Will We Have Ducklings on the Farm?

[3bird]

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

Thanks you! Do you really think it looks okay? It's just day 15 at best (probably 14 or 13). Is it just not dark enough to see the veins? This is our first time going down this road, so we really appreciate the help.

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

I think it's farther along than that of its been really not in the duck house. Is the shell still nice and white? If the shell gets blueish or grayish discoloration it's dead.

 

[3bird]

I think it's farther along than that of its been really not in the duck house. Is the shell still nice and white? If the shell gets blueish or grayish discoloration it's dead.

The shell is nice and white.

 

[Miss Lydia]

It def looks good right now. I would not put more eggs under Martha unless it’s as far along as the one you just showed.

 

[3bird]

4 July Update: We did not see Martha come off the nest at all yesterday (Stella was off several times), but about halfway through morning supervised free-ranging this morning, both Martha and Stella came off the nest...and had a spa together:

While they were off it, I checked the nest, and there were just two eggs and one broken egg. From what was left of the broken egg and yolk, it did not look like a fertilized egg. I removed it. There were three eggs in the other nest in the duckhouse, but nobody was sitting on those.

 

[Miss Lydia]

They sure are loud when they want to be lol. Okay so 2 left let’s hope these 2 make it to hatch.

 

[Beccazon]

Agreed. Looks good. Need more dark and you will see the growth I can pick out by changing the exposure some. You are good to go!

 

[3bird]

6 July Update: We were down to one egg in the nest yesterday when Martha and Stella both came off the nest in the morning. There were three eggs in the other nest in the duckhouse. None appeared fertilized/developed, but one was definitely one I had candled the other day and seen nothing:

So what is going on here? Is Martha kicking out eggs she know are not fertile and then is another duck collecting them in the other nest?

Martha did have a very enjoyable spa when she came off the nest yesterday morning:

Yesterday afternoon, Amelia, Goose, Angus, and Mouse were more than ready to come out and party for evening supervised free ranging, but Stella lagged a bit, and Martha did not some out at all.

This morning (the 6th) Martha and Stella had moved their nest to the opposite corner of the duckhouse, but Martha did not come off it, so I don't know about eggs. This is where they started sitting. Then they moved to the middle nest, then the far corner and now back to the original corner. Is that normal? This whole process has been so interesting!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Mine usually stay put once they start. Could you have snakes getting the eggs? I had a 5’ blk snake in the coop the other day he got 2 chicken eggs before I got him out.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Some say they will kick out bad eggs I haven’t ever seen any of my Muscovy do it.