Muscovy duck Q&A

[WVduckchick]

Well trip to salt lake was a success put eggs in a box with a moist rag. Covered them then put 4 of those disposable shake up hand warmers on top. It was just like momma duck sitting on them. The 4 days i was there they really developed moving like crazy.

Now the bad news,. Did the same thing on the way back but I guess I didn't shake the hand warmers enough so they didn't heat up much so the 4.5 hour drive home they were pretty on the cold side and now I don't see movement in one of them and the other ones just a very little movement a jerk or jump here and there when before they were swimming around rapidly. Think they might be dieing. And all this is even after sitting in incubator for a day at the right temp so a little worried

I would suspect the ride would be harder on them than the temp change. But hope it all works out and they continue to develop and hatch!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I would suspect the ride would be harder on them than the temp change. But hope it all works out and they continue to develop and hatch!

especially after all you have done to get these babies to hatch..

 

[crandal]

We will see,. It's been a long go at it so far I'm really trying to get these to hatch. It would be awesome if on my first attempt at building a bator and first attempt at hatching that it be successful. Playing momma is a lot of work and if they don't make it,,,. It's a lot of time and energy just wasted

 

[CyndiD]

We will see,. It's been a long go at it so far I'm really trying to get these to hatch. It would be awesome if on my first attempt at building a bator and first attempt at hatching that it be successful. Playing momma is a lot of work and if they don't make it,,,. It's a lot of time and energy just wasted

i personally would look at this as experience to guide you through the journey next time you walk this path.
learn from the positive and the not so positive... IMO...

 

[crandal]

i personally would look at this as experience to guide you through the journey next time you walk this path.
learn from the positive and the not so positive... IMO...

Pfsst lol no more playing momma duck for me to much stress anxiety and excitement. Momma duck can have the job from now on. I built this extravagant homemade incubator for a one time use lol.

 

[crandal]

So,. Nearly 48 hours after the scare of low temp and they are all still alive. Keeping my fingers crossed. Now, for a new question from you that are more experienced. In the 4 days that I was gone, my ducks have layed 13 eggs and it's been up and down to below freezing temps in those 4 days,. Would it be safe to gather up all those eggs and put them in the fridge and use them,. I just don't know if it's safe since I haven't been able to gather daily but again I'm a novice so... Maybe a dumb question?

Also, lastly,. When i got home from trip I found an egg in their swimming pool and it was elastic like a water balloon,. Is that normal and why would one of the ducks lay/put an egg in the water

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

When i got home from trip I found an egg in their swimming pool and it was elastic like a water balloon,. Is that normal and why would one of the ducks lay/put an egg in the water

I found an egg like that once in the ducks' pool this year...it only happened that one time, so I just consider it an anomaly. In my case, I figured that perhaps the duck was swimming when the urge struck and she just didn't want to have to walk all the way over to the coop.

 

[WVduckchick]

So,. Nearly 48 hours after the scare of low temp and they are all still alive. Keeping my fingers crossed. Now, for a new question from you that are more experienced. In the 4 days that I was gone, my ducks have layed 13 eggs and it's been up and down to below freezing temps in those 4 days,. Would it be safe to gather up all those eggs and put them in the fridge and use them,. I just don't know if it's safe since I haven't been able to gather daily but again I'm a novice so... Maybe a dumb question?

Also, lastly,. When i got home from trip I found an egg in their swimming pool and it was elastic like a water balloon,. Is that normal and why would one of the ducks lay/put an egg in the water

I use mine myself if I don't get to collect for a few days (we spend most weekends at our farm) as long as they haven't been too warm, nor any chance of them being sat on.
But others may disagree.

The only egg I ever found in my pool was one my broody must have rolled there, within 3 days of hatching. I think it died in the shell, and she was "disposing" or hiding it. All the other eggs hatched. But I hear they sometimes lay in the water. I don't think it's odd. Soft shell, could be new layer? Or not enough calcium? Or a fluke.

 

[crandal]

I use mine myself if I don't get to collect for a few days (we spend most weekends at our farm) as long as they haven't been too warm, nor any chance of them being sat on.
But others may disagree.

The only egg I ever found in my pool was one my broody must have rolled there, within 3 days of hatching. I think it died in the shell, and she was "disposing" or hiding it. All the other eggs hatched. But I hear they sometimes lay in the water. I don't think it's odd. Soft shell, could be new layer? Or not enough calcium? Or a fluke.

I believe the reason it was elastic like a balloon was because it sat in water and just became soluble. I don't know if they sat on them,. But with this cold weather could one even start to develop or by sitting on them do u mean introducing some kind of bacteria. If the latter, is that even possible with the bloom being that it's design is to block bacteria so the embryo survives?

 

[crandal]

I believe the reason it was elastic like a balloon was because it sat in water and just became soluble. I don't know if they sat on them,. But with this cold weather could one even start to develop or by sitting on them do u mean introducing some kind of bacteria. If the latter, is that even possible with the bloom being that it's design is to block bacteria so the embryo survives?

Not to sound contradictive to your advice,. I'm just new to this and trying to learn what I don't know. So trying to find out the cons to leaving eggs in coop and collecting a few days later