I have decided to cut back on my adult Muscovies recently due to feed costs increasing but I am very hopeful that they will go back down after Winter so that I will be able to build the flock back up a little... Well I made a BIG(for me anyway! lol) decision today and picked out 7 of my precious babies and they will be the ones that will find good homes. It was mroe than I had originally planned but i think it will work out well in the end. Today after I got all done taking care of the animals and checking on everyone I went to the duck coop to collect the eggs and was very delighted to find 17 lovely eggies from my girls!! I had 4 left in the house too and I am SOO considering putting them all in the incubator, i really must be crazy . I think I will check the few remaining eggs in the bator tonight and then decide. I would love to keep a few babies from the girls that I am parting with.
It really is a tempting thought...babies dont eat anywhere near the amount adults do....but also out here the feed for babies costs twice as much!! I was done with ducks a few weeks ago as I planned to let my daughter incubate some chickens...but then borrowed some ducks from a friend to try to get some better coloured ducklings as I had only raised one worth keeping myself..now the bator is full, and i have 4 brooders already full and no idea where I am going to put all these ducklings when they start to hatch. But I will be setting more eggs again tomorrow. lol Bleenie...I think we both need help...
Thankfully I feed all of my birds the same feed, no matter the age. I had a lot of problems with some medicated started last year and lost quite a few babies, it was pretty upsetting. I got rid of the feed and started using the older birds feed(it's not layer feed) and it's been awesome for all the babies, chicks included. I just had someone pick up some 6wk old layer pullets and she couldnt believe how heavy they were, lol. it seems like everything in it is at a good percentage where it's safe for them all. I do spoil the babies with greens though too but really hardly ever any vitamin supplements unless there's something wrong. I do have a problem, but I have admitted it and I am okay with it.
I'm just wondering why you need to put muscovy eggs in the incubator - why not leave some dummy eggs out in some nests, and let some go broody? Or better yet if it's not freezing where you are, just leave the eggs out? You'd be suprised how COLD it can get and still result in ducklings. I'm asking, because I've never had luck hatching muscovy eggs, myself. I certainly can't beat the 98-100% hatchout that my hens achieve.
I've tried leaving them & even dummy eggs(wooden) but the only ones that wanna try are the young girls and I would really rather have one of my proven broodies do the job rather than a girl that wants to play mommy for a couple weeks and give up lol. ETA: I am also selling 6 of my hens very soon and I would hate for one of them to go broody, and with my luck one would!
I HATE our over, half the time the stupid thing won't cooperate and I won't even go into the #5 button!!! Quote:
Bleenie you could always send a dozen eggs to me to hatch LOL I have one 7 month old Scovy Gal that needs some playmates like her...my other ducks all run from her when she wants to play and my Mallard Drake just won't top her. I think you should put those eggs in the 'bator...a person can never have too many ducklings ;-) Michelle
I've never had even a first time gal just 'give up' on a nest. If you have severala girls laying, leave some dummies out there. I bet at least ONE of the experienced hens is laying.
