possibly a terrible mother or she knows something we dont

[Mom 2em All]

I had the worst time hatching Muscovies. Last year, I got a batch all the way to hatching day, and they all died- fully formed without hatching.

This year, I have broody muscovies

I went out to check on Mama Muscovy- to see if we have any hatched yet - and she has been a wonderful broody. Hasnt left her nest.
I went out there, and she has an egg with duckling in her beak and she is shaking it, biting the egg, throwing it around.
I sort of freaked.
just a little bit.
I took the egg from her, and helped the poor ducklings head out- and tried to put the entire thing back under her- and just wait and see. If she grabbed the baby, I was going to take the whole batch inside. (which I really do not want to do. She is a Muscovy- great mother, right?)
Well, she grabbed the egg and took off across the yard. She dropped the shell by the water dish and ran back. By then, I had time to see that there are a whole bunch of pips in the rest of the eggs, and I tucked the new baby in between two eggs.
So far, she is sitting on the nest- but not on the baby. She didnt grab it to hurt it, so I am leaving her alone. I dont want to stress her out by being close by.

So, apparently, the secret to a successful hatch is to violently tear egg apart and shake the new babies out. Thats where I messed up last year using an incubator.

 

[trilyn]

Or its very possible something is wrong with the duckling...you just never know.

 

[mhwc56]

hmmmmmmmmm....our muscovies never did that with their eggs/young ...and the girls hatched A LOT of ducklings while we had them .

 

[Mom 2em All]

Well, it wasnt hatched yet- it was only partially hatched. I figure she did a brand-new mama freak-out. Whats in my egg!!!!!!!!
Yolk is absorbed. Or maybe the baby was giving that distressed peep and she freaked. I dunno. I will check on them before I go to work and make sure she has not kicked it out/thrown it out. If so, I will have to save the rest and put them in my incubator.

 

[gofasterstripe]

I readon here not to long ago where someone gave her Skovie eggs to hatch or it was close tohatch or someting. The Skovie grabbed and egg and threw it against the wall...BAM!!! Duckling was hatched!! Maybe its the Skovie way or no way

 

[peepsandquacks]

This made me LOL. All the threads about oh-so carefully helping a baby hatch if they have problems, and the ducks are tossing them across the room to 'help' and it works. The irony....

 

[duckyfromoz]

Is she a first time mother? I know I have had some ducks that make good incubators- but lousy mothers once the ducklings arrive. After sitting so long they can be confused about the ducklings hatching under them and try to kill them.

 

[Mom 2em All]

well- here is the outcome. Not good pictures because she was fighting mad at me:

She is doing really well.

 

[definetlydeb]

Ohhh My!!!!! They are so ADORABLE!!!!!! Congrats!!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Precious, love it.