New (soon to be) duck dad! Muscovys! Need advice :D

[ljmastercraft]

Hi all - sorry was out of town the last few days and took the eggs (in their incubator, padded with cotton balls between them to make the trip soft) to a local farm that is familiar with hatching eggs. None of them hatched in the 5 days they had them, but here's the current situation:

I have (out of the total 20 eggs), 5 of them that appear to not have anything in them. Of those 5, 1 is a 'maybe' (more developed than the other 4). Incidentally, 4 of the 5 are in the middle of the incubator, so not sure if that has anything to do with it?

The other 15 eggs there's NOTICEABLE movement inside. Not a lot, but little flickers (heartbeat?). Clearly visible air sac (i think) in all 15. I am attaching a few candled pictures - It's super hard getting what I see to show up in a photo - the photos look awful. Wish I could capture it better.

As I was putting the lid on earlier this evening (took all eggs out one by one to candle them; total of 4 min out of the incubator), i SWEAR i heard a 'cheep'. Faint, and I listened for another one, but couldn't hear one.

Today is day 29 since I took the eggs from their nest, and the homeowner (that shooed the duck away) messaged me on Dec 22nd to let me know about the nest. At that point the duck would have still been sitting on them for at LEAST 1, maybe 2 or 3 days -- so I'm thinking the 35 day Muscovy egg incubation time has to be coming up this week.

At this point should I stop the automatic egg turner, and just leave the eggs in there, without being turned, until they hatch?'

Temperature has been a steady 99.5 degrees, and humidity 50-55%. Probably 1 hour the entire last 30 days where the temperature and humidity weren't correct. At this point should I keep the temperature as-is, and raise humidity up to 65%?

 

[ljmastercraft]

Wait a minute! i just saw this happening in some of the eggs (when i candle them more than 5 seconds) -- is this 'internal pipping'? (see attachment). the highlighted part is moving back and forth, moving a lot.

should i turn off the egg rotator? increase humidity? make a pin hole in the air sac so they can breathe???

 

[BantyChooks]

Wait a minute! i just saw this happening in some of the eggs (when i candle them more than 5 seconds) -- is this 'internal pipping'? (see attachment). the highlighted part is moving back and forth, moving a lot.

should i turn off the egg rotator? increase humidity? make a pin hole in the air sac so they can breathe???

Yep! I would stop the turner and increase the humidity. I wouldn't jump to a pin hole just yet. Good luck with the hatch.

 

[Bolfreak]

Yep! I would stop the turner and increase the humidity. I wouldn't jump to a pin hole just yet. Good luck with the hatch.

I was hoping someone with more and Muscovy xp would answer.
How exciting!!! I wouldn’t do a pinhole either unless you see movement stopped. I also stopped candling and handling them once you have an external pip through membrane. I had a Cayuga go an entire day with an external pip and no progress, then it hatched in fifteen minutes! Muscovies can take longer, too.
Don’t forget to talk to your babies! It stimulates them and helps them recognize you faster

 

[ljmastercraft]

Noticed this last night - you almost can't see it unless you're shining a flashlight on it, but looks like an external pip!

As of right now (11AM CST) there is no further progress - on any of the eggs. Several of them are shaking and moving (noticeably), and i hear chirps every few seconds.

For today I'm going to (i guess) keep an eye on them. Humidity 65%, temperature 99.5 degrees, and i'm making a point of not opening the incubator - doing 'candling' with a bright light through the incubator housing

From a 'disease' standpoint, do I need to worry about these little things? Or can I handle them with my hands (once they hatch), without gloves etc?

 

[DukesDucks]

This is the hardest time of all because patience is needed. Leave the eggs alone. Hatching is hard work and the ducklings are going to take time to rest. I suggest you use the search function (top right corner of BYC screen) and search for "Incubating and Hatching Muscovy Eggs.
It can be pretty chaotic in the incubator when the first ones hatch because they will bash around the other eggs. I've put the eggs in metal rings from canning jars to help prevent this but not sure it really matters.
Leave the duckling in the incubator until it is dry. Then you can move it to your brooder pen which I hope you have ready. Do you know about teaching the newbies how to eat and drink since they won't have a mother to show them?
I'm excited for you. Stay calm. My first times, I ended up setting a timer for 2 hours after which time I could peek through the window of the incubator.
Can't wait for pics.

 

[ljmastercraft]

Leave the duckling in the incubator until it is dry. Then you can move it to your brooder pen which I hope you have ready. Do you know about teaching the newbies how to eat and drink since they won't have a mother to show them?

Thanks - I have a brooder pen, with wood shavings, puppy pads, and a bowl to eat and drink. How do i teach them to eat/drink? I thought they just 'knew' - yikes - let me know what i should do!

 

[Bolfreak]

Definitely an external pip, but it’s in the shell not through the membrane yet. They will have bursts of progress, then rest. The waiting is difficult.
Let them be inside the incubator until they look fluffy not wet. They will pester the other eggs, but I think in the wild this actually stimulates the later hatchers to move it along. Your incubator will be nasty, full of little feathers, eggshell pieces and poo! So if you need to do something, get help and be super quick about it so the hatching ones don’t get chilled. I noticed my ducklings pooped in the half shell that was on their rear end and it was greenish and smelled abominable! I would try to get those out quickly. Use your instinct and common sense, don’t stress - you got this!
Mix up some slightly warm vitamin water and holding the duckling in your dominant hand, dip their bill in the water and leave it there a split second, then take it out. Repeat if needed until you see them tip their head back and swallow. I did this for my mail order guys and any natural hatchers that don’t get it right away. But don’t force it, they are usually pretty tired after hatch and need to rest and stay warm.
Keep updating us if you can! I love hatch alongs!

 

[ljmastercraft]

Thank you; I'm excited. I have a little area set up (see picture) for them - with a heating element in the box. might replace the sawdust with dog pee pads instead.

I also have Brewer's Yeast with Garlic powder and Niacin,
I have starter 'grit' (crushed quartzite / granite)
I have Manna Pro Duck Starter Grower Crumble

My plan was to mix the starter food with some water so it's soft, at least the first week or two

How should i put the niacin, and the starter grit? where do i put that?

 

[DukesDucks]

You do need to take out the saw dust/wood chips as ducklings may try eating that. Puppy pee pads work fine.
They do not necessarily need to eat or drink for the first day so don't worry if they don't. They do not need the food softened. I would also take out the box. They don't need it and it will give more room for them. Be prepared for those bowls to be spilled frequently.
I also use the dipping their bills in water method but don't be surprised if they resist. I think you will soon need a deeper water bowl because they will want to drip their whole beaks in. Put some clean gravel or large pebbles in the water bowl so they can't accidently get in. Put the grit in a separate bowl as they will eat it as they need.
For teaching both drinking and eating, I use a wooden skewer or pencil. I use it to mimic the sounds and motions a mother duck would be making by pecking at stuff. The ducklings will come to investigate and copy.
Good luck.