Muscovy keepers share your pics!

[Lil Drake40]

You have a mess of Muscovy ducklings there. So cute. Congrats

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

View attachment 1440799

Wow! How many is that? Did they all hatch tome the same hen?

 

[The Moonshiner]

31
She hatched two clutches in three days and I added one.
She hatched her clutch and then I hatched a single in the incubator. Decided to take it straight from incubator and poke it under her after dark.
Next day (today) as soon as I got home from work I wanted to go do a head count to make sure she took it and it was keeping up.
When I walked out she came out of the goat house with a mile long string of ducklings.
She didn't hatch hers there but I did have two setting in there. One of them was missing in action and that nest was all empty eggs.
I never found that hen so I assume something got her overnight and this hen some how or for some reason went to the nest and hatched the eggs.
My wife said she checked on her earlier and she was on the nest with some wet babies and some in middle of hatching.
Never had anything like that happen before.
Muscovies are such good broodies.

 

[Lil Drake40]

They really,are I hope she can take care of them all

 

[WVduckchick]

31
She hatched two clutches in three days and I added one.
She hatched her clutch and then I hatched a single in the incubator. Decided to take it straight from incubator and poke it under her after dark.
Next day (today) as soon as I got home from work I wanted to go do a head count to make sure she took it and it was keeping up.
When I walked out she came out of the goat house with a mile long string of ducklings.
She didn't hatch hers there but I did have two setting in there. One of them was missing in action and that nest was all empty eggs.
I never found that hen so I assume something got her overnight and this hen some how or for some reason went to the nest and hatched the eggs.
My wife said she checked on her earlier and she was on the nest with some wet babies and some in middle of hatching.
Never had anything like that happen before.
Muscovies are such good broodies.

That’s amazing!

 

[Miss Lydia]

This is Opie and Joy she was sitting on a Chocolate

Orpington egg that I had to take away Opie was keeping her company.

 

[The Moonshiner]

They really,are I hope she can take care of them all

I hope so too.
I locked her in the barn for now because I have real concern about her being able to keep them all together. Or more concern that they'll all be able to keep together if free ranging.
I knew she wouldn't be able to cover them all but of course she proved me wrong. She sits with both wings sticking out and they all pile underneath.
Side note I found the hen that was on that nest today. She's about 15' away setting on another nest in a brush pile that I had no idea was there.
Idk what happened whether the momma ran her off and stole the nest or if she switched nests and momma happen to come along at the right time to take over.
With winter dragging on so long here I thought it was going to be a poor year for the muscovies. They started laying really late this year and I only had one unproven male with fertility at about 0% with the first couple weeks eggs. We now have 64 babies.

 

[Lil Drake40]

That is amazing 64 babies wow. Do you sell eat or both?

 

[The Moonshiner]

We don't eat any of our birds.
We'll keep them probably through the summer then sell most all the males and depending how many females we end up with most or all will stay here.

 

[Lil Drake40]

Amazing you can have so many. Sure wish I could