Please help! Muscovy eggs at 37 days

[Kierstelise521]

I have 4 Muscovy duck eggs and this is my first experience with eggs.
The mother and eggs have endured some trauma. She laid them naturally in an old tree stump we managed to save them from two snake incidents. After the second, we decided that for their safety we needed to move them. We placed them in a fully enclosed pen with a nesting box. She seemed to transition very well. Eating, drinking, sitting, and turning. At day 32 she threw one egg out of the nesting box - causing it to bust. I've read that that can be common? Day 35 we found and unresponsive, hatched duckling in the bottom of the pen well outside of the nesting box. The same thing happened today (day 37) except there was egg shell in the mothers water container.
At this point, we only have four eggs left. We have candled them, removed them from the mother and incubated them.
Two showed good activity and internal pipping? The other two have much less. Have we lost those two?
Are we doing everything we can to save these babies? Is there something more/different we should do? At what point will we know if the eggs made it or not? Please help!

 

[GitaBooks]

Did anyone respond to your post?

How are the eggs doing?

 

[Kierstelise521]

No

. I have them in the incubator but I'm still not really sure what to do at this point. I've read the sticky, asked around, and done some more research.

 

[GitaBooks]

I'm sorry I didn't respond sooner. I don't have ducks, so I was hoping an expert would help. I'll do my best though.


The mother could be confused about the ducklings and be attacking them upon hatching. They could have died upon hatching and she tossed them out.
Keep them warm, extra moist, and if they peep but don't get out in 24 hours, you could try opening a small breathing hole for them. As for the other eggs, wait and see. Peep to them and if you don't get a response on hatching day then they likely died.

Best of luck!

 

[Amiga]

@Lacrystol @Orca5094 @learycow

Just a few hatchers who may be able to check in.

I am not a hatcher. So, you've got what temperature and what humidity? I would not give up on the two just yet. I agree, sometimes duck mothers do fine with sitting, but then attack the hatchlings.

I think you are making great effort - so many hatchings are not "textbook," there is always a new twist.

 

[caesargirl]

How go the eggs? Have the ones that internally pipped, externally pipped yet? Are you still seeing activity?

 

[WVduckchick]

And since they were under momma, I'd like to ask how your temperatures are? And how often momma left the nest during this ordeal?? If your temps are low, and she was off the nest fairly often, it could easily explain the late development in some eggs, so don't panic because of a day number! Normal guidelines are just that... guidelines. Especially under a female, there are many factors that come into play. Development can vary a bit too, depending on how she sits on them.

 

[Lacrystol]

I have 4 Muscovy duck eggs and this is my first experience with eggs.
The mother and eggs have endured some trauma. She laid them naturally in an old tree stump we managed to save them from two snake incidents. After the second, we decided that for their safety we needed to move them. We placed them in a fully enclosed pen with a nesting box. She seemed to transition very well. Eating, drinking, sitting, and turning. At day 32 she threw one egg out of the nesting box - causing it to bust. I've read that that can be common? Day 35 we found and unresponsive, hatched duckling in the bottom of the pen well outside of the nesting box. The same thing happened today (day 37) except there was egg shell in the mothers water container.
At this point, we only have four eggs left. We have candled them, removed them from the mother and incubated them.
Two showed good activity and internal pipping? The other two have much less. Have we lost those two?
Are we doing everything we can to save these babies? Is there something more/different we should do? At what point will we know if the eggs made it or not? Please help!

Muscovy needs lots of water, so I would Spray them really good.

 

[Lacrystol]

Muskcovy can dehydrate very easily, if they have internally pipped, and not externally yet, I would definitely be spraying those eggs really good, it doesn't matter if they are under a mommy or in the bator, I would still spray them with some warm water.

 

[Kierstelise521]

Thank you all so much. I candled again this morning and didn't see any activity