Will We Have Ducklings on the Farm?

[3bird]

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

Maybe 11 or 12....I think.

 

[Beccazon]

I wonder if she claimed the eggs the others had laid when she moved the nest. I wish mine would move away from right in front off the darn door! Sheesh!
As I expect hatching any day now, I seperated the inside by a piece of fencing to keep mom(s) and babies safer. Also cordoned off a section of run outside the small door they are nesting by for their own food and water. The rest will use the big back door but can access the run from outdoors as always. They free range all day and come and go.
Digger did not come off the nest at all today. Unless I missed it. That makes me nervous when she does that. It was 90 out today. I assume she knows her babies are close.
If you find that Martha gathered the eggs of th others, I would mark them but not remove them until you know if her first eggs are fertile. I don’t know about you, but breaks my heart thinking my girls will sit til their hearts break when nothing hatches. That way at least she (they) will have an opportunity with the other eggs if you need to pull the other unfertile ones. But that is just me

 

[3bird]

I wonder if she claimed the eggs the others had laid when she moved the nest. I wish mine would move away from right in front off the darn door! Sheesh!
As I expect hatching any day now, I seperated the inside by a piece of fencing to keep mom(s) and babies safer. Also cordoned off a section of run outside the small door they are nesting by for their own food and water. The rest will use the big back door but can access the run from outdoors as always. They free range all day and come and go.
Digger did not come off the nest at all today. Unless I missed it. That makes me nervous when she does that. It was 90 out today. I assume she knows her babies are close.
If you find that Martha gathered the eggs of th others, I would mark them but not remove them until you know if her first eggs are fertile. I don’t know about you, but breaks my heart thinking my girls will sit til their hearts break when nothing hatches. That way at least she (they) will have an opportunity with the other eggs if you need to pull the other unfertile ones. But that is just me

I think she did grab some of those eggs, and one just went missing....weird. I checked this morning, and I think there are just two of the six that look like they have any possibility of being viable. I didn't pull any eggs yet. Unfortunately, it looks as if the marks I made on the 26th with a wax pencil have come off. There was one new egg this morning in the other nest in the duckhouse, which was cold and I brought it inside. I am curious about taking eggs away. At this point is there any harm in leaving the unfertilized ones with her and pulling them if and when a duckling hatches from the other ones? I watch her so diligently check each egg and re-position it when she goes back in. That's probably just me being anthropocentric! ;-)

 

[Beccazon]

There should be no issue removing any. I remove the one fresh layed daily by someone with no issues. (But not today or yesterday. They are close and the girls know it and do not leave the nest unattended now). There should be no harm in leaving them. If I understand correctly, mamas will boot the eggs that do not hatch in a timely manner or that they deem unsuitable. So should you have live hatches, I might assume they will be fine. At a week you will see veining easily and even a dark spot within thise veins. At 2 weeks that spot will be bigger and not just a kind of perfect pencil eraser size or shape. More like a black grub Anyhow, if you are seeing none of that, you may have unfertile eggs or it is a newer egg you are checking. Can’t wait to see what your girls are sitting on!!

 

[3bird]

1 July Update: This morning Stella got off the nest almost right away for supervised free-ranging with the flock. Martha lagged about ten minutes but then got up as well. Boy, was she in a mood! She jumped both Mouse and Amelia and even jumped me once. She got a bath and some great foraging. Stella headed back in before Martha, so the nest was left unattended for only about 15 minutes all told. During that time, I did check, and there are now six eggs again. I used my flashlight on my phone, and I think I see only two of the six that look viable. Of course there are new eggs that may not be showing yet, but unfortunately, my wax pencil marking did not work, so I'm not sure which are which. I did not remove any, as I wanted to come in and check the chart @Miss Lydia sent us. Two eggs appear to have a dark mass at the bottom and nothing at the top, but I was not in a great position (half in-half out of the duckhouse awkwardly holding the eggs over my phone flashlight). I'll try to do better tomorrow.

 

[3bird]

There should be no issue removing any. I remove the one fresh layed daily by someone with no issues. (But not today or yesterday. They are close and the girls know it and do not leave the nest unattended now). There should be no harm in leaving them. If I understand correctly, mamas will boot the eggs that do not hatch in a timely manner or that they deem unsuitable. So should you have live hatches, I might assume they will be fine. At a week you will see veining easily and even a dark spot within thise veins. At 2 weeks that spot will be bigger and not just a kind of perfect pencil eraser size or shape. More like a black grub Anyhow, if you are seeing none of that, you may have unfertile eggs or it is a newer egg you are checking. Can’t wait to see what your girls are sitting on!!

I'm so confused, as I just checked the chart @Miss Lydia sent me, and I swear what I saw in the two eggs that "had something" was way more like 22-day or later egg, which just isn't possible. We are day 13 at best, I think. To be honest, I was not prepared today, so I'll try to be ready tomorrow. It will be easier once the rain stops, and I did order an inexpensive portable candler on Amazon that will arrive tomorrow!

 

[Beccazon]

If you are candling (from the fat end, the air sac), at that gestation you should see very little actual darkness. Save for the embryo spot. I candle from the side also. And look from all sides. Mostly cuz it just fascinates me lol. But you are right...it is difficult unless you are comfortable and dark. Took me days to figure out an effective strategy for candling mine! Even harder with the chickens until I brought a blanket. Will be easier with your new candler!! Yay!!

 

[3bird]

If you are candling (from the fat end, the air sac), at that gestation you should see very little actual darkness. Save for the embryo spot. I candle from the side also. And look from all sides. Mostly cuz it just fascinates me lol. But you are right...it is difficult unless you are comfortable and dark. Took me days to figure out an effective strategy for candling mine! Even harder with the chickens until I brought a blanket. Will be easier with your new candler!! Yay!!

I hate to say definitely, but boy it seemed like there was the diagonal line between the dark area and the air sac. And the air sac appeared way larger than any of the earlier ones. Hmmmm.

 

[3bird]

3 July Update: I forgot to update yesterday (actually work was just crazy, and I never got around to it). Martha did not come off the nest all day until the evening supervised free range (and then she was a force to be reckoned with!). Stella was already off, so I got a chance to go in and check eggs. There were only four eggs, down from six. There were two eggs in the other nest in the duckhouse, which were abandoned and cold. Hmmmm. I looked at the four eggs with our new candler, and two showed no signs of anything. The other two both had large dark masses and small air sacs. Here's a picture of one:

I'm thinking no duckings on the farm this go-round.

This morning, Martha did not come off the nest at all, but Stella did. Mouse stayed in for a bit sitting on the other nest in the duckhouse. When Mouse came off, I checked, and there was one warm egg in her nest. I gave it to Martha, figuring "what the heck?"

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

That egg looks good to me just farther along. Don't give up yet.