What's wrong with my eggs......

[Meg Muir]

Hello all, I have been incubating muscovy duck eggs in a DIY still air incubator and hand turning them, it is my first rodeo with muscovy eggs but not with incubation. I just don't seem to be getting it right. We are on day 38 now and it seems like the ducks have not developed as far as they should have. I am not seeing any movement in the eggs anymore so worried they have all given up on me. Here are a few pics of what I am seeing. Can anyone give me some pointers? Do I hang in there and just wait for those eggs to blow up? Or start over? I cracked open an egg which has had no movement for almost a week and found a fully developed duckling but yolk sack was not absorbed and he was totally lifeless. Some of the eggs have developed grey shadows in the air cell, not sure what that means.....

 

[stjohn19]

I personally would just wait a little longer and see what happens, you can also take a picture everyday of the eggs with the light to see if there any more improvement by the end of the week.

Hope all go well.

 

[chickens really]

@WVduckchick

 

[WVduckchick]

Both of those look like quitters to me, I'm sorry. I could be mistaken, but I don't see any blood vessels.
The first one maybe made it a little over half way, the 2nd a little further, in my opinion.

Being a homemade incubator, is it possible you had a temperature spike along the way? Did you test your meters - Thermometer and Hygrometer? Without a fan, there can be hot and cool spots, I would test multiple areas for consistency.

 

[Meg Muir]

Both of those look like quitters to me, I'm sorry. I could be mistaken, but I don't see any blood vessels.
The first one maybe made it a little over half way, the 2nd a little further, in my opinion.

Being a homemade incubator, is it possible you had a temperature spike along the way? Did you test your meters - Thermometer and Hygrometer? Without a fan, there can be hot and cool spots, I would test multiple areas for consistency.

I did run extensive checks over a 2 week period before putting eggs in. :-(

 

[Meg Muir]

These are some eggs from another incubator with the exact same setup as first incubator just put in one week later than the first batch. The first batch was literally the first clutch of eggs k got from my ducks but took them away because we had a cold front coming through and none of the ducks were remotely interested in sitting. These all still have movement when I candle, 3 of them look to be a little further along than the rest and according to my calendar I have to stop turning tomorrow. Should I move these eggs to other incubator to prepare for hatch? And leave the ones a little behind in their own bator? The 3 in question have very little space at the bottom of the egg where some of the others clearly light up.

 

[Meg Muir]

Both of those look like quitters to me, I'm sorry. I could be mistaken, but I don't see any blood vessels.
The first one maybe made it a little over half way, the 2nd a little further, in my opinion.

Being a homemade incubator, is it possible you had a temperature spike along the way? Did you test your meters - Thermometer and Hygrometer? Without a fan, there can be hot and cool spots, I would test multiple areas for consistency.

I will recandle tonight but there are definitely blood vessels in those eggs.

 

[chickens really]

Put them all into lock down...Air cells can be different sizes...If all put in the same day? Keep waiting

 

[chickens really]

@WVduckchick

 

[Meg Muir]

Put them all into lock down...Air cells can be different sizes...If all put in the same day? Keep waiting

Its not the air cells that are bothering me its the space at the bottom of the egg at the point. They all seem to be different, 3 are shadowed and the rest let various amounts of light througj.Ok will do that. And push humidity up to 75%?