Muscovy Mule/Hybrid Duck egg incubation

[FishaRneKed]

let me add a bit of information. my muscovy drakes are huge. one of them is over 16lbs.
the Muscovy hens are all about 3-4lbs. excep the sister of the big drakes that is about 5-6lbs.

i wonder if the drakes are passing their massive gene into an egg from a smaller hen and it's just not going to work?

also the eggs from the goldens must have been feetilized by a muscovy drake, as a golden/rouin egg should hatch in 28 days. right?

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Sounds like normal sizes for muscovy. I'd just be a bit more patient.
The days aren't an exact number just an avg.

 

[FishaRneKed]

Sounds like normal sizes for muscovy. I'd just be a bit more patient.
The days aren't an exact number just an avg.

ok. thank you. i have 20 started in another incubator. I'll have to keep in mind that they will take longer than 38 days?

I've hatched plenty of chicks and they always have room in the egg to wiggle around. these ducklings have absolutely no room. the last two eggs are completely filled an zero movement.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

I've never hatched my own except under a broody. However, my point is that hatch date numbers are just avg days - a guideline, but anything can affect a hatch.

 

[FishaRneKed]

my point is, that I've never seen a chick completely fill up a shell to the point that it can't move at all, but is still underdeveloped.

although, these are ducks, I've searched and read a lot of information but didn't see this problem come up.

 

[FishaRneKed]

two have made it !

I'll Post a picture later

 

[Crazy Maizie]

How is the hatching progressing?

 

[FishaRneKed]

two made it. i managed to get them out of the shell before they crushed themselves. had to plast baggie them in the incubator for maybe 15 hours while they finished developing. one of them had spraddle legs, but one day in a makeshift split fixed it.

we have two little ducklings, and we're going to keep them, just to see what sort of mule or muscovy they are.

i have about 20 more eggs on their second week in the incubator. they are all developing.

 

[FishaRneKed]

one definitely looks mallard, but it can't be pure Mallard at 39 days incubation.

 

[casportpony]

No way of really telling how long they will take because of the hybridization.

Metzer Farms says this:

Whereas a Pekin takes 28 days to hatch and a Muscovy takes 35 days, a mule or hinny takes 32 days to hatch.

And I think this is true since the few times I've hatched them, they hatch a few days before the purebred Muscovy ducklings.