I am incubating Muscovy eggs. They have been in the incubator for 6 days, definitely changing. I see veining today. Could anyone please take a look?

[AmyA248]

Agree.

Muscovy eggs are super sensitive to too much humidity. I strongly suggest that you get a humidity sensor and keep your humidity at 45% or lower.

You might also want to read this awesome article by @yinepu:

Incubating And Hatching Muscovy Eggs

Please note: I don't always get notified when there is a comment to the articles that I have posted.. so if you have a question and I don't get back to you here... just drop me a PM * ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ * This is my basic guide for the Incubation and Hatching of Muscovy Eggs All ducklings...

• yinepu
• May 10, 2012
• 4.79 star(s) 14 ratings
• Comments: 54
• Reviews: 11
• Category: Ducks

Hi!

Thank you so much for your reply.
I did as you suggested and ordered a humidity monitor from Amazon, it will be here tomorrow. But what can I do if the humidity is off? Should I mist the eggs? I can’t think of any way to adjust the humidity if it isn’t as it should be and that worries me. It’s supposed to be at 45% correct? How much can that safely vary?
My last incubator didn’t have any sensor either so I bought one and spent an enormous amount of time putting wet paper towels and wet face cloths in the incubator and misting the eggs to keep the moisture perfect.
This was my first time incubating and we only lost one out of five eggs.

I just read that at day 10 I should start misting and cooling for 30 minutes daily. Is that correct?
And I believe I have a few that either died or are not fertilized. As a novice I’m not sure.
And I started with 5 and now I have 8, they are 4 and 5 days apart from my first 5. So far they look good.
One of my first 5 appearances that it may have died, it was looking great, but now there is a blood ring and something doesn’t look right.
Would you be willing to take a look?
I know what can happen if you leave a dead egg in your incubator, but I want to be sure.
Today is day 9 1/2.
Thank you again for all your help!

 

[Jada22]

Can’t help you with misting etc as I don’t incubate duck eggs but you can change the humidity by using small dishes with water in them.
Eggs that aren’t fertilised/never started developing will just be clear whereas eggs that started and then died will have a blood ring (literally looks like a ring of blood) for eggs that quit a little later it can look more like a red blob

 

[casportpony]

I don't mist mine, and I never have the humidity over 45%. Post more pictures and we can see if any are duds.

 

[AmyA248]

Can’t help you with misting etc as I don’t incubate duck eggs but you can change the humidity by using small dishes with water in them.
Eggs that aren’t fertilised/never started developing will just be clear whereas eggs that started and then died will have a blood ring (literally looks like a ring of blood) for eggs that quit a little later it can look more like a red blob

Thank you very much for your help. I’m really a novice and I’m so happy to have found this extremely helpful and wise group!!

 

[AmyA248]

I don't mist mine, and I never have the humidity over 45%. Post more pictures and we can see if any are duds.

That would be WONDERFUL! Thank you so much!! I know there are a few duds and one I believe started and then sadly died. The eggs went into the incubator on different days. 1-5 are 11 days old. 6-8 are 7 days old, and 8 is 5 days old.
She laid another last night but it was broken this morning sadly.
Since it’s so cold here in CT right now they are currently very comfortable in our heated shed, but before we moved them she laid ANOTHER but it was 31 degrees and unfortunately it froze. The first 3 died because I wasn’t prepared due to it not being breeding season and I didn’t think to check. I feel awful, but I had no idea. And she didn’t sit so they were not viable. That makes 13 so far and it’s her first clutch!
I will post the photos in order from the oldest to the newest.
I’ll candle them now and start a new thread.
Thank you again for all your help. This is a fabulous group that helped me save 4 abandoned Wood ducks last year that I would have never known what to do without everyone’s help!
Here is a few pictures of our babies from the summer and two of our Muscovy babies who are now hopefully going to be parents!!

