Natural Incubation for Muscovy Ducks - what went wrong?

Linda T.

Hatching
Jun 15, 2017
2
1
9
Sunderland, Ontario
My Coop
My Coop
Please be gentle as this is my first post. I'm a newbie!

We have 4 female and 2 male Muscovies and all are just about a year old now. In April, two of our females started brooding and my husband and I decided that for their first time (and ours really), we would let them incubate the eggs. Between the two of them, they ended up with 20 eggs. They were good mommas and never left the eggs except to eat/drink or bathe taking turns covering all the eggs.

We patiently waited and watched and as the weeks went by, nothing changed. Then within the last 2-3 weeks, well after the 35-38 incubation days for Muscovies, a few eggs were kicked out of the nests by the females. I had read that they will do this if an egg did not further develop and of those eggs, only 2 showed signs of a developed duckling.

I recently checked the nest and we're down to 1 egg!!! I can't find evidence of the other eggs, even checking under all the bedding. There are no shells anywhere and no babies.

What went wrong? Our girls are in the coop and we have had no issues with predators as our two males barely even let me near the coop even to feed the chickens! I'm out there 4-5 times a day and at night everyone is locked up very tight - nothing is getting in or out.

So where did all the eggs go? Please help!
 
Sounds like it's just a case of young breeders, they aren't mature yet and that may be why so few developed, they can tell when an egg isnt good anymore and they'll get rid of it, I am not sure if they eat it or if other birds eat the ungarded egg, I have had them disappear and birds were the ONLY possible culprit.
 
Sounds like it's just a case of young breeders, they aren't mature yet and that may be why so few developed, they can tell when an egg isnt good anymore and they'll get rid of it, I am not sure if they eat it or if other birds eat the ungarded egg, I have had them disappear and birds were the ONLY possible culprit.
Thanks. I think next time I'll separate the mom and eggs from the other ducks and hope that works!
 

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