Advice re Muscovy duck hatching eggs

[Robyn67]

i have a young first time mummy duck who sat on 17 eggs. Just before hatching she threw 3 out of nest (obviously not fertile).
Monday morning (right on day 35) she accidentally drowned her first baby, we think she was trying to help it out of shell and she put it (still in shell) in a her water bowl - we moved bowl away from nest. Mama duck so distraught, kept poking dead baby & moving it around.
Tuesday morning baby 2 was born, Wednesday morning baby 3.
Thursday afternoon mummy did a big gastric poo all over the eggs (including externally pippped egg). She was pushing babies away from nest & going nuts trying to move eggs. I cleaned eggs, found a bad egg & a dead baby (looked like it was still in an egg without shell and was slimy). So I removed these & cleaned up poey nest and put clean material in. Mumma was distraught, still pushing babies away, not sitting on eggs, so I removed pipped egg and helped it hatch, taking baby back to mummy who accepted it.
A couple hours later she had calmed down, looking after new baby as well as other 2 and sitting on eggs.
And now here's the question, none of the other eggs appear to have pipped. It's basically 5 days since first duck was born, is it likely that the other eggs will hatch. And will she stop sitting when the eggs are no longer viable or would I have to remove them.

 

[Robyn67]

Thought I'd let everyone know the outcome.
Momma was leaving nest a lot, so on Friday I decided to take the eggs. I thought I'd see if they were fertile and how far they had come along (yes disgusting, but I just had to know)
1 had pipped to outside, fully absorbed yolk and died.
2 had no external pips, but had fully absorbed yolk.
1 not fertile.
The rest had died at various stage along the way.

 

[Miss Lydia]

So very sorry

 

[Robyn67]

So very sorry

Thank you. We only have 2 babies now as Mommas sister, who is sitting on eggs, killed one of the babies. I had heard of drakes doing this so we separated them, but not other girl ducks.

 

[CayugaJana]

Maybe her eggs aren’t the highest quality yet either hence several dying before hatching?? Either way I’m so sorry I bet you are devastated. I’m sure Momma will be better next go around.

 

[Robyn67]

I think your right, and I don't think her nest was the best either - her sister nest seems a lot better. She is being a good mum, but not sure is she could have managed too many more babies.

Hopefully next time, as you said, she'll be better with a bit more maturity.

 

[Going Quackers]

That's to bad but in my experience it can go this way and can do so with highly experienced mums and massively successful past outcomes.

From a generally speaking standpoint, i found this year was difficult with nests and overall success rates were poorer, our weather has been extremely up/down throughout and i do find that plays a role.

Better luck next time!

 

[Robyn67]

Thanks, and where I live the weather can be warm one day and freezing the next.