Incubation progress of Muscovy eggs

[Lacrystol]

OK, I have been spraying my chicken pecked ducklings with Vetericyn and it seems to be helping. Today at TSC I picked up some more feed and saw some Blu-Kote (germicidal, fungicidal) that says for horses and dogs and I thought I'd try that on the ducklings. Now I have purple and white ducks! Someone had mentioned earlier that Blu-Kote wouldn't hurt. One thing for sure, it is pretty easy to see which ducklings have been already treated unlike the Vetericyn where I had to separate the treated ducklings so I knew who was next. Anybody with any thoughts on using Blu-Kote on ducklings?

Also, I picked up some Life-Lytes by Manna Pro. It comes as tablets and has a quart mixing bottle. It is a vitamin supplement and has Niacin (Min. 15,000 mg/lb). Anybody have any experience with this?

GOOD CHOICE with the BLUE KOTE. Don't worry the color will go away.. LOL Blue kote will hide the Injury which is what you need unless you wrap it but you really don't want to do that..

 

[Lacrystol]

I have enjoyed reading this thread!

Our 8 month old female Muscovy (Zippy) has started laying. She lives with 10 chickens (no roosters) and a 6 month old male Muscovy (Claude). They've definitely mated!

We've been removing her daily eggs and putting them in a styrofoam incubator. So far, we have nine eggs. I weigh each one before I put it in the incubator, and the first egg, which was the smallest, weighed 62 grams. The largest weighed 77.8g, but they generally have weighed between 72-76g.

I watched a youtube video suggesting turning only ONCE a day and keeping humidity levels - at this stage - lower. We are turning every morning, keeping the temperature at 99.5, and the humidity between 20-35%.

I've candled, but not sure anything looks good. Some look completely clear, and others look cloudy, but I don't see veins anywhere (although I am not sure I really know what I am looking for!). However, we DO have pet birds, and have hand raised parakeets successfully before; this is our first time using an incubator, and I understand that Muscovies are notoriously difficult to hatch from an incubator.

Can someone explain to me, please, the "mist and cool" process? Cool for how long, and to what temperature? Since they are all at different stages (being set from 1-9 days), how do you cool just the "older" ones - remove from incubator?

I'd sincerely appreciate any other suggestions and advice anyone is willing to give.

Many thanks,

Michelle

First of all, if you put them all in at the same time, DOES NOT MATTER oldest from Newest. Turning once a day is not good advice. Chances are they will stick to the shell, they should be turned at LEAST three times a day. On my website, I have a tab called Duck if you click on that tab, you will see TWO different methods that I have used to hatch out call ducks. Call ducks are usually the hardest ones to successfully hatch. These two methods Will work for any other ducks as well as Chickens. www.lwbarnhouse.com

You have to give Ducks at LEAST a week before you see anything. Because they take longer it will take longer for them to appear. You are looking for a SPIDER that's the best way to describe it.

If it's been more then a week and your still not seeing anything then you should try a different candling light. The best thing that works for me is a software that you can download onto your phone Called Flashlight. It's bright and small and shines right through that egg.

 

[Lacrystol]

Here is a muscovy egg that I cracked by accident and I think it's between 4 and 7 days incubated, but can't be sure because it's one from a nest and I have no idea when she started to sit. The candler I use is a Brinsea OvaView and is't pretty bright.







-Kathy

GOOD PICS, of the SPIDER..

 

[Lacrystol]

Now I should go number and candle all of them.

-Kathy

The first one got bacteria in it. See those black spots?

 

[Lacrystol]

Leave it to Kathy to come to my rescue! Thank you! The pictures are a huge help and none of mine look anything like that! Sigh.

Ms Lydia - Thank you. Clearly, I was wrong...although I did see a youtube video, the advice to lower the humidity came from the link you sent me, which I have read. It's very helpful also - thank you!

I guess I will keep trying - as long as my beautiful little Zippy keeps laying!

