# Hatching Muscovy Eggs



## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

Any of you hatch any of these eggs? If so do you have a good % hatch? I was told tonight by a man that has been raising ducks for 40 years. He said you can not get a decent hatch--incubating Muscovy eggs----no more than 1 or 2 hatch out of say 100 fertile eggs. I can not see why, BUT I have never tried. Thanks


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2015)

When I had Muscovys, I never tried to hatch any in an incubator. Everyone told me they would hatch poorly. I always let the Muscovy hens hatch their own eggs, and believe me when you let nature take it's course, those things multiply like rabbits! You get overrun with them real fast.


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

I tried some last year since there was a duck laying them when it was freezing cold out! I figured it wouldn't hurt to try. I got 0. They developed, but never pipped.


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

It is just not possible in an incubator.
I tried and researched the heck out of it.
You have to constantly alter the temperature and the humidity levels so precisely that it is just not worth it.
Plus.. I tried and tried and tried and then finally found some grown ducks locally.
Then I went from 8 ducks to 115 in about a year and a half.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

They are one of those creatures who do a better job of parenting than you do. The only problem with my Muscovy and hatching was the community nest. The bird doing the nesting kept at it as long as there were eggs. Unfortunately, they started hatching and had no mother to care for them. I kept finding little dead ducklings. Once I figured it out I watched out for one little guy who made it. If you get a broody hen, remove the eggs and let her start fresh.


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2015)

chickenista said:


> Then I went from 8 ducks to 115 in about a year and a half.


About the same as me! I had Muscovys EVERYWHERE.

The only reason I don't have any now is because I don't think the neighbors would appreciate a duck invasion all over town LOL.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I have had them hatch under a heat lamp but that was only in a few cases where the mother had abandoned the later eggs to care for the already hatched and extremely mobile older ducklings. 

Muscovy hens are magnificent incubators. If you have a hen she'll do the job. Even if the temps are below freezing the hen will hatch out successful clutches.


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## goats4milk (Jan 2, 2015)

I just bought a breeding pair. The guy I bought them from said the same thing. He said you pay less for the hen and the hen will do all the work for you. It's almost impossible to incubate them yourself. He said he'd have up to 25 eggs in one nest and the hen would have no problem brooding and hatching them.

He put his fertilized Khaki Campbell eggs in their nests instead of incubating them as well.


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## Guest (Jan 14, 2015)

goats4milk said:


> He put his fertilized Khaki Campbell eggs in their nests instead of incubating them as well.


I know a lot of people keep Muscoveys especially for hatching delicate waterfowl eggs, the same as some people keep silkie chickens for broodies.


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## creeklady2000 (Feb 22, 2004)

yes muscoveys are very hard to incubate as they take a certain amount of moisture and they take longer than a normal duck egg as well I have them and the best way is to let them do it if you want them they are great mom's and will set a few times a year I let them free range when I had them in confinement they did not do very well but if I kept them loose and they found there own nesting area they did great the only ones I lost last year where the ones that took there babies to soon to the pond and the babies could not get out on there own ,,


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## jcdillin (Aug 12, 2013)

I have never had any problems hatching muscovy eggs, I get the same hatch rates that I get with chickens or turkeys.

I just finished incubating a batch of 12 eggs and had 9 hatch out of that, all of them are really healthy and growing fast. I currently have 24 more in the incubator right now.

I find I get a lot more eggs if I keep a few dummy eggs in the nest and just keep taking them away.

I just incubate at 99.5 without any moisture in the bator, then after they pip I move them to a still air hatcher at 98.5F and bump the humidity to as high as I can get it.


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