how do i get my duck to hatch eggs

[Jackduckrabbit]

I have a few questions on Muscovys going broody and hatching their eggs.i have 10 ducks 3 drakes and 7 hens. I have 3 nests 1 had about 23 eggs then we took out 5 to keep it smaller it also had some feathers around it. the other too have around 18 eggs but we dident take any out of those too. theirs is also 1 chocolate hen that have been staying around the eggs but not setting on them and she seems to sit on them in the night only.
1. should i take some eggs out of the nest if their is to many?
2. how long will a egg last in the nest before it cant produce a duckling any more?
3. how long will it take the eggs to incubate once she starts setting?
4. does she need to sit on them almost always for them to grow?
5. how can i help her go broody?
6. should i add more nesting boxes for the 7 hens? they seem to be liking them
7. should i add straw and if i do should i put it right on the eggs or outside the box?
thanks a lot

 

[nchls school]

I have a few questions on Muscovys going broody and hatching their eggs.i have 10 ducks 3 drakes and 7 hens. I have 3 nests 1 had about 23 eggs then we took out 5 to keep it smaller it also had some feathers around it. the other too have around 18 eggs but we dident take any out of those too. theirs is also 1 chocolate hen that have been staying around the eggs but not setting on them and she seems to sit on them in the night only.
1. should i take some eggs out of the nes
t if their is to many?
2. how long will a egg last in the nest before it cant produce a duckling any more?
3. how long will it take the eggs to incubate once she starts setting?
4. does she need to sit on them almost always for them to grow?
5. how can i help her go broody?
6. should i add more nesting boxes for the 7 hens? they seem to be liking them
7. should i add straw and if i do should i put it right on the eggs or outside the box?
thanks a lot

Chickens and ducks will go broody better when they have their own nests. I used to raise Muscovey ducks decades ago and I can't remember a time when one of the hens went broody on a shared nest; it probably happens just not for me. Give your ducks more places to nest. The fresher the eggs are the better chances of hatching, but I can remember my Mucoveys of the past having broods of 15 or 16. For best hatchability I'd think that eggs under two weeks have the best chance though I know that older eggs are often viable. The eggs take 5 weeks to hatch. With the eggs you have you'd probably have better luck using an incubator. Chicken broody hens also are a good alternative. The best thing you can do is try to get the ducks so they each have their own nests. That would solve the problem of having laying ducks interfere with those that are brooding. The eggs need to be kept at a fairly constant temperature. A hen that sits only at night is not broody, but it could be sign that she will be soon. Consider marking the eggs as they are laid so you know which ones are older and which are fresher. You might consider separating a pair from the rest so the hen doesn't have to compete with other hens. Once the hen has three or four eggs in a nest the male can be removed. Further matings are not necessary; the whole clutch, laid or not, will have been fertilized by this time. You don't want to leave too many eggs in a nest. If there is too many the hen will not be able to cover them all; this usually results in the eggs being chilled; one or a few at a time until all, or most, have died. It is better to have fewer eggs (12) than more so that none of the eggs are left uncovered,chill, and die. I used old milk cans for nesting spots. If I remember rightly wild mucovey ducks nest in holes in trees.