Raising Muscovies for meat. Incubating eggs?

[thoeffel1994]

I finally separated my Muscovy pair from the khaki Campbells last week. I am up to 8 Muscovy eggs today. I know oftentimes they'll lay huge clutches of eggs and hatch them all out, but other times they'll stop laying at around 13 eggs.

I would really like to hatch out more then that, so I can have some to fill my freezer, to expand my Muscovy flock and to sell ducklings to other. I was considering getting an incubator and trying to hatch some because I know once the Muscovy decides to start incubating I'll not have eggs for quite some time. I've never incubated Muscovy eggs is there anything different I should know about them and do they have a high hatching rate?

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

I finally separated my Muscovy pair from the khaki Campbells last week. I am up to 8 Muscovy eggs today. I know oftentimes they'll lay huge clutches of eggs and hatch them all out, but other times they'll stop laying at around 13 eggs.

I would really like to hatch out more then that, so I can have some to fill my freezer, to expand my Muscovy flock and to sell ducklings to other. I was considering getting an incubator and trying to hatch some because I know once the Muscovy decides to start incubating I'll not have eggs for quite some time. I've never incubated Muscovy eggs is there anything different I should know about them and do they have a high hatching rate?

I don’t have muscovy ducks but do know they take a week longer then regular eggs

 

[Canadian Wind]

I finally separated my Muscovy pair from the khaki Campbells last week. I am up to 8 Muscovy eggs today. I know oftentimes they'll lay huge clutches of eggs and hatch them all out, but other times they'll stop laying at around 13 eggs.

I would really like to hatch out more then that, so I can have some to fill my freezer, to expand my Muscovy flock and to sell ducklings to other. I was considering getting an incubator and trying to hatch some because I know once the Muscovy decides to start incubating I'll not have eggs for quite some time. I've never incubated Muscovy eggs is there anything different I should know about them and do they have a high hatching rate?

Incubation for Muscovy is 35 days compared to the 28 for domestic ducks. That being said, I've read that Muscovy don't do as well with artificial incubation compared to being hatched out by a mom, and that there are higher losses as newborns-to-one week old.

I've found mine tend to lay communally, until one of them finally settles down to brood. You may even have more than one female in a nest.

What are you using for nesting boxes? In the wild, Muscovy tend to nest in tree hollows. What I did for mine is use large storage bins and cut out a hole for entry. They seem to really like these. They are deep enough for them to feel secure in.

 

[thoeffel1994]

Incubation for Muscovy is 35 days compared to the 28 for domestic ducks. That being said, I've read that Muscovy don't do as well with artificial incubation compared to being hatched out by a mom, and that there are higher losses as newborns-to-one week old.

I've found mine tend to lay communally, until one of them finally settles down to brood. You may even have more than one female in a nest.

What are you using for nesting boxes? In the wild, Muscovy tend to nest in tree hollows. What I did for mine is use large storage bins and cut out a hole for entry. They seem to really like these. They are deep enough for them to feel secure in.

With my old flock of Muscovies that I had 8 years ago I had two that hatched eggs out together like you said. Right now I only have a drake and a duck though, perhaps I just need to find two more female Muscovies to hatch eggs out naturally for me.

I'm actually using an ibc bin the a home cut in the top with a door I made from plywood and 2x4s

 

[Canadian Wind]

With my old flock of Muscovies that I had 8 years ago I had two that hatched eggs out together like you said. Right now I only have a drake and a duck though, perhaps I just need to find two more female Muscovies to hatch eggs out naturally for me.

I'm actually using an ibc bin the a home cut in the top with a door I made from plywood and 2x4s

I would certainly recommend getting more females! I have a terrible ratio right now too, but I'm loathe to rehome any of my drakes for either colour reasons, or personal attachment. I still have one I'm trying to sell though but there's no interest.

I'd love to see a pic of your nesting set-up, both because try as I might I couldn't figure out what you said, and the parts I did figure out make me curious.

