GUESS WHAT!!!!!!!! I got muscovy eggs from my hen

[conny63malies]

I thought my muscovy trio would be freeloading forever. But this morning when i took the dog out into the yard, the lighter blue or fawn(not sure what she is)shot out from under the backstairs. I hooked the dog up and checked.
I dicovered three svovy eggs under the stairs almost hidden under some leafs and some feathers. MY first muscovy eggs. I tried incubating some last year but i wasnt sucsessful.
I would love to try some eggs, but i cant. Not the very first ones.
I wonder how long it will take until she sits. Not sure if she laid all three eggs or if the blue hen helped her. Any tips you would like to share? ONce she starts sitting should i fence her in? I dont want the duckies to hatch and run allover the yard, they would be small enough to get out in the corners.

 

[keeperofthehearth]

Congrats Connie! Glad your girls are laying now. My girls waited until they had about 20 eggs in their nests before sitting. I have one with only 13 but she had been laying in another nest first that has 2 broodies sharing that nest w/24 or so eggs in it. You'll be able to tell she's gettin close to sitting because she will start putting more down in. She will start sitting at night only and then increase that to part of the day then pretty much full time. Once she starts sitting she's going to want to get off the nest at least once a day to get a nice drink, some food, a quick bath and poo just like chooks so you need to take that into consideration if you fence her in. They get pretty fiesty also, just like broody hens, two of my girls were off the nest at the same time this afternoon and started fightning, scattered chooks and chicks till I got out there and told them to behave.

Duke, our drake, was standing there hissing but not doing much to break them up, yeeesh, so I stepped in. Didn't want any wounded broodies.

 

[conny63malies]

I havent had a broody in about 25 years. My grandma bought layers that never went broody. Only one ever did while we had a rooster. We ended up with a lone chick. Never had a broody duck though. I might have to seperate her/them somehow because the dog is tied out in the same yard. Or i put the dog somewhere else.
We'll see. I dont want the dog to think the ducklings are playtoys.