Incubate or Give Up?

[tgperg]

I have had THE worst year with my birds. The latest thing is I have a broody muscovy who just gave up today. I had two broodies, one of them was killed by a predator and the other one was trying to cover 29 eggs. I candled, only 7 were viable. One of those has disappeared, I have no idea what happened to it. Last week one of my Dominique hens got pushy and kept running the broody duck off her nest and shoving her eggs out so she could lay there, so I put the broody duck in my broody box so she'd be safer. She didn't like it much, but she settled. Yesterday I had to have a vet out (big long story covered in other threads) and he had to get some specimens from her. After that, she never quite settled back on her eggs. She would sit, but would push the eggs all out away from herself. Today she was pacing and hissing at me and wanted out, so I let her out. She ate, drank, walked around and wouldn't go back to her nest. I candled and all the eggs are developing. I can see obvious movement in four of them. I have the eggs on a towel in the bathroom with a heat lamp on them. The temp is 99-100. Do you think it would be worth going to buy a cheap incubator? Have they been through too much? Should I even try?

Traci

 

[llaaadyel]

If you are going to try to incubate them, you should get the incubater as soon as possible. I have a Hova-bator and it takes a good 24 hours to get to temperature. Its kind of a hard call. I can only say that if it were me, I would try. I guess it all depends on how far along they are in development. If it is early on, the humidity doesn't matter all that much, if its later it does. You never know, you might get one out of the batch if you try.

E

 

[tgperg]

They should hatch June 2. She was almost done.

Traci

 

[Memphisjourney2seramas]

I am new to incubators, but i read on an earlier post today that you can even us a crock pot as an incubator in desperate time...not sure how good it would work..but anything is worth a try.

 

[tgperg]

OMG! I went to candle the eggs. Four of them have pipped internally! The only one that hasn't is the one that got cracked and I truly didn't expect it to. ACK!

Traci

 

[cmfarm]

It sounds like things are pretty far along. I would just keep doing what you are doing and hope they make it. Good luck!

 

[cmom]

I think it sounds to me like you are doing great. Hope everything turns out ok. Good luck!!!

 

[Memphisjourney2seramas]

So how did it all turn out. I have been waiting for an update.......

 

[tgperg]

They're rocking around in there and peeping and tapping. No one's pipped externally yet, but I'm waiting by the incubator staring at it as if that would help. Relative humidity is at 70% and temp is at 99.5.

Traci

 

[ginbart]

Sorry I didn't see you had got a bator. Bad me.