Ovoscopy of duck eggs at home and embryo development by day
When breeding ducklings in an incubator, it becomes necessary to check whether the embryos in the egg are developing correctly. Control allows you to identify how development is going, whether there are problems, makes it possible to reject unusable copies. Consider the features of ovoscoping duck eggs by day, how and with what devices this can be done at home.
The subtleties of the procedure
Ovoscopy is the examination of poultry eggs under an ovoscope - a special device with a lamp. In a translucent egg, you can see if it is suitable for setting in an incubator, and then determine how the embryo is developing. If there are no deviations in development, you can continue to incubate it, if there is, discard it.
You can check duck eggs for embryo at home using an easily purchased ovoscope. But you can also do it yourself - from a cardboard box and a lamp with a power of at least 100 watts. Make a hole at the top of the box, slightly smaller than the size of a standard egg, on which the eggs will then be placed. A reflector should be placed on the bottom to increase the light output. You can see through the eggs of ducks and muscovy ducks, or Indo-duck, as they are called.
Ovoscopy of duck eggs by day
The first time, the procedure must be carried out even before laying in the incubator. Then it is done once during 4 periods in which the embryo develops, and a few days before the ducklings hatch.
Before bookmark
Transmission allows you to determine the quality and unsuitable for incubation material. You can determine whether the egg is fertilized or not, and its other characteristics.
A good egg should be large, weigh at least 75-95 g, regular oval shape, with a strong, smooth shell without cracks and sagging. When translucent, you can find out the mobility of the yolk, its placement inside the shell, the clarity of its edges. You can see where the air chamber is located and its dimensions, whether there are spots, streaks and foreign inclusions in the protein content, for example, sand or parasites.
On the 7th day
When a week has passed from the beginning of incubation, the 1st transillumination is carried out. The procedure should take as little time as possible, as the eggs should not be cooled. Sequence of work: put the egg on the ovoscope with a blunt end and, scrolling around the axis, inspect the contents through the shell.The bulk should have a pleasant pinkish color, in the center there will be a noticeably darkish speck in the form of a comma. The spot will move easily if you move the egg. You can see the air chamber and the network of blood vessels inside.
If the shell is light, no embryo is found in the middle, or it is dark, placed close to the shell, this indicates the death of the embryo. If there are no signs of development of the circulatory system, this means that the egg, most likely, was not fertilized, and the embryo did not develop.
On the 16th day
The second transillumination can be combined with cooling; its duration can be 20 minutes. You can take your time and take a good look at all the contents. At this time, the duck embryo is already so developed that even its outline can be seen. The circulatory system and light air chamber are clearly visible. At the second stage, it is already easy to identify dead embryos and discard them.
The frozen development can be recognized by the immobility of the dark spot and minimally developed vessels. If the shell shows through without problems, the air chamber is too large, this is also a sign that the duck is not in it. After inspecting the egg, sprinkle it with water and return it to the incubator, placing it on the other side.
On the 19th day
The next ovoscopy falls on the period when the duck embryo is almost formed. Many poultry farmers recommend shining through the material on the 19th day, although the procedure is allowed on the 25th.
This time, eggs are also rejected that did not pass the selection for the characteristics noted in the previous version. However, there are some differences. If the embryo is visible, but it does not move, this may mean that it is dead. This instance needs to be checked again.
After transillumination, which also lasts 20 minutes, the eggs must be sprinkled with water and put back in the incubator.
Last few days
The last time ovoscopy is done 2-3 days before hatching. When translucent, dark content should be visible, which takes up almost all the space, and a bright, clearly demarcated, chamber with air. Suspicious signs: no movement, that is, the embryo does not move at all. The air chamber takes up more space than necessary, an empty area may glow at the sharp end, the blood vessels are poorly developed.
Signs of deviation from the norm
At various stages, developmental disorders may look like this:
- displacement of the chamber with air to the side or sharp end;
- the contents of the egg are orange or red-orange;
- the yolk moves freely inside the shell due to broken grains or stuck to one wall;
- bloody rings;
- an embryo that has adhered to the shell wall;
- underdeveloped blood vessels or their absence.
If such violations are found, the probability of death of the embryos is high. This is caused by violations of incubation rules: incorrect humidity and temperature, as well as the fact that the material is not turned over in time.
Ovoscopy of duck eggs also allows at home, when using an incubator, to determine if there are disorders in the development of duck embryos or if everything is going well. And also choose the most suitable material for the bookmark. An ovoscope is a simple device that you can buy or do yourself.
