VEINS!!! I SEE VEINS!!!! Now what!??

5Chances

In the Brooder
6 Years
Jun 18, 2013
46
22
49
OMGOSH!!! I am so excited! My pekin duck Ethel, has been sitting so dedicated to her eggs. I have been reading and reading here & all over trying to even figure out if Eddie (her husband) got the job done and these eggs were even viable. This morning, it was much cloudier so I wanted to look one more time to be sure and.... I SAW VEINS!!!! (& of course the air pocket) My eggs look a lot like this picture below but with the right turn/angle of the light I definitely saw veins. She has 6 eggs that are like this. One I'm not too sure about but left it. And the other 4 I think I just see a yoke swishing around as I rotate the eggs on the light. I don't see veins in them. Should I leave them for a while?

I have no idea for certain the exact day she started setting. April 28 I know for certain she was brooding. But can anyone direct me in how long I might be waiting based on my egg description or what I should do to Keep a check on our babies?

Pic of similar egg attached but-- I SAW VEINS!!!!!
 

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Pekins take approximately 28 days to hatch. If she has been sitting fairly constantly, you should start seeing some hatching this weekend... maybe!

If the egg is mostly dark, up around the air cell, that means they are close. If the air cell looks out-of-round, then they are closer.

Also, watch around the time that she normally gets off the eggs for her daily routine. She will likely not get up for the last couple of days. Once they start pipping, she will stay glued to them. Its fine, just let her do her thing!

As for the other 4 eggs, if these are that far along and you have easy opportunity to remove them, I would take them out. Basically for space, and just in case she moves around for the hatching ones, and accidentally breaks an non-developing one. Yuck. But its also likely that once they start hatching, she will kick the bad ones out of the nest. So if you can't get them easily, just let her take care of it.

Good luck, hope you'll update with some duckling pics soon!
 
Pekins take approximately 28 days to hatch. If she has been sitting fairly constantly, you should start seeing some hatching this weekend... maybe!

If the egg is mostly dark, up around the air cell, that means they are close. If the air cell looks out-of-round, then they are closer.

Also, watch around the time that she normally gets off the eggs for her daily routine. She will likely not get up for the last couple of days. Once they start pipping, she will stay glued to them. Its fine, just let her do her thing!

As for the other 4 eggs, if these are that far along and you have easy opportunity to remove them, I would take them out. Basically for space, and just in case she moves around for the hatching ones, and accidentally breaks an non-developing one. Yuck. But its also likely that once they start hatching, she will kick the bad ones out of the nest. So if you can't get them easily, just let her take care of it.

Good luck, hope you'll update with some duckling pics soon!

Thank you so much. This is great info. Can you tell me, as I rotate (gently!) the egg when I am candling it, I see some movement inside. Is this normal? I can't tell if it is duck movement t or because I am turning the egg? When I hold it stil I don't think I see much movement but I have also not held it too long because I didn't want it to get too cold. I am still seeing good veins today in 6 eggs. Though #5 looks odd but I left it there. I had a much brighter light today so I saw more of the mass, liquid and the air sack lines more clearly. But the movement/slight "swishing" concerned me. I don't know if that's normal? Someone told me it should not move at all...but I see clear veins!? Maybe they're not quite as far along and there's more liquid than mass? Because I am so uncertain of when these eggs were exactly laid and incubation began, and concerned I will need to put mom and babies up for safety once hatched I am a bit obsessed with trying to know exactly what is happening in these eggs!! Lol!!
 
Yes a good, bright light with fresh batteries makes a huge difference. And actually, you should see movement! You can tap the egg with your fingernail and usually get a reaction from the duckling inside. Early on, candling looks kinda like they are swimming inside. Later on, it looks like more of just twitching. If there is no movement inside, and you kinda shift the egg back and forth, and it kinda "sloshes"... well I've usually only seen that in quitters. But anything is possible! They rest a bunch, you could just catch it at nap time.

So how many ducks do you have, and is Ethel separated from everyone else? Will Eddie have access to her and the babies, once they hatch? I ask because all drakes are different. I gave my drake a chance to be around the hatchlings, until he picked one up by the head and flung it across the yard (luckily it was fine). But I immediately separated him. Within a couple weeks, they were big enough to run from him. He just wanted back at momma anyway. 6 weeks without any lovin is a long time for a drake! lol But if there are others involved, the situation could be totally different. Just want you to consider the possibilities, and be prepared for anything to happen.

I took this around day 10:
candlegif.gif


And here is what that egg produced, a little over 2 years later: lol!
WP_20170321_18_07_08_Pro_LI (2).jpg
 
Yes a good, bright light with fresh batteries makes a huge difference. And actually, you should see movement! You can tap the egg with your fingernail and usually get a reaction from the duckling inside. Early on, candling looks kinda like they are swimming inside. Later on, it looks like more of just twitching. If there is no movement inside, and you kinda shift the egg back and forth, and it kinda "sloshes"... well I've usually only seen that in quitters. But anything is possible! They rest a bunch, you could just catch it at nap time.

