personally collect all the eggs from my flock of chickens until I have a confirmed broody and then decide if I want her to hatch some chicks for me.

The eggs candling clear is perfectly normal. Embryos take time to develop and are usually only visible after about 7 days, though with a good light and a pale shelled egg you may be able to see something sooner. I incubate duck eggs at 45% humidity and 99*F (forced air incubator) and bump up the humidity to 65% when I put them in lockdown. Turn them at least 3 times a day until you put them in lockdown and don't add any more eggs to the incubator after starting to incubate them. Staggered hatches can be done, but it's tricky. This Waterfowl Incubation Guide will give you more info and I'd also recommend looking at this hatching thread:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/594278/thread-formerly-known-as-hatch-day-is-today/0_30

It's a yeah long thread, but there's a lot of great info in there. Best of luck with your hatch!