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.
A few fundamentals that seem to be working: (1) use (unwashed, unrefrigerated) eggs that are as fresh as possible, (2) hand turn eggs at least once a day, (3) “dry” hatch, and (4) mist/cool after day 10. Expanding on each: Continue reading “More Muscovy Incubation”
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.
One of the pure stock Brown Leghorns hatched in Batch 1 is a friendly girl we call Tatiana (“Tati” for short). She has beautiful wild coloring and a funny floppy comb – just like her mom did – that hangs over her eye and looks like 80’s bangs.
We’re in the midst of a heat wave here, and that means sunny days, perfect for making sun tea. Why not harness the sun’s energy (if only a tiny bit) to make what will become refreshing iced tea? Plus, sun tea jars look cool.
Coraline’s ducklings are just over two weeks old now, and they’re healthy, active, worm-eating machines! Since the weather’s been so wet, the worms are practically crawling into our hands, so it doesn’t take much effort to collect quite a few for the ducklings.