So how many ducks do you have, and is Ethel separated from everyone else? Will Eddie have access to her and the babies, once they hatch? I ask because all drakes are different. I gave my drake a chance to be around the hatchlings, until he picked one up by the head and flung it across the yard (luckily it was fine). But I immediately separated him. Within a couple weeks, they were big enough to run from him. He just wanted back at momma anyway. 6 weeks without any lovin is a long time for a drake! lol But if there are others involved, the situation could be totally different. Just want you to consider the possibilities, and be prepared for anything to happen.

I took this around day 10:
View attachment 1016952

And here is what that egg produced, a little over 2 years later: lol!
View attachment 1016956

You are such a great help to me! I may go candle then one more time today and just try holding them still and see if I see any movement. Gosh I hope they're ok and not quitters!! But I do see veins clearly so I am hoping!! I thought yesterday there was more mass but I believe that was bc of my light. It would be better if I did this at night but she has such a fit I'm am trying to wait until I see her get off and run out there for a quick peak. I hold them inside my chicken coop where it is darker...all bc I'm trying not to upset mom!! I'm so nervous & worried about Jesé being able to hatch! This is ridiculous!!!


I only have the two Pekins (Ethel & Eddie) I once had my sweet precious Fred who was like a dog and loved me and he was taken by a coyote early one morning when they got out of their crate by accident. So I started keeping Ethel in the pen are of my chicken coop for extra protection. I quickly found Eddie to ease her loneliness...& now we have eggs. My chickens are all sweet girls and don't bother my ducks. I know can't move her nest as she is setting but thought if I get hatchlings it would be a good time to separate her and babies in case? Eddie is not a mean boy. Not the love puppy my Fred was. He is scared of people but not aggressive that I have ever seen. But quite the lover-- he has set his eyes on my chickens occasionally. But they run from him!! Though I know that could always change... & that is one beautiful duck you have there!!
 
OMGOSH!!! I am so excited! My pekin duck Ethel, has been sitting so dedicated to her eggs. I have been reading and reading here & all over trying to even figure out if Eddie (her husband) got the job done and these eggs were even viable. This morning, it was much cloudier so I wanted to look one more time to be sure and.... I SAW VEINS!!!! (& of course the air pocket) My eggs look a lot like this picture below but with the right turn/angle of the light I definitely saw veins. She has 6 eggs that are like this. One I'm not too sure about but left it. And the other 4 I think I just see a yoke swishing around as I rotate the eggs on the light. I don't see veins in them. Should I leave them for a while?

I have no idea for certain the exact day she started setting. April 28 I know for certain she was brooding. But can anyone direct me in how long I might be waiting based on my egg description or what I should do to Keep a check on our babies? Awesome! You should leave all the eggs for now. Are they on day 6 -10, or whot do you think?

Pic of similar egg attached but-- I SAW VEINS!!!!!
 
You are such a great help to me! I may go candle then one more time today and just try holding them still and see if I see any movement. Gosh I hope they're ok and not quitters!! But I do see veins clearly so I am hoping!! I thought yesterday there was more mass but I believe that was bc of my light. It would be better if I did this at night but she has such a fit I'm am trying to wait until I see her get off and run out there for a quick peak. I hold them inside my chicken coop where it is darker...all bc I'm trying not to upset mom!! I'm so nervous & worried about Jesé being able to hatch! This is ridiculous!!!


I only have the two Pekins (Ethel & Eddie) I once had my sweet precious Fred who was like a dog and loved me and he was taken by a coyote early one morning when they got out of their crate by accident. So I started keeping Ethel in the pen are of my chicken coop for extra protection. I quickly found Eddie to ease her loneliness...& now we have eggs. My chickens are all sweet girls and don't bother my ducks. I know can't move her nest as she is setting but thought if I get hatchlings it would be a good time to separate her and babies in case? Eddie is not a mean boy. Not the love puppy my Fred was. He is scared of people but not aggressive that I have ever seen. But quite the lover-- he has set his eyes on my chickens occasionally. But they run from him!! Though I know that could always change... & that is one beautiful duck you have there!!

So sorry about Fred :(
And if its only Ethel laying these eggs (which was the same situation I had last summer, only one hen and drake) do you know what day she laid the last egg? Somehow they just instinctively know how to make them all (well, mostly all) develop at the same time. Its like cooking dinner, we have to know what to start cooking first in order for it to all be ready at the same time. lol I also wouldn't move her nest, but can you move Eddie away from her for a few days if he gets rambunctious with them?