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

The eggs look great
Some do listing others don’t
I candle my eggs daily and I must starting day 10 but only cool them for 5-10 mins
My mom duck would get off her nest and run to bath then go sit back on her eggs ( so I mimic that )
I have very high hatch rates from 90-100 %
Good luck and keep us posted

 

[AmyA248]

The eggs look great
Some do listing others don’t
I candle my eggs daily and I must starting day 10 but only cool them for 5-10 mins
My mom duck would get off her nest and run to bath then go sit back on her eggs ( so I mimic that )
I have very high hatch rates from 90-100 %
Good luck and keep us posted

Thank you so much Duck Mommy!
I just candled and 3 are moving a bit and I can see the black eyes!
I’m going to start a new thread with pictures because some are not fertile and I’m not sure about some others.
There are 3 different ages as well, so their development is different.
I’m going to do exactly what you do as well. Thank you again!!!

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Thank you so much Duck Mommy!
I just candled and 3 are moving a bit and I can see the black eyes!
I’m going to start a new thread with pictures because some are not fertile and I’m not sure about some others.
There are 3 different ages as well, so their development is different.
I’m going to do exactly what you do as well. Thank you again!!!

I love to candle mine daily. I get to see the changes and it also helps me at lockdown. I don’t follow the by the book stuff
I watch the babies instead
I look for the big drop forward of the air cell , egg rocking and shadowing along the air cell
That’s when I start lockdown
If that’s day 23 or 26 it’s fine by me
It’s what the babies are doing
I have been very successful doing it this way. I have had babies hatch from days 25 30 different batches but same set up
The school I helped had one hatch day 25 and last one hatched day 27
All were set at the same time and she hand turned and moved the eggs around so nobody was in the warmer spot of the bator
No idea why this happens but babies do as they want
I did do as you are with the staggered hatch
I got a second bator I moved my lockdowns to so I could continue turning the other eggs without disturbing those going to hatch
I’ll look for your new thread so I can follow along
Also to upload videos I put mine on YouTube then share the link

 

[AmyA248]

I love to candle mine daily. I get to see the changes and it also helps me at lockdown. I don’t follow the by the book stuff
I watch the babies instead
I look for the big drop forward of the air cell , egg rocking and shadowing along the air cell
That’s when I start lockdown
If that’s day 23 or 26 it’s fine by me
It’s what the babies are doing
I have been very successful doing it this way. I have had babies hatch from days 25 30 different batches but same set up
The school I helped had one hatch day 25 and last one hatched day 27
All were set at the same time and she hand turned and moved the eggs around so nobody was in the warmer spot of the bator
No idea why this happens but babies do as they want
I did do as you are with the staggered hatch
I got a second bator I moved my lockdowns to so I could continue turning the other eggs without disturbing those going to hatch
I’ll look for your new thread so I can follow along
Also to upload videos I put mine on YouTube then share the link

That’s very cool! I candle mine daily as well and document their development. My daughter loves to watch them, especially when they start to move! She’s 10 and it’s so hard for her to wait because Muscovy’s take about 36-37 days to hatch.
I was videotaping the moment of one of my eggs last night and it accidentally slipped and got a hairline crack! I actually started to cry! Lol!
I put 3 coats of paraffin wax on the crack and praying baby makes it, but the chances are low.
I posted about the crack asking for help because I’m a novice, but nobody’s responding.
It’s odd, some posts get hundreds of responses and mine barely get any. If it wasn’t for this group my abandoned Wood duck eggs from the summer would have all died! Mom was killed by a fox.
4 out of the 5 eggs hatched, one was born half the size of her siblings and had a deformed leg and was blind in one eye. She couldn’t eat on her own so I carried her in a little sling because she’d cry if I was away from her. She bonded with me because I couldn’t have her in with her siblings.
The vet said she had a neurological condition and she wouldn’t live. My precious baby died at 2 weeks old in my arms from a seizure. I cried for weeks.
I’m very sensitive and love animals. I’m also a certified rescuer. But this is only the second time I’ve incubated eggs and I still need help determining viability. I post pictures a lot and haven’t received any feedback as to if they are viable. I have 7 eggs now, one was not fertilized.
Also, mom laid her eggs at 3 different times, so they are different in their stages of development.
I wish someone would look at my pictures. Or give me some advice regarding the cracked one.
Thank you so much for your reply!!