Help with Abondoned Eggs.

[Anonymous]

Hi There, I need help please! I have two nests full off eggs that the mothers have abandoned. I believe the eggs are at least 3 weeks old, most likely a little older. After the mother ducks abandoned them last night (eggs were in neighbors yard, neighbors moved eggs to my yard, mother ducks would not take back) I brought them into my garage hoping it would be hot enough. Did not have lamp or heating pad but i am in south Florida and it's hot and humid here. Problem is this morning it was 82 degrees in garage. I am hoping they are still ok. I now have a heating lamp set up over the eggs. I have tried to Candle them but not sure if they are alive. On some of them I do not see an air pocket at all, I actually cant see anything it's completely dark, no light is getting through. On others I see an air pocket, but no movement from the other side. I am not sure if these eggs are alive or not. They don't seem to be moving and I don't hear peeping. Is it possible they are still alive? Is there anything else I can do so if they are still alive they will make it. I have been trying to find a wildlife place that has incubators but so far no luck. PLEASE HELP!

 

[Tim]

Hi there,

Umm that's a tough one... you can usually leave eggs for a while more so as they get further into incubation - about the legth of time a duck would go off the nest each day really, I have also heard of eggs getting cold - but I'm not sure how long they will live for. Eggs tend to generate some of their own heat towards the end of the incubation period but still need to be kept in an incubator around 99 deg F

I think candling them is a good idea to see if they are alive - try doing this in a dark room, I always have to have a dark room for candling dark eggs like Marans eggs.

Tim

 

[Anonymous]

Well I have candled the eggs. There is no movement in any of the eggs. I am still hoping that they could still hatch, but I know that I should be able to see some kind of movement. It does sem like some were developing just fine because I see vains, but again no movement. So I'll wait about another week and then take it from there.

 

[Tim]

What was the outcome? Did any hatch?

Tim