What is happening to my duck eggs? (Long post)

[Jinglebells0518]

I'm incubating duck eggs. This is the second time I've attempted. The incubator was cleaned and the duck eggs were wiped off with a dry cloth before placing them in the incubator. I had 8 and all of them were viable but on day 17 it appears only one still has vessels and is moving. The others started to develop but then at some point died or gave up, etc. The vessels disappeared and it looked as if the dark spot (the embryo growing) was more liquid than solid and appeared to be floating throughout the yolk inside. I assumed bacteria so I took them out and cracked the ones I was sure were dead just to check. Only one had a foul odor when cracked. Another had a bit of a greenish color to the sac surrounding the duck but not visible in the rest of the yolk. The other 2 looked normal in appearance and smell. One of those two did have some dark vessels but not alive, just the vessels that are very dark red as if the blood in them is old. 3 of the remaining 4 I'm almost positive are dead but I had a tiny bit of doubt so I left them in.

Does this sound like a bacteria problem all around or a mix of problems? I'm worried to take the other 3 out but I'm also worried to leave it in with one that I'm sure is still alive and compromise that one if it is a bacteria.

I don't have a second incubator. And I cleaned this one really well and wiped the eggs down before placing them. I just don't see how they could all have bacteria. Especially how 7/8 could catch it so quickly but the one is still fine. Now I'm worried for it. We've lost so many babies doing everything right that I'm just getting frustrated all the babies are growing and then dying and I feel like it's my fault. The last two literally made it to zipping and still died. Nothing I'm doing will hatch a dang egg.

All the embryos were at such different stages too but were clearly ducks so I feel like I should have taken some of the eggs out sooner than I did but people say they check them once at 7 days and then not again at all until lock down so I just don't understand how if they have one bad egg they don't all go bad in that time.

 

[Miss Lydia]

@WVduckchick @shawluvsbirds
@Pyxis
@casportpony

 

[WVduckchick]

Honestly it sounds like more of an incubator issue, like temps fluctuating too much? What kind of incubator are you using, and how are they being turned? (By hand, upright in a turner, etc) and what temp and humidity are you keeping them?

The other thing is maybe health of the parents. We sometimes find lots of quitters in new layer eggs, so how long have the girls been laying? What do they eat?

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Jinglebells0518

 

[Fisherlmiranda]

I was using a homemade incubator and was having the same exact problem. I dint have my temperature high enough for a still air incubator. And my humidity was to high. Next time I'm going to run the incubator dry until the end.

 

[Jinglebells0518]

Honestly it sounds like more of an incubator issue, like temps fluctuating too much? What kind of incubator are you using, and how are they being turned? (By hand, upright in a turner, etc) and what temp and humidity are you keeping them?

The other thing is maybe health of the parents. We sometimes find lots of quitters in new layer eggs, so how long have the girls been laying? What do they eat?

It's a little giant still egg air incubator. The temperature has only fluctuated from 99.5-100.1 as far as I've seen and I record it 3 times a day. Also double checked this temperature with a second thermometer and it is reading accurate. The humidity is about 40-50% and is also correct. We used this same incubator about a month and a half ago with the two that made it almost full term so I feel it is working properly. They are laying down. I have been hand turning them 3 times a day and they are not sticking to the shell and the temperature comes back up quickly with the eggs really never being out of the incubator minus being candled a few times where they were out for 10 minutes max.

Mom is 2 years old and most of her eggs have been fertilized that we've attempted incubating. The last two that made it to zipping were also hers. She comes and goes as she pleases so I'm not sure if she has tried hatching before but she hangs out with 2 males so it's likely she has had fertilized eggs in the past.

I should add that I realize the in incubator thermometer is only reading at that exact spot in the incubator so I have always laid the eggs as close to the thermometer as possible in case other parts of the incubator were too cold or too warm. I have also been circulating the eggs each time I turn them in case one egg was in a slightly cool spot it would never be there for more than 10 hours. So unless both thermometers are incorrect, I have done everything possible to insure the eggs are staying warm enough

 

[Knighstar679]

Your temp for a still air incubator may be low. I believe it is supposed to be at 101 for still air and 99.5 for forced air.

 

[Jinglebells0518]

Your temp for a still air incubator may be low. I believe it is supposed to be at 101 for still air and 99.5 for forced air.

hmm OK. I'll turn it up a bit. The directions with it said 99.5 so I assumed.
Anyways this will be the last time I ever incubate eggs. They probably would have had a better shot outside the way this has been going

 

[WVduckchick]

Agreed, if the incubator doesn’t have a fan, bump it up to about 101-102. I assume you are taking the reading at about the top height of the egg? Ones without fans need to be a little warmer since the air doesn’t circulate around the egg like it does with a fan.

 

[WVduckchick]

Now to humidity. Whereabouts are you located? I know the manufacturers recommend 40-50% humidity, but usually that’s too high for most of us. Check out the Red link in my signature line for more on humidity settings.
We will get you dialed in. Hang in there and keep trying!