First time Hatching Muscovy eggs

[LilyD]

So I started my eggs on May 14th so they should be ready to hatch anytime between the 17th and the 21st if I do things right. I candled them today for the first time since they are shipped eggs and it looks like 11 out of the 17 are growing. So excited that would be an excellent hatch rate if they all hatch but I would settle for 1/2 of those hatching since I have not had much luck hatching duck eggs in the past.

Any tips or tricks I should try that people who hatch Muscovy eggs have used?

Thanks!!

 

[mommy chick]

I put 24 muscovy eggs in my first batch. After day 10 I had 17. I think by the last week I was down to 12. We ended up hatching 6. I could see them all moving in the egg and could hear them but the humidity must not have been high enough because they couldn't get out. I helped the 6 that lived pretty much all the way. The 6 I didn't help all were alive that night and dead the next morning. I read that they are pretty much impossible to hatch. I had a friend take 25 down to a professional hatcher and paid for them. He got back 3.

 

[LilyD]

I put 24 muscovy eggs in my first batch. After day 10 I had 17. I think by the last week I was down to 12. We ended up hatching 6. I could see them all moving in the egg and could hear them but the humidity must not have been high enough because they couldn't get out. I helped the 6 that lived pretty much all the way. The 6 I didn't help all were alive that night and dead the next morning. I read that they are pretty much impossible to hatch. I had a friend take 25 down to a professional hatcher and paid for them. He got back 3.

I am trying Yinepu's guide this time. We will see how it goes. But I would settle for 6 out of the 17 that I got. Last duck hatch wasn't even Muscovy and they made it half way through and the eggs quit and they weren't even shipped.

 

[LilyD]

So day 15 is tomorrow and according to Yinepu's guide I am supposed to leave them in the turner but put them on their sides. I lay them on their sides with the turner still on. I am hoping that that is what I am supposed to do. Out of 17 total we started with one was cracked on arrival and didn't grow and 5 were duds with no growth tonight when I candled and cooled the eggs. The other 11 are all alive and moving and seem to be doing okay losing their water weight. I will weigh them again tomorrow and do the calculations to make sure they aren't needing more humidity for the rest of incubation. Since they are shipped eggs I really couldn't do anything with them until tomorrow since I wanted their air cells to settle again. Now the air cells all look okay. A couple look a bit weird but I think they should be okay. I just hope they hatch. So far so good.