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Breeding and first eggs

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Aussie Muscovies
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« on: April 28, 2010, 03:33:16 am »

Hi Everyone,
I have recently joined the forum and think that it is great.

I was just wondering about the first lot of eggs my female Muscovy has started to lay (I have just found 2 this afternoon when I got back from work) and if I should remove the first few in case they are not fertilized? She is 8 months and her and her mate have been mating for the past 2 months pretty much non stop.
This is her first lot of eggs and breeding season.

Many thanks
Terry (Australia)
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vi
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« Reply #1 on: April 28, 2010, 07:20:58 am »

i wouldn't.
my experience is that the new mommas will clean up the dead eggs for the most part (this is just what my ducks have done)
and after the nest is finished if there are any left then you can toss them

i would imagine that they are fertile however
vi
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Aussie Muscovies
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« Reply #2 on: April 28, 2010, 09:15:39 am »

Hi Vi,

Thanks for that. We have been waiting for a while to just get some eggs for eating as well as we do not want too many ducklings. We only want a few extras for the backyard and pets.

Cheers
Terry
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DUCK_GARDENER
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« Reply #3 on: April 30, 2010, 03:22:07 pm »

Check out same answer in removing eggs in general. My ducks lay about 25+eggs before they go broody and start setting. Unless you can house and feed that many ducklings, I suggest you mark the eggs as she lays them, and take them periodically, but not too many at a time, or she will start a new nest.

Terry, you might also want to check out the Australian muscovy forum. Several of us are members of both, and as you live there, they also have a section on gatherings that you might like, as well as sources of new birds to influx new genes into you flock. Also notices about auctions to sell excess birds and meat buyers, etc, if you are interested. It is run buy Spanky, and to use her phrase, she is a nutter!(although, I think when she said it, it was directed at me!) www.australianmuscovy.com   With the same wait for acceptence as here. Very similar set up, but slightly different info.

DG
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purdyducks
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« Reply #4 on: May 11, 2010, 01:17:32 pm »

I agree with Duck Gardener, once I moved a nest and the Mama totally abandoned the nest.  I lost all of them.  She just started a new nest somewhere else........... I now have 14 eggs between two females, and I am assuming?Huh? they are going to add more before they start sitting.........I have learned the hard way, not to mess with the eggs and the Mama's !!!!  Thanks Cathy, you were totally right about NOT moving eggs or nests........
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Cathy
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« Reply #5 on: May 11, 2010, 11:15:47 pm »

I would also caution about allowing two ducks to share a nesting space.  My experience has been that it results in nest failure.  The ducks tend to fight over eggs and between rolling them hither and yon you get eggs left out long enough to kill the embryo and pretty soon you have a nest of rotten eggs.  I would put some type of divider between them somehow and really watch that they both keep tucked in on their own nest and both don't try to set the same one or that, too, will give you a good chance of dead embryos.
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The information I have provided in this message is based on my own personal experiences, the experiences of others who have shared their experiences and knowledge with me, and a dash of opinion thrown in for extra flavor.  Your mileage may vary! Shocked)
Aussie Muscovies
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« Reply #6 on: May 12, 2010, 05:19:12 am »

Thanks everyone. I removed the first 5 eggs after she had layed a new egg the next day and now she is happily sitting on 12 eggs. So we are hoping that soon she will start sitting and have babies june/july.


Cheers
Terry
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purdyducks
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« Reply #7 on: May 15, 2010, 01:31:37 pm »

Okay, I'll try to put something in between.  I have a Mama duck named "Big Mama" , and she ran all the other females out and away from her eggs.  The two that got into the same nest now only have one female sitting.  I am assuming she is sitting on both females eggs........  She hasn't kicked any out yet, as Big Mama has done.  These are new Mama's but I guess they figure it out........Once they hatch their babies, should I clean out the nests?  They seem to have an odor lately.........  I can't get Mama off her nest right now, as she has been sitting constantly, except to go to the pond and bathe, and then she's right back in there...
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Cathy
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« Reply #8 on: May 17, 2010, 04:52:02 am »

I do remove the debris from a nest once the duck has taken the babies off.  Mostly because the open shells attract flies and such and I don't want anything being attracted to the nest site that doesn't need to be there.  All of my nests are always lined in a row so if I have a nest in one spot I'm more than likely going to have a nest right next door and I don't want anything disturbing that nest.

