After having multiple mostly failed clutches the last two years and a string of successes in my last three clutches, I finally figured out how to hatch muscovies. I was having deaths in shell at hatch for some unknown reason, but the way I am currently incubating has decreased it to no losses. I hope this will help someone who is also having mostly late deaths during pip.
This method is more hands on and I would only recommend it for those who have the incubation process down but somehow end up with dead in shell pippers as I was. I don’t know if it’s regional differences in humidity, genetics, or feed issues, but I was getting extremely frustrated with the late in shell deaths, despite following other guides. The ducklings would pip either internally or externally, and then die for no apparent reason. I would open up the eggs to find perfectly formed but dead ducklings, that absorbed the blood but not having absorbed the yolk. If that’s why you’re here on my page and you’ve eliminated other possible issues during incubation, read on. If you use my method, please let me know how it went for you. Did it increase the hatch rate?
During hatch, you will need:
- Plastic bags like grocery bags will do, or dog poop bags (although cling wrap might work too.)
- Tape (Masking is best, nothing too sticky)
- Needle
- Coconut or mineral oil
- A long thin instrument to apply the oil
- Bacitracin or Neosporin
- Candling light/flashlight
Temperature
Forced Air (Incubator with fan running): 37.6 degrees Celsius or 99.7 degrees Fahrenheit
Still Air (Incubator with no fan running): 38.1 degrees Celsius or 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit
Humidity
If you are in an area where you consistently get 25% – 60% humidity, hatch dry (without any added water.) If you are in an area where humidity is less than that, try to maintain it between 25% – 35%. You will know if it’s the correct humidity by candling and checking the size of the air cells.
Turning
Minimum 3 times a day (always an odd number so the eggs sit on a different side overnight) or use an auto turner until Day 26. I shut it off over a full week before they’re due to hatch because I had them start internally pipping on day 28 – 29, and this decreases the chance of malpositions.
Number of Days to Hatch
32 – 35 days (Day 0 is the day you set the eggs in the incubator.)
Candling
Candle at Day 10 to remove any infertile or nonviable eggs. The eggs at this point should have healthy veins starting to grow and the embryo should be visible. I candle every 5 days to check progress and remove any eggs with blood rings or those that stopped growing.
Air Cells
The air cells should grow to a third of the egg’s size by the time the ducklings start pipping. If you’re close to the end and the air cells still haven’t gotten smaller, turn it more often to help aid in absorption. If the egg cell doesn’t get drawn down, the embryo likely died in the shell.
I can’t offer any advice on detached air cells as I have not had that occur. However, it is apparently important to keep them upright and incubate upright if that should occur.
During Internal Pip
Around Day 29, you should have them pipping internally. I candle at this point to see which ones internally pipped and which ones didn’t. You can also tell by sound as the ducklings that have internally pipped will chirp. For those that internally pipped into the air cell, I break a hole at the big end around one inch across (or as big as necessary for me to be able to apply coconut oil to the membrane.) This is the safety hole so that they don’t suffocate.
I apply coconut oil/mineral oil to the membrane which not only keeps it soft and pliable, but allows me to gauge how far in the absorption process the egg is since it turns the membrane clear. In order to prevent it from drying and sticking on the ducking, I also preemptively apply the coconut oil under between the duckling and the membrane through the internal pip.
Then I cut the clear plastic bags (this way I can gauge the process of each egg as well as not worry about fluctuating humidity when I remove already hatched ducklings) into pieces large enough to individually bag up the eggs, closing the makeshift bags with tape or string, closing it at the unopened end. Keep the bags somewhat tight around the egg BUT don’t tape the opening so tight it can’t be easily undone. Then poke a few holes in bag where the hole you made in the egg is with the needle to allow air to exchange. Be careful not to accidentally poke the duckling.
Place the bag back into the incubator and lower the temperature of the incubator to 98.5 degrees Fahrenheit (for forced air incubators.)
The plastic bags around the eggs will keep the humidity stable. It will take another 3 – 4 days for the eggs to hatch. Many will be able to zip through due to the hole you made on their own but a few might need help (malposition, dried membrane.)
If a duckling still has dried membrane stuck on it, using a thin instrument (I’ve been using a crabmeat picking tool), place another dab of coconut oil or mineral oil underneath the membrane so it soaks into the feathers. Gently loosen the feathers from the membrane. This will keep the membrane unstuck from the duckling.
If you have the dreaded yellow sticky goo due to too high humidity during hatching (I had it with one duckling), you can soak tiny pieces of paper towel in oil and place them between the feathers and the membrane. It will keep the membrane from sticking and will soak up some of the liquid.
You can take whichever eggs start unzipping more than halfway out of the bags. Sometimes you will wake up to the ducklings hatched and having kicked themselves free of the bags.
If a duckling is stuck for some reason (possible malpositioned) but looks like it’s attempting to zip (It will be straining and pushing with its beak regularly), candle egg and look at the interior membrane to see if there are any blood vessels. If there are, it is not ready, leave it alone and put it back in the incubator. If all the blood has been absorbed, gently break a little more of the eggshell away from the big end until it frees the head just a little bit so it can move. Let it try to unzip itself. If you are absolutely certain everything, including the egg yolk has been absorbed, break enough of the egg shell off so you can free the head. Place it back into the incubator and allow it to kick free of the shell itself.
Once the duckling has hatched, place a dab of Bacitracin or Neosporin on the umbilicus, which will still be slightly open and place it back into the incubator. You can remove it after it fluffs up.
Additional note: The baggie method is also great for if you find they tried to hatch with the yolk sac not yet absorbed. It can help immobilize them but not dry them out to give them time to finish absorbing. In this case, tie the open end tight so they can’t kick free of it. You will have to take a look every few hours to check if they absorbed it or not before you can let it hatch on its own.
Then follow the instructions on my “how to raise muscovy ducklings” page.