Muscovy Duck - Egg Membrane Day 42

[MariskaKilian]

Hi,

Was told to ask these questions to the Duck People


I read everything I can about helping my little chicks out of the eggs. SO I learned that I should leave the chicks as long as they are alive in the egg. Thing is that the Muscovy babies are supposed to hatch on day 35 and it is now day 37. They still didn't internal pip. I listened this morning and I don't hear any chirps in the egg, I candled them with a torch and I see seven babies moving, I also put them in water and they definitely move. So I threw out the six eggs (not even fertile, they were see through yellow) and kept the 9 others. I fed the Muscovy mother Laying pellets with mixed fowl (extra calcium to an already thick Muscovy egg) Only realized later what I've done. Can the membrane inside the egg now be too thick that the little chicks can't break into the air sac? If only they break through to the air sac I'll know they are okay but now I keep thinking that they are struggling to break that and they are going to die. I've had lots of chicken eggs hatch but these are my first Muscovy eggs. Oh and they are under the mother, not an incubator so could this be taking longer than 35 days then? Thanx for the help I know I'll get.

 

[Amiga]

Ohh, my.

I am not a hatcher, but there is a sticky on hatching Muscovy eggs here https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/incubating-and-hatching-muscovy-eggs

@Lacrystol , @learycow , @WVduckchick are among the many hatchers we have here on the forum.

Since they are under a broody, I don't know how much that first link will help, but it was the first thing I thought of. There is also an article somewhere here about when to help a hatch.

 

[WVduckchick]

First, 35-37 days is just a guideline, so everything could still be fine! How's your weather, and has momma left the nest very much? If it is cool, and she gets off the nest much, that can slow down the process. Don't panic yet!

 

[MariskaKilian]

Quote: Thank you all, yes it is actually winter here but not that cold this year, during night 3 Celsius (37 F)and during the day we get up 15 Celsius (59 F) and humidity 42% according to the weather.. The mother gets off the nest when I feed her in the morning for about 10 minutes, and sometimes late afternoon again for about 10 minutes. I saw this week she got off less. She'll eat, drink, swim and back on the nest. I sometimes don't have time to look at the eggs then she is back. I'm just worried that the membrane is thick or sticky, I broke the eggs that wasn't fertilised to see and they were rock hard. That shell must be 4 times a chicken egg shell. The 7 babies are definitely still moving, but no sounds yet. Moving to day 38 and no internal pip

 

[WVduckchick]

Ah, ok. So the lateness doesn't concern me as much with a little lower temps. But its still pushing time. Since they are under momma, I believe if they pip the internal membrane, she will help them break the shell if they need it. Even a thick shell, she should hear them peep. You could consider making a safety hole in the large end, just into the air sac, not through the internal membrane. A small hole, about the size of the tip of an ink pen. That would give them air to breathe if they do pip internally, and it may help her with a starting point to help break them out. But that would be your call. Tough situation. Best of luck to you! Please let us know what happens. Do you have any consideration of bringing them inside with an incubator, by chance? At this point, though, that probably wouldn't help much. She will probably fair better on her own.

 

[MariskaKilian]

I don't have an incubator so can't really do that. I have 70 chicken eggs with no hen sitting on them and no incubator so hoping every day that someone will get broody. But I also don't want to take her babies, she has been sitting so good for the past five weeks and taking them, I just can't. To me that is why I really want them to come out, is that she won't be disappointed. My one hen sat for a week on her eggs and then went and got on the wrong nest so all the eggs died. And then the next day she went and sat on her first eggs so both batches died. I ended up buying chicks for her so she can just have some chicks lol

 

[WVduckchick]

Any update today?

 

[MariskaKilian]

Well by this afternoon I couldn't hold it anymore, it is day 38 and no internal pip so I made a small hole in the air cell to see if the baby broke through. The baby is still in the sac and moving but I'm not really sure what that membrane is suppose to look like, it was wrinkly, thick and white. So I put a small piece of cellotape over the hole. I went back later and there were some water drops on the cellotape on the inside so there is humidity. Should I take them out or leave? I'm so anxious especially if I read that they should have broken to the aircell by day 32, so that was almost a week ago.

 

[WVduckchick]

I assume you are positive about your day count?? I have not hatched muscovies, and since these are with momma, I am leary to offer advice. When you looked at the membrane, could you see any red veins? If it looks really dry, you could dampen your fingertip with warm water, and just moisten the membrane, very lightly, while looking for veins. And look for its bill where the air cell meets the inside of the egg. (it can be very difficult to find, so don't be alarmed if you don't see it) They usually won't break through the sac until the veins have mostly receded and they have absorbed most of the fluids inside the sac. And it may sound silly, but talk to it! Sing to it! Peck on the shell gently. Play chirping noises to it, if you can (like on a smartphone from YouTube or something) Anything to keep it active and trying. It will also need to rest, so I'm not saying to overdo it.

 

[MariskaKilian]

I'm 100% sure about the day count. As soon as one of my chickens starts to sit, I write the start and expected hatch date down. I'll write Black hen, grey hen or something like that as well so I don't get confused with which hen it is. It looked dry, I couldn't see much. Some of the eggs, when I torch I see the veins and I thought they were empty but today there was movement in them too, the baby comes up high in the air sack like I can see the bill but I can also see the sac stretching over him so I know he isn't through.


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