Phoebe had been sitting on 10 eggs (collected from all the laying ducks) for about a week when Piper decided she was going broody, too, and wanted to share the eggs. The two sat side by side, happy as clams. They created two adjoining nests, with Piper rolling some eggs into hers. It was fun to see them sharing the long, unglamorous task.
Unfortunately, the peaceful sharing ended recently. While out working, we heard a ruckus and saw Phoebe and Piper fighting. Piper, the more dominant, chased Phoebe out of the broody house. Poor Phoebe was frantic, trying to get back to her eggs. Continue reading “BFFs No More: Co-Brooding Goes Awry”
It was time to replace the cruddy old kitchen sink fixture with a newer model. The existing faucet, which came with the house, was too short to get pots and bottles under it; even better, the scale and corrosion around the sprayer head was so gross-looking that no one wanted to use it. After doing some research, we ordered a sleek stainless fixture online. It had arrived, so we set about installing it.
Our second duckling hatch resulted in a disappointing hatch rate. Of 9 eggs that made it to lockdown, only 5 survived the hatch. Several possible factors include a power failure during incubation, fluctuating humidity (due to weather), and a crappy hatcher that caused us a lot of grief with large, inexplicable temperature swings. We used a great incubator by a well-known brand for the actual incubation and then moved the eggs to the hatcher (incubator) at lockdown. The eggs were only in the hatcher for the final 3 days, but it certainly didn’t help. The #%*!! hatcher was sent back and a more expensive incubator with a digital thermostat will arrive shortly.
The second batch of Muscovy eggs in the incubator should hatch in about 2 days. While they have a reputation for being difficult to artificially incubate, there is excellent information readily available to first time incubators from Muscovy enthusiasts who have experience incubating these eggs. “Lessons learned” shared by others can save you a lot of grief.
Is broodiness really contagious? Coraline’s ducklings are now seven weeks old, and another Muscovy duck has gone broody. This time, it’s Coraline’s pal Phoebe. Phoebe looks a lot like Coraline, minus the white neck band, and has a gentle, low-key personality.