Yes, seeing veins is a great sign. There would be no chance of life without them. I know its a crazy waiting game and they wrap us around their little webs, but I swear there isn't much in life cuter than a newly hatched duckling.

Oh, not sure if I mentioned... once one does pip the shell, it could easily be another 2 days before it actually hatches. So once you see pips, just try and leave her alone.
 
So sorry about Fred :(
And if its only Ethel laying these eggs (which was the same situation I had last summer, only one hen and drake) do you know what day she laid the last egg? Somehow they just instinctively know how to make them all (well, mostly all) develop at the same time. Its like cooking dinner, we have to know what to start cooking first in order for it to all be ready at the same time. lol I also wouldn't move her nest, but can you move Eddie away from her for a few days if he gets rambunctious with them?

Yes, seeing veins is a great sign. There would be no chance of life without them. I know its a crazy waiting game and they wrap us around their little webs, but I swear there isn't much in life cuter than a newly hatched duckling.

Oh, not sure if I mentioned... once one does pip the shell, it could easily be another 2 days before it actually hatches. So once you see pips, just try and leave her alone.

GUESS WHAT!??!??? Even though I looked like a big dummy out in the pen with a blanket draped over my head I just HAD to look one more time after your post and I saw DEFINITE movement in 5 of the 6 eggs!!!!! So cool!! They are more "full" than the pic you shared but I could definitely see little "punches" I even saw a foot!!!! I am still seeing veining though so I know they probably aren't as far as I thought Agee days ago. Now I am SUPER EXCITED!!! OMGOSH!!! But a couple of them looked slightly more full so I'm just hoping they are close enough that she will hatch them all and none of my little kickers die!!

My biggest issue has been that Ethel started this nest around 4/13. But she was not too serious about staying in it. At one point she had 22 eggs!! I could see the black from the outside on several so as that happened we discarded them but around 4/28 she stopped getting off her practically at all and I KNOW for two solid weeks she has barely moved...once MAYBE twice a day. So I'm guessing with my limited knowledge of what I'm looking at and what I find on the internet of how far along they might be.

I can separate Eddie she is in a corner so I can "fence" her in. Once they hatch will Ethel remain sitting on them? I know they can go upmton48 hours with no food. But I would hate for her to lead them off the nest and me not know it.

Can you tell me if/when I should hear noise and what internal pipping looks like? How much can I check them from this point forward? Daily?
 
So sorry about Fred :(
And if its only Ethel laying these eggs (which was the same situation I had last summer, only one hen and drake) do you know what day she laid the last egg? Somehow they just instinctively know how to make them all (well, mostly all) develop at the same time. Its like cooking dinner, we have to know what to start cooking first in order for it to all be ready at the same time. lol I also wouldn't move her nest, but can you move Eddie away from her for a few days if he gets rambunctious with them?

Yes, seeing veins is a great sign. There would be no chance of life without them. I know its a crazy waiting game and they wrap us around their little webs, but I swear there isn't much in life cuter than a newly hatched duckling.

Oh, not sure if I mentioned... once one does pip the shell, it could easily be another 2 days before it actually hatches. So once you see pips, just try and leave her alone.

Awsome video WVduckchick!

GUESS WHAT!??!??? Even though I looked like a big dummy out in the pen with a blanket draped over my head I just HAD to look one more time after your post and I saw DEFINITE movement in 5 of the 6 eggs!!!!! So cool!! They are more "full" than the pic you shared but I could definitely see little "punches" I even saw a foot!!!! I am still seeing veining though so I know they probably aren't as far as I thought Agee days ago. Now I am SUPER EXCITED!!! OMGOSH!!! But a couple of them looked slightly more full so I'm just hoping they are close enough that she will hatch them all and none of my little kickers die!!

My biggest issue has been that Ethel started this nest around 4/13. But she was not too serious about staying in it. At one point she had 22 eggs!! I could see the black from the outside on several so as that happened we discarded them but around 4/28 she stopped getting off her practically at all and I KNOW for two solid weeks she has barely moved...once MAYBE twice a day. So I'm guessing with my limited knowledge of what I'm looking at and what I find on the internet of how far along they might be.

I can separate Eddie she is in a corner so I can "fence" her in. Once they hatch will Ethel remain sitting on them? I know they can go upmton48 hours with no food. But I would hate for her to lead them off the nest and me not know it.

Can you tell me if/when I should hear noise and what internal pipping looks like? How much can I check them from this point forward? Daily?

So excited for you! Like me you want to know everything now! LOL Good Luck
 
Awsome video WVduckchick!



So excited for you! Like me you want to know everything now! LOL Good Luck


Thank you! I know. I'm terrible. Patience is a virtue...unfortunately I think it was not gifted to me!! Lol!!
 

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