Momma duck died. Hoping to save eggs.

Jennifer Cappi Williams

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I work on a private island (4000 acres) and I heard that the Organic Farm just got some Frizzle hens so I happily went to see them. Once there I was told our dear favorite mama duck Mrs. Eleanor (the ducks were Eleanor (who at first we thought was a female but turned out to be a male, and his wife, Mrs. Eleanor) had dropped dead yesterday. She said Mrs. Eleanor was just dead and laid out over the nest of three eggs. No signs of trauma. We both assume it must have been an egg bound issue. She said she put the eggs up out of the reach of coons. They were still outside. I am on the Coast of Georgia and the temps have been in the mid 50's. I dropped what I was doing and took the eggs home. I warmed them to my body skin temp and put them in the incubator with my hen's eggs (whom I don't think are fertile as my Silky roo is not doing his rooster duties). I candled them before I put them in and saw no obvious spiderwebs. Since they were out for a day but they had not started developing yet, what is the chance they will hatch? What temps can fertile but not as yet "sat" on yet by a broody duck be subjected too before making them nonviable?
 
I can't really tell you on duck eggs, but chicken eggs would be fine in 50 degrees, as long as they had not started developing. You can always check in a week or so. I do know some types of ducks take longer to incubate. What type of ducks are they? If they are muscovy they take longer to develop, so give them a little longer before candling.
 
Daddy is a Mallard and mama was a Peking. Bianca had stored some eggs from her a few days before the duck died and had them in her garage and I am going over there tonight and pick those eggs up also to add to the other three duck eggs. They have not started to develop at all.
 

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