Muscovy Incubation, by Broody or Incubator

[MinnesotaNice]

I can only speak for what we did during our very first hatch so we are by far experts but if you take the hatched ducklings from mama she will continue to sit until the others hatch ours stayed broody. She then also adopted our silkie babies as her own!

I don't know if this is every scovy mama or just ours but thought I'd offer up our experience! Good luck!!

Good to know. They're best bet is with mom, so I'll give it a shot. I would like to think she'll also be able to tell they're good fertile eggs and will continue sitting on them.

You have a very good momma there!

 

[Ren2014]

oh my!

I have 3 broodies at the moment which it pains me to say after hearing your troubles

we hatched 6 almost a month ago and had to help 2 that were early and had unabsorbed yolk both are OK. We have 2 others sitting on eggs and the third that just hatched her clutch is back to making another nest!

Thank you.

for your broodies. WOW, that's a serious girl or do they all start another nest right after??

I put my 4 eggs into lockdown last night, but I'm not optimistic. They didn't look good. We'll see what happens.

I have 8 more in a different incubator that are all fertile and looking good, but I think I'll try to stick them under one of my broody Scovie hens. Right now, I have one sitting on 18 eggs and another on 5 or 6 I believe. I just don't know what will happen with the incubating process being a week apart in the eggs. I worry she'll discard the unhatched.

I wish I knew what it was that causes them to be so difficult to incubate.....

I can only speak for what we did during our very first hatch so we are by far experts but if you take the hatched ducklings from mama she will continue to sit until the others hatch ours stayed broody. She then also adopted our silkie babies as her own!

I don't know if this is every scovy mama or just ours but thought I'd offer up our experience! Good luck!!

Good to know.

Good to know. They're best bet is with mom, so I'll give it a shot. I would like to think she'll also be able to tell they're good fertile eggs and will continue sitting on them.

You have a very good momma there!

X2

 

[Ren2014]

I know this is off topic, but I had a reeealllly bad day here today. A bobcat got one of my buff orpingtons and we found another chicken snake. I'm soo bummed. I'm ready to move to the city!

 

[Patriciaallison]

I'm sorry to hear about your pain! I get that way also! The mud the bugs the predators! Just remember we are living in a wild kingdom it's our want to domesticate everything. A farmer friend told me "always have more then you think you need because you will lose plants animals and time to prediction" itreally sucks I know! I've only been at this for a year now so I'm not one to give advice just a little wisdom given to me by a lifetime farmer. Besides city Schmitty what does the city have that we don't ( more rotten people to deal with) smog noise and cement!

 

[MinnesotaNice]

@Ren2014 , sorry to hear about your orp. It's always a tough loss.

Day two of lockdown and no movement from the eggs or chirps. Not sure if that's typical with ducks. I haven't opened the bator to candle for movement, but will tomorrow. I think 4/4 are quitters.

I did a quick candle of the eggs my broody muscovy hen is sitting on and I'm seeing good fertility so far

I still plan on getting the 8 I have in another bator under a broody. I have two broody hens right now, but they're first time "cluckies", so I don't know if I want to take the risk. I've noticed most of my broody chickens nest hop.

 

[Ren2014]

I'm sorry to hear about your pain! I get that way also! The mud the bugs the predators! Just remember we are living in a wild kingdom it's our want to domesticate everything. A farmer friend told me "always have more then you think you need because you will lose plants animals and time to prediction" itreally sucks I know! I've only been at this for a year now so I'm not one to give advice just a little wisdom given to me by a lifetime farmer. Besides city Schmitty what does the city have that we don't ( more rotten people to deal with) smog noise and cement!

Thank you. Good points about the city.

@Ren2014 , sorry to hear about your orp. It's always a tough loss.

Day two of lockdown and no movement from the eggs or chirps. Not sure if that's typical with ducks. I haven't opened the bator to candle for movement, but will tomorrow. I think 4/4 are quitters.

I did a quick candle of the eggs my broody muscovy hen is sitting on and I'm seeing good fertility so far

I still plan on getting the 8 I have in another bator under a broody. I have two broody hens right now, but they're first time "cluckies", so I don't know if I want to take the risk. I've noticed most of my broody chickens nest hop.

Thank you.

ooo no, I sure hope they are not quitters. You will hear chirps when they pip internally.

YAY for the good fertility!

for ya.

I've only ever had two broody chickens and one turned out to be an egg eater. She went to the broody breaker pen real quick. The only duck I had went broody on 14 eggs. All but one hatched. It was her first time to go broody and my first broody duck. I had no idea the whole bunch of them were going to hatch. She was a great momma but I'm not going to raise anything else but Muscovies from here out and luckily she hasn't tried to go broody.

 

[2crazyflockers]

Good to know. They're best bet is with mom, so I'll give it a shot. I would like to think she'll also be able to tell they're good fertile eggs and will continue sitting on them.

You have a very good momma there!

thank you! She did great all except for picking at the shell that pipped until it bled so we had to take him into the house after she demolished his egg but he's a month old and doing great!!

 

[2crazyflockers]

T

...

Thank you.  for your broodies.  WOW, that's a serious girl or do they all start another nest right after??




Good to know.

X2
[/quote. This is our very first time for all of our broody girls so I don't know if its normal for them to "sync" up or if the breeding season brings it on for all of them! The very first one did lay then sit then hatched her clutch and because of us taking the lings from her adopted the silkies and when she got a little too carried away watching them we put her back outside in the aviary with her mate so she started nesting again after being out there with him for almost a week. Hope this helps we are by far super knowledgeable we found this sight frantically searching for help and answers on what to do with our little first born bloody ling can only offer our experience because I remember very vividly how terrifying it was!! Honestly wish you the best of luck and please keep me posted!!

 

[Ren2014]

thank you! She did great all except for picking at the shell that pipped until it bled so we had to take him into the house after she demolished his egg but he's a month old and doing great!!

YAY for him!

T
Quote: I have a second broody

Unfortunately she has chosen to nest in the horse stall/house where we lost our broody to a snake. My husband is in the process of securing that stall but it's wide open right now. I didn't find her until it was time to put everyone up for the night. I didn't want to disturb her to see how many eggs she is sitting on. We did secure the house she is in though

Experience is the best advice in my book

 

[2crazyflockers]

I'm sorry to hear about your pain! I get that way also! The mud the bugs the predators! Just remember we are living in a wild kingdom it's our want to domesticate everything. A farmer friend told me "always have more then you think you need because you will lose plants animals and time to prediction" itreally sucks I know! I've only been at this for a year now so I'm not one to give advice just a little wisdom given to me by a lifetime farmer. Besides city Schmitty what does the city have that we don't ( more rotten people to deal with) smog noise and cement!

Absolutely!!! Couldn't have said it better!! The snakes the mud the preds all suck but not as bad as the people and their attitudes in the city!!!#nevergoingback!