ADVICE PLEASE! My 9 month long Muscovy has been laying eggs for an entire month!

[AmyA248]

Do you have a separate thermometer and hygrometer in there? If not, you will want to get at least one or two others to put in different areas of the incubator. Incubators are often inaccurate, unfortunately. That might be your issue there. It might be saying one thing but really could be way off. Hopefully that will help.

Hi!

Thank you for your reply.
I thought that perhaps purchasing a $200 incubator would be able to keep accurate temperatures and humidity.

I’m so new at this that it seems as that’s all I do is read about and fuss with my incubator. I have 2 young children and I work from home and have other responsibilities and animals.

I’m going to have to go to Truck and Tractor Supply and hope they have the correct thermometers.
The odd thing is that in June I had no clue what I was doing and I successfully incubated abandoned Wood duck eggs with no issues at all with a starter incubator from Amazon.
And these Muscovy’s are very different and difficult!
Everything I read tells me a different temperature and humidity which further confuses me.
And listen to THIS!
I went out this morning to check for more egg's and my hen laid 5 (her first) and of course is not sitting! It’s very cold here and she laid them not in her box but outside her box. I don’t know what to do because I candled them quickly and they are fertilized.
I put them in her brooding box and put her in as well and she just jumped out! Ugh!
When do I give up and bring them to an incubator???

Sorry for such a long message.

Blessings,
Amy

 

[ShrekDawg]

Hi!

Thank you for your reply.
I thought that perhaps purchasing a $200 incubator would be able to keep accurate temperatures and humidity.

I’m so new at this that it seems as that’s all I do is read about and fuss with my incubator. I have 2 young children and I work from home and have other responsibilities and animals.

I’m going to have to go to Truck and Tractor Supply and hope they have the correct thermometers.
The odd thing is that in June I had no clue what I was doing and I successfully incubated abandoned Wood duck eggs with no issues at all with a starter incubator from Amazon.
And these Muscovy’s are very different and difficult!
Everything I read tells me a different temperature and humidity which further confuses me.
And listen to THIS!
I went out this morning to check for more egg's and my hen laid 5 (her first) and of course is not sitting! It’s very cold here and she laid them not in her box but outside her box. I don’t know what to do because I candled them quickly and they are fertilized.
I put them in her brooding box and put her in as well and she just jumped out! Ugh!
When do I give up and bring them to an incubator???

Sorry for such a long message.

Blessings,
Amy

Unfortunately even the best ones can tend to vary or be off. Not always but it’s best to make sure with a separate thermometer. You can order them on Amazon. Not sure if TSC would have them. Your incubator seems somewhat small so you’ll likely want one with a probe you can put in the air hole at egg level rather than putting the whole thermometer in. But you can do that too if you have the room. I totally understand being trusting like that! I used to be too.

And that is very weird you had success before and then aren’t now, I’m sorry about that.

Not sure on the eggs. I think if it was me I would probably just go straight to the incubator and not wait but that’s me.

 

[AmyA248]

Unfortunately even the best ones can tend to vary or be off. Not always but it’s best to make sure with a separate thermometer. You can order them on Amazon. Not sure if TSC would have them. Your incubator seems somewhat small so you’ll likely want one with a probe you can put in the air hole at egg level rather than putting the whole thermometer in. But you can do that too if you have the room. I totally understand being trusting like that! I used to be too.

And that is very weird you had success before and then aren’t now, I’m sorry about that.

Not sure on the eggs. I think if it was me I would probably just go straight to the incubator and not wait but that’s me.

Thank you again,
I was thinking the same thing, right to the incubator!
I’ve never incubated chicken eggs, but I know that they need different temperatures and humidity.
My other incubator doesn’t read humidity at all, and I don’t have the time to order one.
I know I have to bring them up to room temperature first, but I need to find a store that I can immediately purchase two of them. One for the duck eggs and one for the chicken eggs.
And the one I had from last year broke.
I’m adding a pic of it. This time I’ll get one with a probe like you suggested.

I’m a complete nervous wreck right now!!

Thank you so incredibly much for your help and support.

