What do hatching eggs look like?

[jujubear]

I have seen different things in my Muscovy eggs when I candle them at the end of their term.

1. Some are all dark, like black inside.
2. Some are dark but have a clear (air bubble) end.
3. Some have red veins and whatever is formed in there is not big. It's mostly light with a dark form maybe half the size of the egg.
4. Some have odd shaped blotches of darkness.

Would anyone please care to guess, or have knowledge of what is going on with these eggs.

I am inbreeding so I don't expect them to all hatch.

I read on here that the babies will put their heads in the air sack before hatching. Is that correct? If so would an all black egg indicate that it has already gotten to that stage and is now probably dead because it was unable to get out of the egg?

Lord Bless,
Julie

 

[shelleyd2008]

I've had no luck with muscovy eggs, but other duck eggs take from 1-3 days to pip the shell after pipping into the air sac. The ones that are completely dark are most likely ones that have pipped the air sac. The ones that are completely dark except the air sac would be ones that haven't internally pipped yet. The others, if they still have veins should still be alive, though that doesn't make sense. Are you sure they are veins? They were all set at the same time?

 

[mulia24]

ew, i don't have any experience with muscovy but i've hatch duck once, but i don't know about air sac problem, i just let them make their own way and help when it seems to be not able make it.