Candling fertile eggs and how to tell if one isn't going to make it/didn't make it?

[chickmomma03]

I pulled a total of 6 eggs from my neighbor's house. 3 were definitely infertile, I could tell when I candled. 3 were fertile. 1 definitely didn't make it, so it sadly had to be disposed of yesterday. I have 2 left in the incubator. One is VERY clearly developing. The other, I am not so sure about. I can see into it, but not as clearly as I can the other egg. I don't see a blood ring indicating early death, and it still looks nice and orangy in color like the other. The air sack still seems to be developing as it should, but the embryo doesn't seem to be as far along as the other. I started them last Sunday evening/night (approximately 8pm). I can see the heart beating in the clearly developing egg (it's awesome too), but it's not easy to see whether or not there is a heart beat in the 2nd egg. I don't want to just toss the egg and kill a possibly still live embryo either though (egg 1). Now, I'm still new to candling, but I definitely don't see any blood ring in the egg, and I don't see any possible bacteria or anything off, and there is NO foul odor from the egg (I also see no visible hole or leak, break in the yolk sack, etc). It seems like it should, however, be farther along in the process than it is. Should I give it more time? Does anyone have any good pictures of earlier developing embryos that I could use for reference? I tried google, but I keep getting grossed out with dead embryos (sorry, I know it's a fact of life, it happens, but some are really graphic).

A couple more questions:

When do I stop turning the eggs close to hatching?

IF a problem arises during hatching where the duck comes out at the wrong spot, the LAST thing I want is for it to suffocate. Can I gently help the head break out should something like that happen? I really really don't want the little duckling to die if there could have been something I could do to prevent it.

I made my own incubator, and right now I have the eggs nuzzled in a rag towel to help with warmth. Will it be safe to have in there when the eggs are hatching? I've not been able to find a solid answer on whether or not it's ok to keep in during/after hatching or if I should switch to something else. My eggs aren't due to hatch for probably at least another 21 days I think (though, I'm not sure what breed of ducks, the male is solid white, the female is brown with black speckles on her)?

Also, temperatures after hatch for the next several weeks please, and do they need humidity after they're born? Safe food and water dish ideas? I've only had chicks and I was able to use a small dish with just a tiny bit of water, but from what I've read about duckling accidental drowning can happen often and that scares me.

Thanks!

 

[JadeComputerGal]

I pulled a total of 6 eggs from my neighbor's house. 3 were definitely infertile, I could tell when I candled. 3 were fertile. 1 definitely didn't make it, so it sadly had to be disposed of yesterday. I have 2 left in the incubator. One is VERY clearly developing. The other, I am not so sure about. I can see into it, but not as clearly as I can the other egg. I don't see a blood ring indicating early death, and it still looks nice and orangy in color like the other. The air sack still seems to be developing as it should, but the embryo doesn't seem to be as far along as the other. I started them last Sunday evening/night (approximately 8pm). I can see the heart beating in the clearly developing egg (it's awesome too), but it's not easy to see whether or not there is a heart beat in the 2nd egg. I don't want to just toss the egg and kill a possibly still live embryo either though (egg 1). Now, I'm still new to candling, but I definitely don't see any blood ring in the egg, and I don't see any possible bacteria or anything off, and there is NO foul odor from the egg (I also see no visible hole or leak, break in the yolk sack, etc). It seems like it should, however, be farther along in the process than it is. Should I give it more time? Does anyone have any good pictures of earlier developing embryos that I could use for reference? I tried google, but I keep getting grossed out with dead embryos (sorry, I know it's a fact of life, it happens, but some are really graphic).

A couple more questions:

When do I stop turning the eggs close to hatching?

IF a problem arises during hatching where the duck comes out at the wrong spot, the LAST thing I want is for it to suffocate. Can I gently help the head break out should something like that happen? I really really don't want the little duckling to die if there could have been something I could do to prevent it.

I made my own incubator, and right now I have the eggs nuzzled in a rag towel to help with warmth. Will it be safe to have in there when the eggs are hatching? I've not been able to find a solid answer on whether or not it's ok to keep in during/after hatching or if I should switch to something else. My eggs aren't due to hatch for probably at least another 21 days I think (though, I'm not sure what breed of ducks, the male is solid white, the female is brown with black speckles on her)?

Also, temperatures after hatch for the next several weeks please, and do they need humidity after they're born? Safe food and water dish ideas? I've only had chicks and I was able to use a small dish with just a tiny bit of water, but from what I've read about duckling accidental drowning can happen often and that scares me.

Thanks!