 

[AmyA248]

Thank you again,
I was thinking the same thing, right to the incubator!
I’ve never incubated chicken eggs, but I know that they need different temperatures and humidity.
My other incubator doesn’t read humidity at all, and I don’t have the time to order one.
I know I have to bring them up to room temperature first, but I need to find a store that I can immediately purchase two of them. One for the duck eggs and one for the chicken eggs.
And the one I had from last year broke.
I’m adding a pic of it. This time I’ll get one with a probe like you suggested.

I’m a complete nervous wreck right now!!

Thank you so incredibly much for your help and support.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Thank you again,
I was thinking the same thing, right to the incubator!
I’ve never incubated chicken eggs, but I know that they need different temperatures and humidity.
My other incubator doesn’t read humidity at all, and I don’t have the time to order one.
I know I have to bring them up to room temperature first, but I need to find a store that I can immediately purchase two of them. One for the duck eggs and one for the chicken eggs.
And the one I had from last year broke.
I’m adding a pic of it. This time I’ll get one with a probe like you suggested.

I’m a complete nervous wreck right now!!

Thank you so incredibly much for your help and support.

You are very welcome! I hope everything goes well this time.

Also, for future reference, Incubator Warehouse is a good resource too and they have their own brand of incubator and I think thermometers. But the Amazon ones are great too and probably cheaper. And of course your incubator is a good one so you probably don’t want or need another just yet but just in case you do. I like the IncuView as well as the HovaBator 1588.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Also sorry if I’m confusing you oh and incubator warehouse actually carries your brand of incubator I think.

 

[AmyA248]

You are very welcome! I hope everything goes well this time.

Also, for future reference, Incubator Warehouse is a good resource too and they have their own brand of incubator and I think thermometers. But the Amazon ones are great too and probably cheaper. And of course your incubator is a good one so you probably don’t want or need another just yet but just in case you do. I like the IncuView as well as the HovaBator 1588.

Thank you so much for your reply!!
I’m keeping my fingers crossed
May I ask if you happen to know the correct temperature and humidity for Muscovy eggs? Everything I read completely contradicts each other and my eggs are dying between the ages of 15 - 21 days old!
It’s breaking my heart!

Thank you again.

Kindly,
Amy

 

[ShrekDawg]

Thank you so much for your reply!!
I’m keeping my fingers crossed
May I ask if you happen to know the correct temperature and humidity for Muscovy eggs? Everything I read completely contradicts each other and my eggs are dying between the ages of 15 - 21 days old!
It’s breaking my heart!

Thank you again.

Kindly,
Amy

Unfortunately I don’t know that hopefully somebody will though!! Good luck! I can imagine how heartbreaking it is.

 

[Genipher]

I might be saying something you already know, if so I apologize.
I had Muscovies a few years ago and my gal would lay an egg a day and leave them until she had as many as she wanted to set on, she'd get to actual brooding. Until she decided to sit on them, they were okay. They don't start developing until she starts setting. So it would often take her 2 weeks to get the clutch she wanted before she'd set and then they'd all hatch out at the same time.

 

[AmyA248]

I might be saying something you already know, if so I apologize.
I had Muscovies a few years ago and my gal would lay an egg a day and leave them until she had as many as she wanted to set on, she'd get to actual brooding. Until she decided to sit on them, they were okay. They don't start developing until she starts setting. So it would often take her 2 weeks to get the clutch she wanted before she'd set and then they'd all hatch out at the same time.

Hi! I was going to do that but she just would lay them EVERYWHERE, but never in her brooder box. I tried at first to collect them and set them in her box, but she’d just push them out and they would break.
She just didn’t go broody.
So eggs can actually survive in low temperatures for well over a month before being sat on?
Since she’s young and this is her first clutch, lots are saying that she’s not ready yet. I honestly don’t know but I tried everything.
That’s why I’m incubating the eggs she didn’t break. As of yesterday she has already laid 30 eggs!
I can’t imagine trying to sit on 30!

I currently have staggered ages in my incubator, but no matter how consistent I am regarding the humidity I keep losing them at about day 15 -18. I have since lowered the humidity and I have one 27 day old, the farthest I’ve gotten so far.
Every time I go to candle I have a panic attack!!

Blessings,
Amy