What should this duck uncle do?

[Brianmiller1021]

My Mallard has been nesting for over 6 weeks now and the eggs have yet to hatch. I started in another forum that was helpful but was told his might be a better place.

I know the incubation period is 28 days. I just took one of the eggs and candles it and saw the hatchling inside. We made the choice to open it and see what was going on. Upon opening we found a fully developed hatchling that as dead and still attached to the yolk sack. Should I therefore assume that the rest are dead as well.

If so, it is my understanding to remove the eggs and the nest while she is away and cannot see it being removed. Wait for her to lay and nest again.

Thank you
Brian

 

[sourland]

Hello, Brian - sorry for the failed incubation. If you are certain that she has been setting for that long, I would do as suggested. Remove the eggs, destroy the nest site and allow her to recuperate and renest.

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

That's a long time. They are all likely dead and you should remove them and destroy the nest so your duck can get back to normal .Let me tag some experts here for their advice. @casportpony @WVduckchick @Miss Lydia

 

[PaulX]

Strange... if they really are dead, they should be rotten right about now. The smell from the egg gunk from hatched eggs in my incubator became unbearable in only 3 days. And the dead in shell eggs became very noticeably black and dead (and no vein) just as quickly when candled. Was the egg you cracked very cold when you cracked it? The cold could be preventing it from rotting.

What I'd do is I'd candle a few eggs and look for veins and movements.

But still, 6 weeks sound impossible for anything to remain, dead or alive.

 

[WVduckchick]

Agreed. Very sorry she didn’t get any to hatch.

Remove the eggs, but before you dispose of them, carry them inside carefully, and candle them all. If they have all been there that long, they definitely won’t be hatching. But if there’s a chance that another hen added eggs later, it would be good to check them all before disposal.

Handle carefully, you don’t want any rotten ones to break on you. Ewww the stench is horrid!

Mine tend to add eggs later, so once they start sitting tight, and staying overnights on the eggs, I wait for the broody to leave the nest for her daily outing, and I mark the eggs with a sharpie marker (pencil will rub off). Just a simple mark on the fat end is good, easy to find any time you want to check them later. This provides a gage of at least those eggs and you can tell if any get added after that if they don’t have the mark.