A lot of questions, and I only had time to skim it for now. What do you mean by you pulled them from your neighbor's house? If they were taken from a nest, they could have been at different stages of development. Even if all eggs are started incubating at the same time, they can look very different from one another. I've had 3-week eggs that looked like the duckling was about to hatch, and 25-day eggs that looked more like the 3-week point. Are you able to post a pic of both?

I keep my relative humidity (RH) at 42% for incubation and around 65% at lockdown, depending on what's happening at lockdown. If what you have isn't some type of Bantam duck, which you'd know because the parents would be very small compared with other ducks, the full incubation time including lockdown will be roughly 28 days, unless they're Muscovy. (@Miss Lydia , please can you help me out with that part.)

Whatever you have, you do the lockdown at about 3 days prior to the expected hatch, so that's on day 25 for most ducks, though I understand some do it on day 24 for Runners (@Amiga ?) because they can hatch just short of the 28 days. In lockdown, you lay them down with the air cell end slightly upward, which they typically do on their own because that end is lighter and the duckling is in the other part. Candle first, then lay the eggs with the part where the air cell end dips the most toward your ceiling, and don't turn during lockdown. The ducklings position for hatching during those last days, and turning them can cause them to get in the wrong position for a successful hatch.

I'll read over this thread again after I finish my other thing I need to get done right now, but there will probably be others who respond in the meantime.

 

[chickmomma03]

Quote:
The eggs weren't in a nest (even though I've suggested a nesting box, she hasn't given the female duck one, and I'm not going to push the issue, the female duck just leaves the eggs wherever), they were laying throughout the yard in fairly close proximity to the house (but spread out if that makes sense, it's a big yard). I had permission to collect the eggs (I was taking care of her animals).

I can try to get a picture of the candled eggs.

 

[Amiga]

I have not hatched ducks, so I point people toward the sticky on hatching waterfowl, and Call Ducks Finally Hatched thread, and @Lacrystol or @WVduckchick or other hatchers.

 

[chickmomma03]

Ok, sorry it took me so long, I had to take care of the chickens, kiddo, and all that fun stuff. I took the eggs into a dark room and took several pictures of both the eggs. Here they are:

first egg, 7 days in the incubator


first egg, 7 days in the incubator


first egg, 7 days in the incubator


second egg, 7 days in the incubator


second egg, 7 days in the incubator


second egg, 7 days in the incubator


second egg, 7 days in the incubator

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Ok, sorry it took me so long, I had to take care of the chickens, kiddo, and all that fun stuff. I took the eggs into a dark room and took several pictures of both the eggs. Here they are:

first egg, 7 days in the incubator


first egg, 7 days in the incubator


first egg, 7 days in the incubator


second egg, 7 days in the incubator


second egg, 7 days in the incubator


second egg, 7 days in the incubator


second egg, 7 days in the incubator

The facing part of the first egg looks like a blood ring to me unless you've made marks on the egg other than the one circle. I would hold onto it for a few more days and candle again. If you're not seeing any positive signs of development, I would dispose of it on day 10/11.

 

[chickmomma03]

I made a O on the one side and X on the other, no other marks. I thought blood rings were suppose to be full circle? This one has breaks in it like the first one did at early development, that's where I'm puzzled. I've had a harder time actually seeing into that egg than the other for some reason. I'm not sure if it's that I'm not candling it properly or not. I've had a hard time finding pictures online but the ones I found of blood rings didn't match

 

[WVduckchick]

The first one could be a blood ring developing, but I'd leave it a few more days. The second one looks great!
Here's a chart I like:

 

[WVduckchick]

This is a chicken egg, developing a blood ring, but a duck would look the same.




And this is a very healthy chicken egg (polish chick - hatched 5 weeks ago!)
This is further along than your day 7, I just wanted to give you an idea what you will see.

 

[chickmomma03]

When the time nears to hatch I read I'm suppose to turn the egg so the air sack is at the top, is that so? Do I turn it pointing straight up or just angled up?

Thanks for the pics wvduckchick. It's been amazing to watch the eggs grow and change. I'm hoping egg 1 isn't dead (I guess if it is it died pretty early then). If so, I don't really know what happened, other than maybe it laid around longer or something (or maybe even the dogs got it before I did, but there weren't any punctures or anything). They are both in the same incubator. I'm thinking about asking the neighbor if I can collect another fertile one. They literally don't do anything with them and the female duck doesn't sit on them at all. Just lays them wherever and leaves them (I'm guessing maybe it's because there's no nest and the dogs run the yard, or maybe because she's still young, not sure though, you'd think she'd want to).