Will We Have Ducklings on the Farm?

[Miss Lydia]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/duck-egg-candeling.931917/. Egg candling chart on this thread.

 

[3bird]

They love that foraging! Have you candles? I’d candle jut to make sure you have life in those eggs.

We have not candled. I guess we should. We don't have a candler, and I tried the flashlight trick but it was too bright, and I'm still unsure what I'm supposed to be seeing. I do think there is a good chance that several (all?) of them are not fertile given that Angus doesn't mate with Martha. But I'm not sure who else has their eggs in there.

 

[Miss Lydia]

If you’ll look at that picture of the eggs it shows what you should be seeing. And I just use an LED flash light, place the light under the fat end. If they aren’t fertile then stop the brooding no sense in letting them continue.

 

[3bird]

If you’ll look at that picture of the eggs it shows what you should be seeing. And I just use an LED flash light, place the light under the fat end. If they aren’t fertile them stop the brooding no sense in letting them continue.

I saw the chart! Thanks. It's not really dark enough in the duckhouse, but I'll try.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I get in the darkest corner

 

[Beccazon]

I use only my iphone flashlight. Works great. If eggs are very small I just cup my thumb and index finger around bottom of the egg to block stray light. The birds should be able to be off for 30, 40 minutes with no issues. Twice I have found an egg pushed aside and cold. I just marked it and put it back. So far both are fine and we are days away from hatch Don’t stress too much yet. As long as they do go back. Definitely candle tho! If they are viable and the girls come off and do not go back, do you have an incubator?

 

[Beccazon]

I saw the chart! Thanks. It's not really dark enough in the duckhouse, but I'll try.

I bring a light blanket and put it over my head in my chicken coop when I check eggs because it is so light.My duck house I can close off completely dark.

 

[3bird]

I bring a light blanket and put it over my head in my chicken coop when I check eggs because it is so light.My duck house I can close off completely dark.

I will try that. The people access to our duckhouse is a large tailgate opening, which lets in a lot of light even if I close the duck door and the shutters on the windows. The blanket is a good idea. Thanks!

 

[3bird]

30 June Update: It's still rainy here (which is awesome, as we have not had significant rain since mid-May!), but Martha elected to stay on the nest this morning. Stella came off for the entire supervised free-range time though. I was going to candle eggs, but Martha moved the next again to the back corner of the duckhouse, and I could not easily get to it (and she didn't get up, and it was raining so I didn't want to leave the big door open too long). There were no other eggs this morning in the nest on the other side of the duckhouse where the three other girls have been laying....hmmmmm.

 

[Miss Lydia]

what day are you on now? Or I should say Martha is on?