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

[Miss Lydia]

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

Shes young I bet if you give her a chance this spring she'll go broody. I've never had a Muscovy who didn't.

 

[Genipher]

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

Yup, the clutch will be fine until she decides to settle in and brood.

Though if she's not laying in a nest she might not be ready to brood yet. Mine were laying all over the place (even found eggs in their pool. lol) for the first few months and then my main gal became serious and made a nest. I believe she laid an egg a day for about 12-14 days and then hatched out about 10. Though only 3 ducklings survived...not sure why. Could be the drake killed them.

I did have one Muscovy that never wanted to hatch out eggs. She also refused the advances of our drake and became kind of a loner. It was weird.

 

[Genipher]

Oh, have you seen the sticky on hatching out Muscovies? Maybe that thread will help?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/incubating-and-hatching-muscovy-eggs.63532/


ETA: nevermind. I see you've been there. lol. I wonder, do you have any broody chickens that might like to hatch out some ducklings?

 

[AmyA248]

Yup, the clutch will be fine until she decides to settle in and brood.

Though if she's not laying in a nest she might not be ready to brood yet. Mine were laying all over the place (even found eggs in their pool. lol) for the first few months and then my main gal became serious and made a nest. I believe she laid an egg a day for about 12-14 days and then hatched out about 10. Though only 3 ducklings survived...not sure why. Could be the drake killed them.

I did have one Muscovy that never wanted to hatch out eggs. She also refused the advances of our drake and became kind of a loner. It was weird.

Hi!

Thank you for your reply.
I’m really beginning to get worried, as our girl has been laying since January 23rd, and she’s laying them everywhere!
No matter how much times I put them in her brooding box she just kicks them out and refuses to sit.
I really tried, but we desperately want some ducklings from our pair that I incubated and hatched myself. So I gathered the ones she didn’t break and have staggering ages of eggs in the incubator.
Most of them die between 14-18 days, some earlier.
I have one that is now 31 days and I’m literally holding my breath that it will make it just a bit longer!
Is it normal to lay daily for so long? I really am growing concerned so I separate her from my drake to give her a rest. I feel like she’s never going to stop laying.
I’m doing everything possible to keep the eggs alive and I have a very good incubator.
Possibly because this is her first clutch?? I’m including a photo of my incubator. It is currently at 99 degrees and 46% humidity.

Kindly,
Amy