Please Help!!!!! sudden dark spot and no movement in egg

[WeTheWeys]

Today I rotated my eggs and candled, seeing a lot of movement from each. A few hours later, went back in to manually rotate the eggs again, and noticed a dark spot on one of them. Candled it and theres no movement at all. AT ALL. I separated him out from the others and put him in a different incubator just to be safe, however theres a dark spot around the other side of the egg, not where this duck embryo is. It is like a dark red/maroon color.

today is day 14.

This egg is my only mallard, and the egg was extremely small compared to the rest of the duck eggs (I had other mallard eggs that turned out to be infertile). However, this small little mallard egg was the first to begin showing movement a few days back. The only thing I did differently today was mist the eggs lightly since even with dry incubation (35% humidity) the air cells are still failing to grow. This way, I could help some of the moisture be evaporated out of the eggs. I misted them this morning, and six hours later this mallard was still dancing around. Seriously, this lack of movement and new dark spot are brand new...

Did my egg die? SLIGHTEST movement when I turn the egg, however I think this is more likely from my manual turning and not the mallard still hanging on...

What can I do?!?!?!?

 

[ChickNanny13]

@WVduckchick @KikisGirls @BantyChooks

 

[WVduckchick]

Sorry, there’s really nothing you can do. Separating was a good idea until you are positive that it quit.

Being the only mallard egg that developed, were these early eggs from a new layer? Or anything else particular to the mallard eggs?

 

[Kiki]

I am sorry.
Is you humidity guage calibrated? A "salt test" is very easy to do...we can tell you exactly how if you want to do one.

 

[RubyNala97]

Can you post a pic?

 

[HappyDancin']

I am sorry.
Is you humidity guage calibrated? A "salt test" is very easy to do...we can tell you exactly how if you want to do one.

I have this happen sometimes. I have poor hatch rates in what's proven to be a crummy incubator
What is the salt test, kikisgirls?

 

[Kiki]

I have this happen sometimes. I have poor hatch rates in what's proven to be a crummy incubator
What is the salt test, kikisgirls?

You can't trust the thermometer or humidity guage that comes with the incubator.
You really should spend a couple dollars and purchase separate ones....Walmart has cheap ones...and calibrate them.


Give me a few minutes to type up how to do the salt test. It's simple.

 

[Kiki]

To calibrate a humidity gauge you will need a zip lock bag and a small dish with table salt in it.
Wet the table salt a little.
Put the dish of slightly wet table salt in to a zip lock bag.
Place the humidity gauge in to the bag NEXT to the salt dish.
Zip bag.
Leave it over night.
The humidity gauge should say 75%
IF it does not say 75% then it is off by the difference of the number it reads and 75.

Example.
If it reads 65% then yet is off by 10.
So the next time you use it you will know that it is off by 10% and need to add 10 to what ever number it is reading.


Does that make sense?

Look at this post to see what I found at Walmart.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...alut-eggs-2-live-ducks.1229923/#post-19731347
For thermometers use this:
Testing/calibrating incubator thermometers and hygrometers

 

[HappyDancin']

To calibrate a humidity gauge you will need a zip lock bag and a small dish with table salt in it.
Wet the table salt a little.
Put the dish of slightly wet table salt in to a zip lock bag.
Place the humidity gauge in to the bag NEXT to the salt dish.
Zip bag.
Leave it over night.
The humidity gauge should say 75%
IF it does not say 75% then it is off by the difference of the number it reads and 75.

Example.
If it reads 65% then yet is off by 10.
So the next time you use it you will know that it is off by 10% and need to add 10 to what ever number it is reading.


Does that make sense?

Look at this post to see what I found at Walmart.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...alut-eggs-2-live-ducks.1229923/#post-19731347
For thermometers use this:
Testing/calibrating incubator thermometers and hygrometers

Really good, thank you for the information and great suggestion
...I definitely need to do that. I've just been trusting my lame ol' incubator's readings...
I was told that this incubator is "cursed" -lol. I'm borrowing it from a friend, who had tried to hatch a dozen ...with only one survivor. I've done two hatches now, with more eggs...both resulted with only ONE survivor! That seems too bizarre, even if it's temp/humidity...I'm flabbergasted at how in the world just one lived each time.

I have a thermometer/hydrometer on the way (Amazon) -and I'll be getting my own incubator soon, too.

 

[Kiki]

Here is another link:
https://www.thesprucepets.com/how-to-calibrate-a-hygrometer-1239116