Muscovy hen trying again

[horsemom1326]

In December, my 7 month old muscovy hen, Bow, began laying. She sat 12 eggs on a nest of straw in my feed room under a heat lamp. By the last week, we were down to 6 viable eggs. I could hear chirping and a couple of the eggs had small chips but not through the membrane, and they never zipped. Around 9:00 p.m. on the 39th night, she began furiously burying the eggs in the straw and covering them up. It lasted about an hour. She was so frantic, I even brought hay for her to use. When she was satisfied, she sat beside the nest. This being my first egg hatching experience, I figured it was really cold (for Alabama) so she must be putting them deep in the straw to help them dry and keep warm while hatching. The next morning I found Bow in the pond with the rest of the group. She never came back to the nest. Around lunch, I took the eggs, and they were ice cold. I cracked them to find 6 perfectly formed babies that had not survived. Two weeks later, she began to lay again in the same place. There are about 8 or 9 eggs remaining, and we are on day 32. My problem is, that after finding this site, I started misting the eggs daily last week in an effort to soften the shells. (I pretty much needed a chisel to open the eggs last time) Now I'm afraid the air cells are too small. I tried to let nature take it's course last time and even spoke with a fowl expert at a magazine that suggested I not take any action until day 40. Well, that didn't go so good. I haven't heard any chirping yet, but I have been able to detect slight movement in at least some of the eggs. It's pretty hard to examine eggs while being attacked by Mama I want to be prepared to assist this time. So far none of the beaks have broken through into the air cell that I can tell. Any suggestions on how to handle this batch, when to expect pipping to begin, if it does, etc?? It will break my heart if she ends up spending close to 80 days on eggs with nothing to show for it. Thanks so much for any thoughts or suggestions!

 

[Miss Lydia]

In December, my 7 month old muscovy hen, Bow, began laying. She sat 12 eggs on a nest of straw in my feed room under a heat lamp. By the last week, we were down to 6 viable eggs. I could hear chirping and a couple of the eggs had small chips but not through the membrane, and they never zipped. Around 9:00 p.m. on the 39th night, she began furiously burying the eggs in the straw and covering them up. It lasted about an hour. She was so frantic, I even brought hay for her to use. When she was satisfied, she sat beside the nest. This being my first egg hatching experience, I figured it was really cold (for Alabama) so she must be putting them deep in the straw to help them dry and keep warm while hatching. The next morning I found Bow in the pond with the rest of the group. She never came back to the nest. Around lunch, I took the eggs, and they were ice cold. I cracked them to find 6 perfectly formed babies that had not survived. Two weeks later, she began to lay again in the same place. There are about 8 or 9 eggs remaining, and we are on day 32. My problem is, that after finding this site, I started misting the eggs daily last week in an effort to soften the shells. (I pretty much needed a chisel to open the eggs last time) Now I'm afraid the air cells are too small. I tried to let nature take it's course last time and even spoke with a fowl expert at a magazine that suggested I not take any action until day 40. Well, that didn't go so good. I haven't heard any chirping yet, but I have been able to detect slight movement in at least some of the eggs. It's pretty hard to examine eggs while being attacked by Mama I want to be prepared to assist this time. So far none of the beaks have broken through into the air cell that I can tell. Any suggestions on how to handle this batch, when to expect pipping to begin, if it does, etc?? It will break my heart if she ends up spending close to 80 days on eggs with nothing to show for it. Thanks so much for any thoughts or suggestions!

I'm sorry your first time experience was not a good one, I'm confused about the heat lamp though, espceially in AL, ducks do not need heat they have a nice dwon coat on unfder those feathers, okay getting that off my chest. I would let nature run her course, from internal pip to external zip can take 3 days and if you intervene to soon you can make matters alot worse, ducklings have been hatching under ducks for alot longer than we have been hatching them and those hard eggs shells they are able to get through, they have what is called an egg tooth just for that purpose. I knoow my Scovies eggs are very tough but ducklings get through fine. and yes very sad you lost all in that first clutch and you won't ever know why but hopefully this one will go better, not saying all will hatch, even under best circumstances some will not make it, 35-37 days for Scovies to hatch, did you count down from the first day she started sitting or count day 1 the next full day she sat. First time mamas don't always get it right so hopefully this time will be better, I would just let her take care of things, I know it's hard to do believe me I've been there done that. But honestly it's the best way, if you hear peeping and start assisting too soon you can cause bleeding and the duckling will bleed to death. and having to break through those thick shells makes ducklings tough little buggers when they come out. what day is she on today?

 

[Going Quackers]

ML.. makes excellent points. Do i ever get where your coming from, the first year we let nests sit here i swore i'd never do it again, i had half developed babies scattered around my barn each Am, some more than others, ducklings being killed, nest sharing, nest switching...

i was so sick of all of it and burying babies that i had no clue why they died.

Anyways, i got a backbone lol and learned this is nature and nature is cruel, so if we were going to do this i needed to get a grip and accept things as they are.

I also got more experience and knew what is the line you don't cross. I only helped an egg ONCE and by that i took it off killer duck and gave it to my Lilly who was on a hatching nest, she took over assisted the baby and he went on to hatch and was a lovely boy.

This year, i had a nest of 5 eggs, 4 hatched. I did finally check the 5th as nothing was happening and i was worried... sure enough it had died but the other 4 are thriving bundles of eating!

