Egg update
November 29th 2011 12:53
As Kman is so fond of telling me when I ring up from work. "they are still eggs. They dont do anything."
In the first few days of having them I was in a lather - I just felt anxious. Something was wrong, and I didnt know what. After some googling, I realized I had them upside down - the pointy end of the egg should be pointing down, if any end is. This is so the duckling can reach for the air bubble as it grows, it can suffocate otherwise. So for a few days after that I was sure Id killed them.
Add to that, freaky cold weather, making them hard to keep warm, coupled with even more freaky hot weather, making them hard to keep below 37 degrees. And, to add to my anxiety, when I candled them at what I approximated to be day 5 - 7, I saw dark spots with blood vessels in 3 of them, one I couldnt be sure, and one other looked clear.
I candled again, 3 days after that, and in the 3 good ones shadows had overtaken half the egg - looking like day 20 on other duck raising websites - one still unsure and one clear.
Last night, I candled again, and would you believe it, I dropped one.
Like yesterday wasnt stressful enough for them - the washing machine overflowed, right next to them, getting them a bit wet, so I had to dry out their lamp and give them a new house. My candling equipment - a cardboard toilet roll and a cardboard sheet - were ruined, so I made new ones, but I forgot to staple the toilet roll to make it smaller - the eggs are so narrow they slip right through.
Well, with egg number one - the i-dont-know egg - thats exactly what happened. I thought it survived without damage, but I didnt see a damn thing while candling. I keep looking for movement, in one Im sure I can see a wing spread against the shell, making a lovely fan like shadow. But I never see them move. A bit of a concern.
While misting and turning this afternoon, I found the cracks. One fault spot, with a little spider web emenating from it. After some hasty research, I decided to seal it with a bit of wax. Most breeders agreed cracks of that nature are not the most dangerous, if the duckling doesnt die from the shock of impact or infection, it has a good chance, but there is a chance of that egg exploding and contaminating the others. So, on with the glasses, and some sealing. With glasses on, I decided to candle again, and see what I could see.
Most websites manage to convey very vivid pictures with vague language. I tried to make myself feel better by telling myself Pacific Black ducks are not pekings, moscovys or indian runners - all large breeds with big clear eggs. So I cant expect my eggs to look like that. While researching egg repair I happened across a mallard site (Pacific Blacks are most like mallards) where the lady said, when candling, expect to see a 'murky soup, with spidery viens. The beating of the heart should be visible'.
So, after careful repair, with glasses on, I took a deep breath, steadied my hands, and patienty, calmly, looked.
Murky soup. Beating very slowly, and softly. I watched for a minute, and it was undeniably beating.
I checked all of them, and with my glasses on, even the clear egg now looks like it has blood vessels attached to a softly beating heart.
So Im encouraged, immensely so. They are about 12 days old, and maintaining, (so long as I dont drop them) as well as can be expected.
Patience little Kleo, patience.
In the first few days of having them I was in a lather - I just felt anxious. Something was wrong, and I didnt know what. After some googling, I realized I had them upside down - the pointy end of the egg should be pointing down, if any end is. This is so the duckling can reach for the air bubble as it grows, it can suffocate otherwise. So for a few days after that I was sure Id killed them.
Add to that, freaky cold weather, making them hard to keep warm, coupled with even more freaky hot weather, making them hard to keep below 37 degrees. And, to add to my anxiety, when I candled them at what I approximated to be day 5 - 7, I saw dark spots with blood vessels in 3 of them, one I couldnt be sure, and one other looked clear.
I candled again, 3 days after that, and in the 3 good ones shadows had overtaken half the egg - looking like day 20 on other duck raising websites - one still unsure and one clear.
Last night, I candled again, and would you believe it, I dropped one.
Like yesterday wasnt stressful enough for them - the washing machine overflowed, right next to them, getting them a bit wet, so I had to dry out their lamp and give them a new house. My candling equipment - a cardboard toilet roll and a cardboard sheet - were ruined, so I made new ones, but I forgot to staple the toilet roll to make it smaller - the eggs are so narrow they slip right through.
Well, with egg number one - the i-dont-know egg - thats exactly what happened. I thought it survived without damage, but I didnt see a damn thing while candling. I keep looking for movement, in one Im sure I can see a wing spread against the shell, making a lovely fan like shadow. But I never see them move. A bit of a concern.
While misting and turning this afternoon, I found the cracks. One fault spot, with a little spider web emenating from it. After some hasty research, I decided to seal it with a bit of wax. Most breeders agreed cracks of that nature are not the most dangerous, if the duckling doesnt die from the shock of impact or infection, it has a good chance, but there is a chance of that egg exploding and contaminating the others. So, on with the glasses, and some sealing. With glasses on, I decided to candle again, and see what I could see.
Most websites manage to convey very vivid pictures with vague language. I tried to make myself feel better by telling myself Pacific Black ducks are not pekings, moscovys or indian runners - all large breeds with big clear eggs. So I cant expect my eggs to look like that. While researching egg repair I happened across a mallard site (Pacific Blacks are most like mallards) where the lady said, when candling, expect to see a 'murky soup, with spidery viens. The beating of the heart should be visible'.
So, after careful repair, with glasses on, I took a deep breath, steadied my hands, and patienty, calmly, looked.
Murky soup. Beating very slowly, and softly. I watched for a minute, and it was undeniably beating.
I checked all of them, and with my glasses on, even the clear egg now looks like it has blood vessels attached to a softly beating heart.
So Im encouraged, immensely so. They are about 12 days old, and maintaining, (so long as I dont drop them) as well as can be expected.
Patience little Kleo, patience.
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