Please Help! Worried! Peking Duck brooding behavior advice

[WVduckchick]

I don't think the pics were too graphic to post. Not fully developed, so I don't feel like the momma killed them. I think they died and she was disposing of them.

I would candle the remaining eggs to see if any seem viable and decide from there.

 

[Miss Lydia]

So even if 41 days something is off somewhere.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hopefully she’ll post the pics it can help someone else I am sure. How far along would you say?

 

[WVduckchick]

40 days from June 9th, but if she laid any new eggs within the first 2 weeks after that, they could still be viable. The question should probably be when did the 19th egg appear?

 

[WVduckchick]

Hopefully she’ll post the pics it can help someone else I am sure. How far along would you say?

The one with the shell was very small compared to the egg size, but it had quite a bit of down already, so it must have been 20+ days?
The one that she carried out of the nest without a shell looked deformed. Very little feather growth, so I would guess early quitter.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Did the duckling look close to hatching? The one here that mama carried out side and dropped on the walkway was about a week from hatching still had large yolk sac in tact. She must have know it died because she went to great lengths to dispose of it. That’s amazing actually they can know.

 

[WVduckchick]

Did the duckling look close to hatching? The one here that mama carried out side and dropped on the walkway was about a week from hatching still had large yolk sac in tact. She must have know it died because she went to great lengths to dispose of it. That’s amazing actually they can know.

It really is amazing, isn't it!
I don't think either were close to hatching. My bet is that others are still moving inside the shells now, and she can feel them, and she knew those 2 no longer had a chance, so she was getting rid of them.

I was helping a local gal with a hatch and I went over to candle the eggs with her. We could not detect any movement and she kept saying it was dead. But as I was holding it in my hand, I actually felt it move. So since the hen is always touching the eggs, I know they can feel it too, even before they start peeping.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I actually think the reason for losing the duckling under my Muscovy was because the Runner eggs aren’t as tough as Muscovy eggs and she was helping when she was breaking the egg up but the shell was just not tough enough to protect the duckling. Muscovy eggs are hard and very tough to crack open. The egg I am referring to is the one she stomped on. They sure know more than we give them credit for.

 

[Nanettr]

I don't think the pics were too graphic to post. Not fully developed, so I don't feel like the momma killed them. I think they died and she was disposing of them.

I would candle the remaining eggs to see if any seem viable and decide from there.

If you feel it is okay to post here I will especially if it will help someone new to this like me that doesn’t know what to expect

 

[Miss Lydia]

Please do just post a warning before!