If using a mama duck, i would not be misting, nor would i concern myself with egg strength.. yes, duck eggs ARE hard but unless your duck has some oddity the shells are likely normal. What is your feed program? mine get FR, whole grains, BOSS and free choice oyster shell.

Again, it's a rough ride... most hear how easy it all is, but there is a lot of loss, unsuccessful parts of it too that isn't as spoken about. Good luck!

 

[horsemom1326]

Thank you so much for the advice. I found Bow on a nest on December 24th so I counted the 25th as day 1. My son put a heat lamp on her just because we were so surprised that she started laying in December, and she was doing a lot of "shivering". She buried her chirping eggs on February 1 which was day 39. This is a picture of one of the chipped eggs on day 39

There was no chirping on the morning of the 2nd - day 40. I believe today is day 32 for her. My concern is the straw (I have read that the straw reduces humidity) and the misting. The last time I misted was day 29 or 30. She has been cooling the eggs very frequently the last week or so. She is not contained in the feed room but has chosen not to leave, so I have left a pan of water so she can bathe if she wants to, and she has access to feed. I'm going to try my best to leave the eggs alone next week, but I'm really worried about it. My male muscovy went to live at another farm, so there won't be another muscovy opportunity. I do have a pair of Pekins and 5 Mallards, only one of which is female (she's sitting on 12 eggs now as well). This waiting is pretty tough. I have a Muscovy, a Mallard, a chicken, and a daughter-in-law all waiting on babies right now Thanks again for the encouragement!

 

[horsemom1326]

I've been feeding Flock Raiser, but she also helps herself to the chicken scratch regularly. She culls the corn I know my bad experience the first time is playing a huge role in my nervousness, but I really do feel like I could have saved at least 2 of the eggs last time. Of the 6, it looked like there were 3 sets of twins I'm going to be good through the weekend and reevaluate on Monday

 

[Miss Lydia]

I've been feeding Flock Raiser, but she also helps herself to the chicken scratch regularly. She culls the corn I know my bad experience the first time is playing a huge role in my nervousness, but I really do feel like I could have saved at least 2 of the eggs last time. Of the 6, it looked like there were 3 sets of twins I'm going to be good through the weekend and reevaluate on Monday

Good idea on reevaluateing on Monday. Hoping for good success this time. and forgot to say

you have alot of babies coming, Congrats!!

 

[horsemom1326]

Well, today is day 35 for Mama Muscovy and her eggs, and I don't see any movement, no pips, and no peeps. Didn't know to look for movement last time but heard peeps and saw a couple of pips on day 39, but they were gone by that night. If I have already lost them, I could save myself days of anguish by checking a couple now. Could they be alive even if shrink wrapped? Some of the air cells have grown considerably in the last few days. Wouldn't it be better to try to give them a chance rather than basically watching them die over the next few days if I haven't lost them already? My Mallard and a hen are sitting for the first time, and I'm not nearly so worried about them. Round 2 with the Muscovy is getting to me.

 

[Going Quackers]

Well, today is day 35 for Mama Muscovy and her eggs, and I don't see any movement, no pips, and no peeps. Didn't know to look for movement last time but heard peeps and saw a couple of pips on day 39, but they were gone by that night. If I have already lost them, I could save myself days of anguish by checking a couple now. Could they be alive even if shrink wrapped? Some of the air cells have grown considerably in the last few days. Wouldn't it be better to try to give them a chance rather than basically watching them die over the next few days if I haven't lost them already? My Mallard and a hen are sitting for the first time, and I'm not nearly so worried about them. Round 2 with the Muscovy is getting to me.

So it's only day 35? I'd let it be, it's roughly 32-37 days but I've had some go on the later side only when the maximum days have been exceeded do I start to really get involved .

Good luck!

 

[horsemom1326]

Thanks so much GQ. I know in my head that is the right thing to do, but my heart wants to step in because I let things go too long last time. I just really expected mother nature to make it easier than this. I'm pretty sure that Bow (Mama Mallard) and I heard at least one peep last night. The problem with that is without some pipping, I have no idea how many or which egg/eggs were making noise. Bow is so patient with me, but trying to candle makes her very unhappy, but the best I could tell, nobody had broken into the air cell. Last time there was a whole in the shell, but the membrane never broke to allow air in or the head out. That's all I really want to do... be sure the little thing can get air once the egg is pipped. I'm headed to the farm extra early this morning to check out the situation Thanks again! Chickens are due on the 16th. Those questions will start after this ordeal!

 

[Going Quackers]

Thanks so much GQ. I know in my head that is the right thing to do, but my heart wants to step in because I let things go too long last time. I just really expected mother nature to make it easier than this. I'm pretty sure that Bow (Mama Mallard) and I heard at least one peep last night. The problem with that is without some pipping, I have no idea how many or which egg/eggs were making noise. Bow is so patient with me, but trying to candle makes her very unhappy, but the best I could tell, nobody had broken into the air cell. Last time there was a whole in the shell, but the membrane never broke to allow air in or the head out. That's all I really want to do... be sure the little thing can get air once the egg is pipped. I'm headed to the farm extra early this morning to check out the situation Thanks again! Chickens are due on the 16th. Those questions will start after this ordeal!

I do understand but disturbing the eggs is not something i ever do until we've gone past, you have to let nature take it's course, yes, that may mean loses but we don't really know best here, and too much involvement could do the opposite of what were trying to achieve.

It is stressful, i completely agree, but i again i do not candle nor involve myself unless it's gone past and i am seeing nothing, or the mother is showing sign of abandonment. I hope this works out for you.