Broody muscovy

[petjem]

My muscovy duck laid yesterday her thirtieth egg and went broody. I've been removing her eggs all the time she has been laying as they have not been mating properly and all the eggs we've used in cooking weren't fertile. Today I realized that she was serious about it so I got 5 fresh chicken eggs from the neighbour and gave them to her. She happily accepted them so we should now start counting 21 days, right?

Could she break them as they have a softer shell? I guess she could...Fingers crossed for the best luck!

 

[Going Quackers]

No idea, never bred chickens in any form, good luck! just make sure she doesn't get them wet! that would be my only worry with having a duck mama, she looks serious though, what kind of chickens?

 

[keirys]

Lucky you my muscovy hasnt laid her spring eggs yet I am impatiently waiting

. Good luck!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

No idea, never bred chickens in any form, good luck! just make sure she doesn't get them wet! that would be my only worry with having a duck mama, she looks serious though, what kind of chickens?

I agree, keep all buckets and waterers that the mama duck could get into put up so she doesn't take them into the water. or you'll lose the chicks

 

[petjem]

Thanks!

Ok, I'll remove the large plastic tank when the date for hatching is close. Thanks for the info! For the time being the drake loves the water and this morning the duck washed up a bit. Is that bad for the chicken eggs?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks!

Ok, I'll remove the large plastic tank when the date for hatching is close. Thanks for the info! For the time being the drake loves the water and this morning the duck washed up a bit. Is that bad for the chicken eggs?

Not at all she usues the water to help with humidity under her and on the eggs. I have baby chicks on the ground right now with mama hens and I learned the hard way last year not to leave buckets of water around either, lost one in a 2 gallon bucket it's amazing how high they can jump at such an early age.

 

[petjem]

This morning she threw out of their little duck house the shells of a broken chicken egg. I was expecting to count 5 eggs in the nest but there were still 6 eggs in the nest so I guess she laid one more this morning.

How come and she still lays eggs when she is sitting on eggs already?

 

[Miss Lydia]

This morning she threw out of their little duck house the shells of a broken chicken egg. I was expecting to count 5 eggs in the nest but there were still 6 eggs in the nest so I guess she laid one more this morning.

How come and she still lays eggs when she is sitting on eggs already?

So some of the eggs are hers? maybe she isn't quite ready for full time broodiness yet, how long has she been sitting on the nest? you don't want a hatch so staggard that she gets up and leaves with babies that have hatched and leaves some about ready too. plus your talking Scovie here, her eggs take 35-37 days to hatch, chicks 20-21. You'll have to remove her eggs.Can't remember do you have a drake?

 

[petjem]

Yeah I've got a drake but they weren't mating properly, meaning he was mounting her the wrong way every time I saw them (perhaps a bit immature he is only 8 months old) and all the eggs I broke open seemed to not have the bullseye. I was going to remove her duck eggs when the chicks would hatch, if they did. She has been sitting on eggs since last Tuesday, that is 3 days ago.

When I got back home from work this afternoon I discovered that she had broken another chicken's egg. Probably her claws are the reason when she moves around in the nest. She has plucked even more of her chest feathers and everything seems to be so neat and quite about the nest except for the broken eggs I discovered.

The rest of the eggs have become quite dirty. Will that be a problem? What do you suggest that I did?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yeah I've got a drake but they weren't mating properly, meaning he was mounting her the wrong way every time I saw them (perhaps a bit immature he is only 8 months old) and all the eggs I broke open seemed to not have the bullseye. I was going to remove her duck eggs when the chicks would hatch, if they did. She has been sitting on eggs since last Tuesday, that is 3 days ago.

When I got back home from work this afternoon I discovered that she had broken another chicken's egg. Probably her claws are the reason when she moves around in the nest. She has plucked even more of her chest feathers and everything seems to be so neat and quite about the nest except for the broken eggs I discovered.

The rest of the eggs have become quite dirty. Will that be a problem? What do you suggest that I did?

Most of the duck eggs that hatch here are quite dirty by the time hatch day comes around and doesn't seem to be a problem. Another thing with her moving the eggs around which they have to do and she is bumping them up against those hard Scovie eggs could be another way they are getting broken, but also her claws could be the problem, So as far as you know they never got it right before she went broody? I believe I'd try another one or 2 of her eggs in the nest to make sure so maybe if she breaks the chicken eggs she'll at least have a couple duckl;ings for her sitting.