Another question: Do you think I "ruined" her perhaps wanting to sit on the eggs by removing them as she lays them? I let one stay in the nest for half a day, and when she didn't return, I started taking away the eggs as she lays. Should I encourage her to sit on any new ones by slipping the oldest (and clearly "veinless") eggs back in her nestbox?

Many thanks!

Michelle

If you disturbed her nest, she will not return. you can't encourage her to go back, She will probably end up finding a new spot.. Understand Ducks will lay in one spot even cover the eggs, after they have collected so many then they will start to sit on them. They do this so that ALL the babies will hatch at the exact same time. No guessing on there part..

 

[Lacrystol]

Hi Kathy!!

Lockdown - can you define that for me, please?

I did read much of your recent post - saw you had 9 hatch successfully! Sounds like you did a lot right! I did not read the entire 33 pages, so not sure what I missed!

I also read the entire post (https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/incubating-and-hatching-muscovy-eggs) . I have been purposely keeping the humidity LOW based on that post. Wondering if I should maybe put damp paper towels around the eggs over 32 days old to help increase the humidity near them...do you think that would help? Also, do I need to stop turning the eggs at some point?

I'm so mad at myself - seems I don't know nearly enough what I am doing to be doing this, and I have several eggs with movement that I certainly want to give the best chance of survival!

Michelle

At this point Where are you?? What day are you on and When is the due date? Do you have different due dates?

Lockdown: Is when you stop moving the eggs, Rise that HUMIDITY and sit on your hands and wait for them to Hatch.. This Should acurr THREE days Before there Due date.

 

[casportpony]

The first one got bacteria in it. See those black spots?

I figured as much... got one now with a blood ring, will take pics and do an eggtopsy on it. I wonder how much UC Davis would charge for and eggtopsy? Might be interesting to find out what bacteria they get.

-Kathy

 

[AnimalQuackers]

At this point Where are you?? What day are you on and When is the due date? Do you have different due dates?

Hi Lacrystol,

Thank you for your response! I may have created a mess!

Eggs 4-15 were placed in the incubator AS they were laid - one egg a day. Egg 4 is on day 35 now...so that means egg 5 is 34, egg 6 is 33, egg 7 is 32 and 8 is 31...

Then, after egg 15, I started leaving all the eggs in her nest until she stopped laying. She never sat, so eggs A-I were put in all at once, and are now at day 13.

I put damp cotton balls around eggs 4-8, hoping to increase the humidity around them while not increasing the humidity in the incubator as a whole.

Agh! Any ideas on what I should do next?

Michelle

 

[Lacrystol]

Hi Lacrystol,

Thank you for your response! I may have created a mess!

Eggs 4-15 were placed in the incubator AS they were laid - one egg a day. Egg 4 is on day 35 now...so that means egg 5 is 34, egg 6 is 33, egg 7 is 32 and 8 is 31...

Then, after egg 15, I started leaving all the eggs in her nest until she stopped laying. She never sat, so eggs A-I were put in all at once, and are now at day 13.

I put damp cotton balls around eggs 4-8, hoping to increase the humidity around them while not increasing the humidity in the incubator as a whole.

Agh! Any ideas on what I should do next?

Michelle

OMG, you definitely HAVE A MESS on your hands. Ok First I will prepare you, there's NO way you are going to be able to save them all. Either they will get shrink wrapped or STICKY. OUCH. Good LORD.

Sit down and give me all the due Dates. Lets figure out the Best way to handle this.

NO WAIT DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER INCUBATOR?????

 

[Lacrystol]

OMG, well first let me give you some advice, if you want to put that many in the incubator that's OK. Store the eggs as you collect them in an egg carton with the Big end up. You can only store them UP to 10 days otherwise they lose there fertility.

So what kind of ducks are these? What's the NORMAL hatching time frame?? I know for Calls its 26 days but not sure what you have going