Muscovy mum hatches 26 ducklings Photo

[Royd Wood]

Dont know if you remember this post http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=136056#p136056 - 80 muscovy eggs in incubator Well I failed on that task with only 16 ducklings.
Today we have Mrs Muscovy and her cluch of at least 26 ducklings - its such a yellow furball so really hard to count and I aint going too close to mum duck.
Next year I will stick to hatching chicks and let the expert mother duck do things naturally - some pics later

 

[elevan]

Way to go Mama Duck!

 

[PattySh]

Wow, that's a huge amount of ducklings for one hatch! Good Mama!We had muscovies when the kids were little, our little mama duck was so cute waling around with her little ones. I bought 2 Magpie ducks to go with my male so next year we will have some little "furballs" also.

 

[Ms. Research]

Congratulations on all your little yellow furballs. Absolutely love ducklings. Sometimes you have to concede that some Moms might do it a little better than yourself. No matter how hard you try. Don't you hate when they show you up. But it's hard to be mad, because all you have to do is look at all that Yellow and

 

[Royd Wood]

She hatched 26 - all alive
Heres a snap of the new ducklings

 

[Ms. Research]

Thanks for taking the time to snap that shot. That truly made me Wishing all 26 excellent health.

 

[PattySh]

WOW! They are so cute. Congrats. Amazed she sat on so many eggs. Wonder if it's a record?

 

[Alicia G]

Thats wonderful! Muscovies are notorious for their large clutches and multiple clutches a year. I had an old scovy hen hatch out 32 ducklings, then go on to hatch her daughters 16 after the momma was killed by a fox. Only lost 3, and they were all very healthy

 

[Royd Wood]

Our ducks are free range and earlier in the year cluches of ducklings were reduced by quite a few - example mum hatched 9 and within 2 days would be at the pond side then back and to between barn and pond. Some ducklings would just stride into the pig field and we would find a little foot in the mud by the fenceline or a hawk would sweep one away - ended up with 5 surviving and after a couple of weeks they seem to survive really well due to fast growing.
We have kept this lot in the barn - as a mother duck can you imagine what its like looking after 26 day old duckeys - eyes in the back of yer head

ps can anyone beat 26 or is it a bhf record

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

we had 23 one time.... and our momma was #1 they all did great.

right now i have 8 little fuzzy butts - they are a hoot. every day i walk them up to the "baby yard" - its like herding pingpong balls