Will these eggs hatch?

[Farm life101]

Hello all,
I have 2 duck eggs in the incubator, one is a Swedish blue and the other is either a runner or a khaki Campbell. They have both showed great growth along the way with sting veins and a clear “body” that I can see. Tonight is day 22 and they have darkened up. So I have a few questions. 1- is there anyway that I could hear there heartbeats like with a stethoscope? 2- when should I turn up the humidity (and to what humidity should I turn it up to)? 3- I should stop turning he eggs 3 days before estimated hatch date...right? 4- when they hatch and they have fluffed up would it be possible (if the hen takes them in) for the hen to raise them? The hen is a broody bantam silkie girl who has hatched a batch or two of chickens before.

Thanks!

 

[ejtrout31]

1. I don’t believe you can but on day 25 ish you should see sighns of pipping.

2. I think on day 25 it should be at 50% read this article for more https://ahdc.vet.cornell.edu/sects/duck/hatching.cfm

3. Right 3 days before

4. Personally I wouldn’t. The hen might reject them because she didn’t hatch them. And the chicks can not survive on their own if the hen does.

Good luck

 

[Farm life101]

1. I don’t believe you can but on day 25 ish you should see sighns of pipping.

2. I think on day 25 it should be at 50% read this article for more https://ahdc.vet.cornell.edu/sects/duck/hatching.cfm

3. Right 3 days before

4. Personally I wouldn’t. The hen might reject them because she didn’t hatch them. And the chicks can not survive on their own if the hen does.

Good luck

Okay thanks you!!

 

[Pyxis]

I'm not sure if you could hear their heartbeats with a stethoscope - maybe, but just by candling you'll be able to tell if they are alive or not anyway

Humidity should be increased on day 25, which is also when you stop turning them. For lockdown, a humidity of 65% to 70% tends to work best.

If the hen is currently broody and sitting on eggs, she might take them for you. The night they hatch, you'd want to take any eggs she's sitting on out from under her and replace them with the ducklings. I have done this successfully with broodies several times. However, there is always the chance she could reject them, so you would want to keep a close eye on the situation.

 

[PaulX]

Darkening is ok. Blackening... is bad.

1. You should be able to see the embryo moving when you candle, no need to hear the heartbeat.
4. If the hen is already broody, you can put the eggs under her around 25 days at night (make sure she don't see you do it) and let them hatch under her, but this probably will cause her to abandon her own eggs if the ducklings hatch first.

 

[chickens really]

If your Broody isn't on eggs I'd give her the eggs from the incubator and let her hatch them. If she has hatched before she will be a good mother.

 

[Farm life101]

Okay thank you! The broody hen is trying to sit on eggs but I don’t want any child so I take them from her. Will she be able to tell that the eggs are on day 25?