At this point your chicks are moving into their final position and should be left alone. It takes a toll on their body to sit for 30 days, as they only get off their nest to eat and drink for a short amount of time each day. Candling doesnt harm the egg, but there are certain risks that may increase as candling frequency increases. Because the environment is hot and humid, this becomes a breeding ground for bacteria to develop. I would open the hole up a bit more one one egg tgat has little movement and see whats going on. By Day 22, the embryo fills so much of the egg, you often do not see much other than around the air sac. You must ensure that eggs are fertilized after day five, or else the eggs will not hatch. If you are persistent she will stop. Once she leaves the nest remove the old eggs, place a couple new eggs and the ducklings in the nest. Time it for around the time the eggs (if they had been fertilized) would have been hatching. If that means adding some damp sponges inside the incubator, so that you can have the vents open, I would do that. You will be able to identify which eggs are alive and those that are dead. If the duck wasn't on the eggs over night it isn't likely they are still viable. But then sometimes there are no issues at all. It seems like there is less movement and activity in many of them . If she does persist you may need to break up the nest daily as well. Many people recommend not using oversized, undersized, misshapen, or double yolk eggs. Eggs that are rotten can ruin the whole nest of eggs, just like in an incubator. When this occurs, still try to limit contact only to necessary involvement. To help you understand why turning is so important we need to look at what happens inside the shell. The duckling should break this 1-2 days before hatching. Death of Livestock/Pets--How do you cope? You are using an out of date browser. This will occur in the incubator for the first 25 days. Once you've incubated your own eggs, you know that you can keep a vicious circle going. Just like with human birth, some eggs hatch more quickly than others, and that's ok. The yolk and embryo need to stay floating and moving. It is theorized that the egg white helps support the egg yolk and keeps the developing embryo from drying out. A normal hatch takes at least 12 hours and up to 48 hours after pipping. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. It is possible they may develop but hatching will be a struggle. If the eggs are rattled or damaged during the transporting process, they may be unable to grow or have died before the incubation process can even begin on your end. On the other hand, chicken eggs have it shorter at only up to Day 21. Duck eggs day 17, air cell too small! They say not to use any flawed eggs because it reduces the chance of a healthy hatch. However, in general, you can expect good egg production for 3-5 years, and your ducks will likely stop laying entirely when they are 7-9 years old. When people come to me for hatching help, I always ask them three questions, to make sure their ducklings have the best chance for hatching on their own.
