Hey everyone, I'm going to attempt my hand at incubating and hatching some Muscovy duck eggs. I was wondering if anyone had a preference on incubators or if certain incubators work better for Muscovy ducks? Also does anyone have any tips on anything Muscovy duck related weather it's the incubation, hatching, or raising? I've done some research on them and they seem like great birds but every where I have checked is sold out of ducklings for the season, so I've decided hatching the eggs might be a better choice. Thanks in advance!
Hatch them like any other duck eggs and you should be fine.and I think they take longer like 35 days vs 28
I think they're considered to be a bit more challenging to incubate than the eggs of Mallard-derived breeds, but I know from personal experience that it can be done. There's a lot of great information in this article, specific to incubating Muscovy eggs: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/incubating-and-hatching-muscovy-eggs. I highly recommend misting and cooling the eggs, and I personally prefer to hand turn them instead of using an automatic turner. They will also take about a week longer to hatch than other duck eggs, but are worth the wait, IMO. I use a Brinsea Advance 20 as my incubator and a Hova-Bator 1588 Genesis as a hatcher. I like the separate hatcher because it allows more room for the ducklings to hatch and contains the inevitable hatching mess. One tip: try to acquire local hatching eggs rather than having eggs shipped to you. Shipping can be very hard on hatching eggs, and you should generally have much better results hatching eggs you pick up and transport home safely. My very first attempt at incubating Muscovy eggs was with shipped eggs (during unseasonably cold weather, sent on a puzzlingly circuitous shipping route, probably x-rayed and subject to pressure changes due to air travel) and it was a complete fail...very disappointing after waiting 35+ days; ergo, I recommend erring on the side of caution and acquiring local hatching eggs if at all possible. Best of luck in your hatching adventure!
