when do i take the eggs from the hen to incubate them?

[showjumper_girl2002]

My dad's muscovy hen has started laying eggs again and I want to incubate some. She's not brooding yet cuz she's still laying about 1 a day. When can I take the eggs to put in the incubator?

 

[midget_farms]

They should be OK for about a week - if you wait longer than that they start to lose viability.

 

[showjumper_girl2002]

A week after she starts brooding and laying on them 24/7 after the clutch is all laid or a week after she first starts laying them?

 

[MuscovyMad]

I just collect them as they are laid and store them. That way i can make sure to turn them and keep them at a good temperature and thus keep tem viable for longer. I collect for about a week then i put all the eggs i collectede into the incubator. You can collect for longer before putting the eggs in. It just means that the ones that were first collected will be less likely to hatch.

The important thing is putting them all in the bator at the same time.

 

[showjumper_girl2002]

Ok thanks

 

[JustPeachy]

I have a similar question, not meaning to take over this post, if you can collect all the eggs you want to incubate on the day that they are laid can you put them in the incubator that same day or should you wait to put them in the incubator? I have a small incubator that only holds 7 eggs so I can collect all 7 eggs in one day.....
Thanks
Lisa

 

[justtoni44]

Lisa,
I have chickens not ducks.............
But I pick them up and plop them in the incubator .
Works for me..................