by Good day! Muscovy ducks have one main advantage that distinguishes them from ducks of other breeds: they have a well-developed maternal instinct. Therefore, they will definitely hatch chicks, and you can put eggs from other birds, even from hens, to them, and they will also carefully watch their offspring. But how long does a Muscovy duck sit on eggs to hatch ducklings at home?
Muscovy ducks are quiet, never make noise, and do not require special care. They sit on eggs for about 30 days or a few days longer..
At what age do Muscovy ducks start laying eggs?
Muscovy ducks become sexually mature at 6 months. However, the start of egg-laying depends primarily on the conditions in which the bird is kept. If the bird is kept in comfortable conditions, then females begin to lay eggs at six months. But in a damp and cool room, Muscovy ducks can begin to lay eggs at 7,5-8 months.
If the female is not laying eggs for the first season, then she can start laying her first eggs in the new year already from the end of February, and young females start laying eggs for the first time in the last ten days of May – the first ten days of June.
Interesting to know! Chickens can lay eggs at any time of the day, but Muscovy ducks lay eggs only from 6 am to 13 pm.
Usually, females of this breed actively lay eggs in the spring and autumn periods. To increase the egg production rate, a special vitamin complex is added to the daily diet of laying ducks, and the most comfortable conditions are created.
How many eggs can a female Muscovy duck lay depending on her age?
Usually the number of eggs in a clutch of this breed of ducks directly depends on the age of the hens.
When a young duck just starts laying eggs, she can lay up to 8 eggs for laying. You can add a few more eggs under such a layer.
By 8-9 months, the duck lays up to 15 eggs, sometimes more. In this case, some of the eggs from the nest can be placed under another duck or in an incubator.
By 11 months, female Muscovy ducks reach peak egg production – they lay 24 eggs or more. During this period, Muscovy ducks can hatch the maximum number of ducklings.
After a year, ducks of this breed begin to lay much worse eggs and lay no more than 15 eggs. Therefore, from this age, Muscovy ducks are raised only for meat production, but not for breeding offspring.
How long does a Muscovy duck sit on eggs to hatch Muscovy ducklings?
On average, hens of this breed of ducks sit on eggs for at least 33 days. But ducklings can be born as early as 30 days, and it is from this day that you need to check the nests of this bird for the appearance of chicks. This must be done when the duck leaves the nest for its needs.
But the last chicks can be born on the 36th day. If after this period there are still whole eggs in the nest, then most likely the life of the embryo has frozen in them.
But poultry farmers need to try to provide comfortable conditions for the brood ducks, otherwise the ducklings may hatch much later.
The hatching period of chicks also increases when the clutch is too large.
To prevent the duck from leaving its nest for a long time to eat or drink, bowls with food and water should be placed near the brooding area. A large container with water is also placed nearby – Muscovy ducks wet their plumage in it, so that later the wet feathers can be used to wet the egg shells.
How many Muscovy duck eggs should be laid in a nest?
The number of eggs in a clutch directly depends on the size of the hen. An adult Muscovy duck can sit on up to 15 eggs laid by herself + 15-20 eggs laid by poultry farmers.
But Muscovy duck eggs can also be placed under hens of other types of poultry:
- Up to ten such eggs are placed with the hens.
- To geese – up to 16 pieces.
- And for turkeys – up to 20 Muscovy duck eggs.
A female of this breed of duck can sit on a nest twice a year, hatching up to 60 chicks.
What conditions should be created for Muscovy duck hens?
When raising Muscovy ducks and providing comfortable conditions for the hens, the following rules must be observed.
There should be no foreign objects on the floor of the poultry house that could harm the bird, including nails, glass and other objects.
Traditional types of perches are not suitable for Muscovy ducks; it is best to place logs on top of each other.
No more than 3 Muscovy ducks should be placed on each square of the area. Poultry farmers say that this breed of ducks gets along well with representatives of other breeds of birds, although according to the theory, Muscovy ducks are distinguished by their quarrelsome nature.
Nests for brooding should be warm. They are usually made of cardboard boxes or wood. Burlap or straw is placed on the bottom. But how long a Muscovy duck sits on eggs to hatch ducklings at home will depend on the ambient temperature and the number of eggs.
Bowls with food and water are placed near the nest, as well as a large container so that the Muscovy duck can wet its wings.
When and how many eggs to lay in a Muscovy duck’s nest
Typically, a Muscovy duck will hatch up to 25 eggs at a time, of which she lays up to 15 herself, and the rest are laid by her owner.
You need to lay eggs when the duck leaves the nest.
The eggs that are laid in the nest must be fresh – the duck must have laid them no more than 12-14 days ago.
To get the hen used to it, first place dummies under it, which can be made from plaster or foam.
How to identify a good Muscovy duck hen
A Muscovy duck with a good maternal instinct is characterized by even, calm behavior, but she should not be sluggish. If the future hen has an overly aggressive character, it is better not to put her on eggs. And even if the bird behaves perfectly, she should first be put on dummies to check how she will behave.
If the female has a good maternal instinct, she will never leave her nest for a long time. The hen usually leaves only to eat or wash herself, and then returns to the eggs. If the bird is in no hurry to return to the nest, but goes for a walk or somewhere else, then such a female should not be put on the eggs.
Why the Muscovy duck does not sit on the nest
Females of this duck species may refuse to sit on the nest for the following reasons.
- She is either too young for this or too old to incubate eggs.
- The brooding area is not particularly comfortable.
- There is too much noise near the poultry house – there is construction going on, there is a highway or railway nearby, etc.
- There are too many bright lights installed near the nest.
- The hen cannot get used to a nest that is uncomfortable for her.
- The bird’s diet is not selected correctly.
- The duck was disturbed while incubating.
Why does the Muscovy duck throw eggs out of the nest?
There are several reasons why a female of this breed will throw eggs out of the nest.
- The hens of this breed of ducks are able to determine during the hatching process which of the eggs has died and throw such material out of the nest;
- If the nest together with the bird is suddenly moved to another place. If the female does not like the new place, she will throw all the eggs out of the nest, and adding new ones is pointless – the bird will repeat this procedure again and again if she did not like the place for incubation. Therefore, you need to help her find a new place to her taste.
- A duck can do this if she notices that someone has touched the clutch. Therefore, you should only turn or touch the eggs when the hen is not present.
How long does a Muscovy duck sit on eggs and how to help her, we found out. In order for Muscovy ducks to give birth to viable healthy offspring, it is necessary to provide her with comfortable conditions for hatching, choose the right diet and take care of the hens constantly.