 

[thoeffel1994]

I would certainly recommend getting more females! I have a terrible ratio right now too, but I'm loathe to rehome any of my drakes for either colour reasons, or personal attachment. I still have one I'm trying to sell though but there's no interest.

I'd love to see a pic of your nesting set-up, both because try as I might I couldn't figure out what you said, and the parts I did figure out make me curious.

Here are some pictures from when I was using it as a brooder. I moved it down to the chicken and duck run and turned it on its side, so the door swings horizontally. The only problem that I've had now is that it's been very rainy and either the rain water is blowing in at an angle or it's running down from the top and falling into the bottom. It gets the wood shavings wet so this design is probably better to keep as just a brooder unless I can add a gutter on the inside.

I have access to an unlimited number of these bins from work. Another option would be to just pull the plastic out front he metal frame and cut it in half, flip both sides upside down so the open side is against the ground, cut a small hole in the side and make a smaller door that can be shut, that would probably make a great nesting area. Honestly keeping the metal bars on the sides is probably excessive and they're sort of a pain to move.

 

[Canadian Wind]

Here are some pictures from when I was using it as a brooder. I moved it down to the chicken and duck run and turned it on its side, so the door swings horizontally. The only problem that I've had now is that it's been very rainy and either the rain water is blowing in at an angle or it's running down from the top and falling into the bottom. It gets the wood shavings wet so this design is probably better to keep as just a brooder unless I can add a gutter on the inside.

I have access to an unlimited number of these bins from work. Another option would be to just pull the plastic out front he metal frame and cut it in half, flip both sides upside down so the open side is against the ground, cut a small hole in the side and make a smaller door that can be shut, that would probably make a great nesting area. Honestly keeping the metal bars on the sides is probably excessive and they're sort of a pain to move.

Send me some?? I'd love to get my hands on some of those!!!

I like the idea of cutting them in half. They'll feel more secure inside that way. Very clever idea.

 

[thoeffel1994]

Send me some?? I'd love to get my hands on some of those!!!

I like the idea of cutting them in half. They'll feel more secure inside that way. Very clever idea.

If you lived in south Carolina they'd probably tell you take them all!

I just went out to my coop this morning and found the eggs all over the inside of the bin with two of the eggs cracked. Maybe I need to separate the drake and maybe this design just isn't great for a nest.

 

[Canadian Wind]

Separating the male if he sleeps in there is a good idea, imo. With individual nesting boxes, I haven't seen the males go in there but if it's a communal area then that might be better.

 

[Luv Ducks]

I finally separated my Muscovy pair from the khaki Campbells last week. I am up to 8 Muscovy eggs today. I know oftentimes they'll lay huge clutches of eggs and hatch them all out, but other times they'll stop laying at around 13 eggs.

I would really like to hatch out more then that, so I can have some to fill my freezer, to expand my Muscovy flock and to sell ducklings to other. I was considering getting an incubator and trying to hatch some because I know once the Muscovy decides to start incubating I'll not have eggs for quite some time. I've never incubated Muscovy eggs is there anything different I should know about them and do they have a high hatching rate?

When I let my Mallard incubate her eggs along with some others after 28 days and hers had hatched she left the nest. I brough the eggs remaining inside and finished hatching them out myself. They were my Mull Ducks and three of them hatched. Two did fine in the incubator and the other one I ended up having to peel out of the egg as it struggled to get out after many hours of internal pipping. She was full of goo so I washed her off and I still have her. She lays no eggs but is a pet and was special to me since I was the first one she ever saw and is very friendly towards me. I had to let the other two go as they were drakes and hard on my hens, wanting to mate everything in the pen and huge. I know the one I kept is sterile and will not lay but I don't mind. She is a big pig though, lol. They say people breed Mule ducks I think for their livers? There is a part of them that is different from other ducks and I was thinking that was it, I could be wrong. There are even plants that do artificial insemination with them because they can't get them to cross breed but all of mine have no morals and will take on anything that moves, lol.