Some help with incubating duck eggs? Candling?

Question

First off, I dont have an incubator, Im using a small halogen lamp. I used it years ago when I was incubating, at that time I only got one duckling, this time Im trying a lot harder, checking them more often to ensure they are 36 - 37 degrees celsius, turning them and spraying with water.

 I am incubating Pacific Black ducks - the eggs were rescued from a land clearing site - which generally take about 28 days to incubate. I candled them on Sunday and in at least 3 I saw the classic spot with viens, indicating about day 5 -7. I candled again today (4 days later) and the shell is almost completely taken over by shadow, from pictures on websites that looks like day 24! I was expecting it to be day 14 but they are much bigger than that, viens are still visible and I saw one of them move.

 Is it possible they are incubating faster than normal because of artificial conditions? Or did I simply miscalculate how far along they were on Sunday? Seeing as how I have no way of knowing when they were laid, and I dont do this regularly, Im only guessing, and Im concerned if they are developing faster perhaps I should stop turning them and up the humidity to get ready for pipping? 

 Any information on this is welcome, 

http://www.metzerfarms.com/Candling.cfm

This is the site Im using for images. On Sunday they looked like 'day 6' and today they look like 'day 20' The viens have never looked that big or clear but this is a small, hardy breed with dark shelled eggs.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Who knows if they were slightly further into development than you thought?  I'll be amazed if you method of "incubation" works to be honest as one side of the eggs will always be hotter than the other, you cannot achieve all round temperature from a lamp. If the temperature is around 37 then they shouldn't develop quicker than normal. 

You must stop turning the eggs in the final 3 days prior to hatching (day 25) so the ducklings can orientate themselves to hatch upwards out of the shells. Humidity should be around 65% the whole time increaseing in the final 3 days if possible. Do you have a hygrometer to monitor humidity?

siemens · Answer

i'm not positive about duck eggs in certain, yet in accordance to the e book I actually have about chickens, you are able to candle them interior an afternoon or 2 because the embryo grows truly quickly. My e book also says that the eggs could be became daily interior the incubator. My chickens lay eggs and walk faraway from them; that is purely even as they're "broody" that they are going to sit down on the eggs as a thanks to hatch them. If ducks are something like chickens, it would not count number that the mummy duck walked away. How lengthy she change into away does count number. My e book says the eggs can wait some days, unrefrigerated, to move the incubator yet not a lot longer than that.

Some help with incubating duck eggs? Candling?

2 Answers