Should I take the eggs!

[SiTran]

I need your opinion ladies and gens, I have 4 muscovies, 1:3 male to female ratio. My females are over a year old, but my drake is only 6 months old. I see him mounting the girls, but is he really doing the job?

Well, one of the girl has laid 2 eggs already and I was wondering if I should let her hatch it or just take them. I want ducklings, but if they aren't fertile, I rather eat them then let them go to waste.

So do you guys and girl think "Charlie" my drake is sexually mature enough? Or should I just play it safe and wait another month or two?

Thank you!

 

[tadpole98]

is the hen brooding?

if so then i would set these eggs right now, and when you candle them they arent fertile, take them away and wait another month to try again.

 

[SiTran]

no she is not brooding, she only started laying two days ago, I am just wondering if the eggs will be fertile since my drake is so young and inexperience....

 

[tadpole98]

if she isnt broody, then she wont hatch them for you. but if you have an incubator you can.
It really depends on the drake for how fast he gets it. i would wait one more month and just eat these.

 

[sourland]

If he is making contact and getting the job done, the eggs are probably fertile. Why not break one and check for the 'bullseye' indicative of fertile eggs?

 

[SiTran]

will do, I just found out about the "bullseye", thanks guys!

 

[SiTran]

OK she is not fertile. Next question!

She is a muscovy, how many eggs will she lay if I keep on taking them?

 

[Nebraskagirl]

One every day?

 

[SiTran]

For three days straight she is laying one each day!

 

[Nebraskagirl]

She should just keep laying one each day then.