Duck Egg Hatchalong!

Yup, I changed the name of the blog to "Mayhew Creek Farm" instead of "Mayhew House", on account of it's a farm and that's about 80% of what I blog about anyway! I also thought Mayhew Creek Farm sounded better.

So, no worries! You're in the right place. And if your not in the right place, that's ok too. You can keep reading for a cute post about ducklings-to-be.

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Last year we bought six pekin ducklings from the hardware/farm supply store that is located just down the road from us. And my oh my did they grow quickly! One made a delicious meal, and the other five have been running around our barn all winter, hanging out with the goats.

Spring is a time for new life and growth on any farm. With the weather getting warmer here (it is 48 degrees right now!), we have begun to collect eggs from our ducks, chickens and peafowl. Last week we put forty-four duck eggs in the incubator to begin growing into little ducklings.

Here's what we could see after five days:

Day 5

It's a little hard to tell, but that shadowy ring at the top with red veining is the beginnings of a new duck. Pretty amazing if you ask me! I will try to keep you updated on the incubation process! Shining a light through an egg is called candling and allows you to view the inside of the egg and track growth. Duck eggs are some of the easiest to do this with because they have porous, white shells, so light can penetrate rather easily.

UPDATE! (3/11/14)

Here is a photo of our little duck egg on day 7. You can really see the beginnings of development now (i.e. that reddish blob in the middle with veins spider-webbing out).

Day 7

Click on the video below to see the heartbeat!! LIFE! :)

UPDATE (3/13/14)

The duck eggs have been incubating for twelve days now and we are seeing a LOT of new development.
The dark dot near the middle is the duck's eye! It's watching you.
You can also see more veins growing. Pretty soon it will start to look like an actual duck. Sixteen more days til hatching!

Check back later for more updates! :)