I will also remove eggs that I find that are rotten.  While they do sometimes remove bad eggs, I've seen plenty of nests with rotten eggs that have contaminated the remaining eggs.  Not something I want to happen so if I know an egg is bad I go ahead and remove it and give it the ol' heave ho.
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purdyducks
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« Reply #9 on: May 23, 2010, 01:00:15 pm »

Thanks Cathy, I'll do the same.  However, how do I tell a bad egg from a good one, other than the smell.

My latest problem are chicken snakes !!!!!!  I have found two in Big Mama's nest, and we are just about ready for hatching.........the poor thing, she was trying so hard to fight this HUGE thing off, and my husband, heard me screaming from the cage, and came and killed it.  This is the second snake that has tried to eat her eggs.........I did read that moth balls are snake deterents, however, I don't want my ducks to eat them !!!  My God !!!!!!!!!!  Living in the country in Texas is a challenge..........I HATE SNAKES, ALL snakes...........I have heard also that gardening cloth is good to line the cage with, however, not sure what to do first.  I go out several times a day to check and see if a snake is in the cage.  I have 3 mama's sitting now, and the chicken snake thing is a problem.........with a lot of other stuff.  We are now catching possums in live traps and relocating, but NO WAY, am I catching snakes.  I can't stand to even look at them..............  Any help is appreciated.
Purdyducks
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ronie
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« Reply #10 on: May 25, 2010, 03:00:31 pm »

Hi there,

I live in Portugal, ex-pat from England. I have been breeding muscovies for the last 3 years. In our experience the first eggs the hens lay do not hatch. We have tried, however everytime mum gets off very disappointed, result...rotten eggs.

Saying that, I have had a hen hatch 17 eggs on day 45! Just 2 days ago my first time led 19 babies out from underneath a concrete floor, we were totally amazed!!

Happy hatching
Ronie
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Cathy
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« Reply #11 on: May 28, 2010, 02:37:41 am »

My only duck to set thus far brought out 12 ducklings the other day and when I checked her nest there wasn't a single egg left unhatched.  I did not take a single egg from the nest so either she had a 100% hatch rate, or, if there were duds, she disposed of them.
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The information I have provided in this message is based on my own personal experiences, the experiences of others who have shared their experiences and knowledge with me, and a dash of opinion thrown in for extra flavor.  Your mileage may vary! Shocked)
fishes
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« Reply #12 on: May 30, 2010, 08:45:17 am »

Snakes have a highly developed sense of smell so I wonder if sprinkling peppermint around the nest might discourage them.  Be aware that some smells attract coons and possums.

My hens are on day 37 the best I can tell.  For the last week or so they seem to be spending a lot of time off the nest but it's been in the 80's.  They are definitely still setting.
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« Reply #13 on: June 02, 2010, 10:00:47 pm »

The bad eggs turn a blue or mottled blue look, while the live eggs and infertiles stay tan and shiny looking. At least ours have. We make mama leave the nest to remove bad eggs so they do not ruin the live eggs. While we have had a very wet spring which could have contributed, our new mamas only managed 3 live ducklings each, out of nests of 10 or so. Mature mama hatched all but 2. It maybe the strain of duck or production vs feral vs standard. I don't know. Our population os not large enough to say for sure.
Snakes wig me out, too! My MIL calls them slithers!
DG
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purdyducks
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« Reply #14 on: June 05, 2010, 09:20:31 am »

Okay, NOW I feel somewhat better, since both my females have been sitting for 40 days now................I feel sorry for my Big mama because she has had her eggs ripped off twice now from possums and then chicken snakes.  Finally got rid of the chicken snakes by putting moth balls inside panty hose(so no one can eat them), and haven't had a chicken snake since.  However, the moth balls have to be AWAY from the roosts so they don't hurt my ducks.........
Thanks for the reply
PURDYDUCKS IN TEXAS
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