Muscovy incubation questions and concerns

[MartinsPoultry]

This is my first time hatching duck eggs, i just had guinea fowl eggs hatch two weeks ago.

I placed 13 eggs in the incubator on April 30, I have yet to see any pip and now their hatching incubator is starting to have a smell. I chucked one out already do to it not being fertile, and candled the rest only about 6 look good others are not as dark with larger air cells.

From looking at the Calendar they are due to start hatching within the next few days.

Any Muscovy incubation experts would like to help ease my worried brain would be fabulous.

Also on a farther note I have 14 more in a separate
incubator with guinea, chickens and turkey eggs waiting to head to the hatcher bator later this month.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Bad muscovy eggs will stink. My guess is because of the length of incubation, so they always get the sniff test when I'm checking out the nest. Bad eggs smell rotten.

 

[pnwfarmnovice]

Muscovies take forever!!! Its frustrating!!
My Abigale sat on her her eggs for 37 days before first hatchling appeared!! I let my girl hatch her own as I am brand new with ducks. I figure her instincts are sharper then mine as I had taken in my ducks on a whim without much research. I havent used an incubator yet. She kicked out three and two hatched to weak to survive, both were kinda late almost 36 hours after first one hatched. i do agree there was a smell diffrent and worse then duck poo before she kicked out the 3 bad eggs; as she did each egg, smell went away when i removed them
She is a fabulous mom of 18 ducklings. So my best advice is to give the ones that looked good when candled at least the full 35 plus a day or two and then call it. But then again I only have minimal experience!! Best of Luck!!, and keep us updated! i want to try incubater as its sooo nerve wracking waiting and watching wondering but it sounds like that process comes with same worries

 

[MartinsPoultry]

Ok so some good news. 1 egg has pipped with a big enough hole to where we can see the bill.
Bad news, the membrane is hard as rocks. I used a q-tip with warm water and gentle rubbed the membrane and the duckling brought its bill over to it.

How long before I should really worry?

I have 3 dishes of water in the bator + the basin full of water. My humidity should be spot on if not a tad higher. This is my old incubator and doesn't have a humidity gauge in it, like my new one does, which has 20 eggs in it, that are mid way through their incubation.

 

[tmorgan46]

Muscovies take forever!!! Its frustrating!!
My Abigale sat on her her eggs for 37 days before first hatchling appeared!! I let my girl hatch her own as I am brand new with ducks. I figure her instincts are sharper then mine as I had taken in my ducks on a whim without much research. I havent used an incubator yet. She kicked out three and two hatched to weak to survive, both were kinda late almost 36 hours after first one hatched. i do agree there was a smell diffrent and worse then duck poo before she kicked out the 3 bad eggs; as she did each egg, smell went away when i removed them
She is a fabulous mom of 18 ducklings. So my best advice is to give the ones that looked good when candled at least the full 35 plus a day or two and then call it. But then again I only have minimal experience!! Best of Luck!!, and keep us updated! i want to try incubater as its sooo nerve wracking waiting and watching wondering but it sounds like that process comes with same worries

Muscovies take forever!!! Its frustrating!!
My Abigale sat on her her eggs for 37 days before first hatchling appeared!! I let my girl hatch her own as I am brand new with ducks. I figure her instincts are sharper then mine as I had taken in my ducks on a whim without much research. I havent used an incubator yet. She kicked out three and two hatched to weak to survive, both were kinda late almost 36 hours after first one hatched. i do agree there was a smell diffrent and worse then duck poo before she kicked out the 3 bad eggs; as she did each egg, smell went away when i removed them
She is a fabulous mom of 18 ducklings. So my best advice is to give the ones that looked good when candled at least the full 35 plus a day or two and then call it. But then again I only have minimal experience!! Best of Luck!!, and keep us updated! i want to try incubater as its sooo nerve wracking waiting and watching wondering but it sounds like that process comes with same worries

 

[tmorgan46]

We are on our second plus year of hatching so just a few tips, incubation in an incubator will result in much lower hatch rates about 50% the momma do the best job and they range from 32-38 days. It seems take forever. We have had ducklings as early as April and as late as October. Clutches as small as 1 (incubator) and as large as 27. It's all a big crap shoot. So depends on what you have them for to begin with, are you keeping the ducklings, if you consider yourself a success.