Muscovy keepers share your pics!

[yoopergirl1211]

Muscovies are crazy. They want babies, they will go broody.
I've read Muscovy eggs are hard to incubate, and mama ducks do a better job of it. I don't know, though, as I've always just stuck eggs under a Muscovy and let her hatch them.

I'm definitely all for getting some babies form my girls. I'm trying to get some of the full body colored birds into my group too. Thats what I had coming from Country Hatchery. Still wish I knew why they up and cancelled it.

 

[yoopergirl1211]

Yay! Als emailed me back. Im on the top of the cancellation list! So hopefully I can get some of her beautiful birds sometime this year. She heard its a fertility issue at country hatchery I guess.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Muscovies are crazy. They want babies, they will go broody.
I've read Muscovy eggs are hard to incubate, and mama ducks do a better job of it. I don't know, though, as I've always just stuck eggs under a Muscovy and let her hatch them.

I agree that nothing beats a broody Muscovy for hatch rate, but I have hatched several sets of Muscovy eggs (with an incubator full of eggs going into lockdown in a few days!). It can be done, but I think you can increase your hatch rate by taking specific steps during the incubation process, like hand turning and misting and cooling the eggs. These aren't "set and forget" eggs - I'm always ready to intervene as needed, since the shells are incredibly tough for the ducklings to get through.

There's more helpful information in this article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/incubating-and-hatching-muscovy-eggs.

 

[yoopergirl1211]

My queen bee Andromida has been sitting on communal nest lately more often and today when the chickens came to say hi and lay in the box ducks don't normally use she chased them all out and went after Oliver my RIR roo.... is that broody behavior?

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

My queen bee Andromida has been sitting on communal nest lately more often and today when the chickens came to say hi and lay in the box ducks don't normally use she chased them all out and went after Oliver my RIR roo.... is that broody behavior?

It sounds like it could be - they get very protective of the nest and won't tolerate "intruders". Is she peeping at the visitors, too? Broodies make a high-pitched, angry-sounding "peep" to warn drakes to leave them alone, etc.

If she's only leaving the nest to eat/drink/bathe/poop and then returns to sit on the eggs, she's probably broody.

 

[JudysMuscovy]

Yoopergirl 1211; my Muscovy's are laying like crazy I could probably provide you with eggs or babies, I have a hen sitting now due in a few weeks, or I could start saving you some eggs just let me know

 

[yoopergirl1211]

That would be cool. You have that really pretty almost all black hen right? And the blue boy I think? Can't remember if I saw pics of others.

 

[yoopergirl1211]

I keep forgetting that I can ask people on here to find new birds instead of always looking at big hatcherys. Thanks guys. Hopefully Andromida is going broody. I know she has had two successful hatches before I bought her. My other two girls would be on tbeir first try this spring if they do. Maybe I'll try getting eggs from a couple different places for her to hatch.

 

[Louise Waffles]

I agree that nothing beats a broody Muscovy for hatch rate, but I have hatched several sets of Muscovy eggs (with an incubator full of eggs going into lockdown in a few days!). It can be done, but I think you can increase your hatch rate by taking specific steps during the incubation process, like hand turning and misting and cooling the eggs. These aren't "set and forget" eggs - I'm always ready to intervene as needed, since the shells are incredibly tough for the ducklings to get through.

There's more helpful information in this article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/incubating-and-hatching-muscovy-eggs.

Those shells are tough! It's amazing to me how those little dumplings get through them. Thanks for the link, saving in case ever I want to incubate some.

 

[JudysMuscovy]

Yes yoopergirl 1211. She is black and male is blue