When do Incubator Muscovy eggs usually die?

[jmc]

I hear that scovy eggs in the bator often begin well, then die.

One person says by week four, they all just quit.

Bummer. I've got two doing nicely, it seems, at day 14--now I'm waiting for the dreaded die-off........

 

[MDC]

When I've tried to hatch them in the incubator they'll pip & stop. By the time you give up waiting for them to do it naturally they're either dead or you'll pull them out & one of two things will happen. You'll peel the membrane & it'll bleed more than you thought & they'll die or you peel until you get blood, stop, repeat the next day, and by the time you can get them out of the shell they're basically froze in an awkward position & flop around and never improve. There are those who seem to fully develop but just won't pip, too. I've had great success hatching eggs in an incubator that had been started by a duck ... such as when I rescue a nest for whatever reason, but I've never had much luck hatching eggs I started in the incubator. Some will report having fantastic luck and while I do believe that some can be successful with it, I'm extremely skeptical of a lot who report such outstanding hatches without any problems.

It was really interesting at one point I'd rescued a nest that had been under water all night after a severe thunder/hail storm. My philosophy is that eggs aren't dead until they're warm and dead (much like human medicine!) so I always throw them in an incubator and wait until they've warmed up before I candle and out of 9 eggs, 8 were fertile & 7 hatched. I was impressed! Just thought that was really neat!

 

[jmc]

Tx for reply.

Just what I wanted though, bad news...........

Oh well

 

[MDC]

I'd say just do what you can and hope for the best. Some people just get it right without having any problems. I think this is one of those cases where you prepare for the worst but hope for the best!

 

[Trenary Duck Farm]

ɱůşçōvý :

... I've had great success hatching eggs in an incubator that had been started by a duck ... such as when I rescue a nest for whatever reason, but I've never had much luck hatching eggs I started in the incubator. ...

Any thoughts of why this seems to be the case? We've heard this from others about muscovies.​

 

[MDC]

I really don't know but I do know this phenomenon occurs with peafowl, too. The India Blues will hatch in an incubator just fine, but the newer varieties that people are coming up with do best when started under a chicken. I don't raise them myself but a friend does and she has a whole flock of cochins just to start her peafowl & some pheasant eggs.

The thing with Muscovy is that they really don't begin to set right away. They'll sit on the nest for a few hours & leave, then the next day set for awhile, etc, almost like they're building up to what I call the 'set tight' stage. I'm not sure if this has something to do with it or not. Just guesses & assumptions at this point!

 

[rachel]

Mine seem to always make it to week 4 and then die. It's so depressing because I think that this time they're going to make it. I'm on day 37 right now with no rocking or signs of life at all.

 

[De]

I have had Muscovys for years and I always let my hens hatch and raise there ducklings, but this year I got choc. and I wanted to hatch them, but they are not hatching.. so I ask somebody that had been useing bators what do I do and he said that I needed to put a warm wet cloth on them 1 time and day.. I have not done it, but it makes sense b/c my hens get off the nest and get in the water all the time...

 

[jmc]

Great

I see I'm now in week three, and I shouldn't expect much............