Eggs exploding under broody Muscovy Duck

[Hamudazahabi]

Hello,
It's been sometime since I last posted, but I came here to ask about an issue which happened recently. So I have a Muscovy duck which got broody for the first time in its life, but it was always sitting and only rarely getting out to eat and drink, except there was a few days where the chicken would kick it out, then it would return again but the chicken kept disturbing it until I blocked the place and made sure only it can stay there especially that there was also another duck disturbing it, but that was less than 3 or 4 days.


So today is already a day or two after the day it should hatch in, and nothing hatched. I also noticed that the 19 eggs are now only 8.

I came just now, and they were 7 this time, but while I was looking, an egg exploded, and the duck quickly ate the egg which exploded. It had a liquid that is almost yellow but almost creamy color, and it smelled so bad and had some parts of a dead duckling. So I decided to take the eggs and check them with my phone flashlight. As I was pulling the eggs, they all exploded except for three and the smell is so bad. I got these three eggs, and one of them looked normal, it was fully black except for the air bubble, so it makes sense if it still didn't internally pip. The other egg had the same thing except, moving the egg makes the air bubble move, but only slightly. It seems like there could be still some liquid there but I am not sure, basically the line of the air bubble is moving around when I move the egg.

The last egg had a less than half the egg black, the rest clearly filled with a liquid, and a bit of time later, it exploded. I returned these two remaining eggs and I don't know what will happen to them.

There could be other posts about this but I didn't have time to open and check so I thought I would post this instead.

Thank you.

 

[TesoroSena]

Eggs explode and smell if the chick dies due to bacteria and it is still incubating temperature. This is why it is vital to candle eggs. If a chicken/duck kicks it out, it is best to let them, as they know when an egg is rotten. if the egg explodes on other eggs bacteria can get into them. If the air sack is moving, get it out immediately or it will explode.

 

[Logar]

It sounds like the eggs died and bacteria got into the egg resulting in them exploding. it is strange that it happened to so many but i cant think of any other reason that it would have happened

 

[Hamudazahabi]

Eggs explode and smell if the chick dies due to bacteria and it is still incubating temperature. This is why it is vital to candle eggs. If a chicken/duck kicks it out, it is best to let them, as they know when an egg is rotten. if the egg explodes on other eggs bacteria can get into them. If the air sack is moving, get it out immediately or it will explode.

I have heard of this, and I noticed the duck did throw two eggs away (there was a fence so it literally dug a path in the ground under the fence to drop the egg into the sewers outside my garden), so I let it. But I didn't expect all of the eggs to explode.

It sounds like the eggs died and bacteria got into the egg resulting in them exploding. it is strange that it happened to so many but i cant think of any other reason that it would have happened

Exactly. Like 19 eggs all explode? Also, I thought it's less likely to happen under a broody duck because it would take care of that in nature. I don't know where the bacteria came from here this time to the eggs and if there is anything done wrong about this.

 

[Ridgerunner]

So I have a Muscovy duck which got broody for the first time in its life, but it was always sitting and only rarely getting out to eat and drink,

Typical behavior. Before she even started laying eggs she stored up excess fat in her body cavity. Every one of you chickens or ducks that are laying have done this. This fat is mostly what they live off of if they ever go broody so they can take care of the eggs instead of having to come off of the nest to look for food.

I came just now, and they were 7 this time, but while I was looking, an egg exploded,

In one of the last parts of her laying the eggs, she puts a liquid layer on it we call "Bloom". That bloom quickly dries and forms a layer that is excellent at keeping bacteria out of her porous eggs yet allows those eggs to "breathe". Without the bloom bacteria from the environment could enter the egg and cause it to go rotten, whether it has an embryo developing or not. That's why I try to keep the bloom intact on eggs I incubate or even store. If you wash it, rub it, or scratch it you can compromise the bloom and give bacteria a path inside.

If the egg has a splotch of poop or even mud on it, the bloom can be compromised. If I have dirty eggs for me to eat I clean that off and refrigerate the eggs so bacteria cannot grow. I do not incubate dirty eggs or cleaned eggs, just the ones that are pretty clean to start with.

For you to have the disaster you did something compromised the bloom. My guess is that an egg broke under her and the egg material got on the other eggs. That allowed bacteria to grow and invade the other eggs. I had that happen with a chicken once, none of her eggs hatched. That egg had a thin shell, she probably broke it walking on the eggs to get on or off of her nest.

Wild and domestic ducks hatch eggs all of the time in some pretty interesting places. Most of the time it works out well, they are not close to extinct. But occasionally you have a total failure like this. I
m sorry it happened to you. It was unlikely it was anything you did.

 

[Hamudazahabi]

Typical behavior. Before she even started laying eggs she stored up excess fat in her body cavity. Every one of you chickens or ducks that are laying have done this. This fat is mostly what they live off of if they ever go broody so they can take care of the eggs instead of having to come off of the nest to look for food.


In one of the last parts of her laying the eggs, she puts a liquid layer on it we call "Bloom". That bloom quickly dries and forms a layer that is excellent at keeping bacteria out of her porous eggs yet allows those eggs to "breathe". Without the bloom bacteria from the environment could enter the egg and cause it to go rotten, whether it has an embryo developing or not. That's why I try to keep the bloom intact on eggs I incubate or even store. If you wash it, rub it, or scratch it you can compromise the bloom and give bacteria a path inside.

If the egg has a splotch of poop or even mud on it, the bloom can be compromised. If I have dirty eggs for me to eat I clean that off and refrigerate the eggs so bacteria cannot grow. I do not incubate dirty eggs or cleaned eggs, just the ones that are pretty clean to start with.

For you to have the disaster you did something compromised the bloom. My guess is that an egg broke under her and the egg material got on the other eggs. That allowed bacteria to grow and invade the other eggs. I had that happen with a chicken once, none of her eggs hatched. That egg had a thin shell, she probably broke it walking on the eggs to get on or off of her nest.

Wild and domestic ducks hatch eggs all of the time in some pretty interesting places. Most of the time it works out well, they are not close to extinct. But occasionally you have a total failure like this. I
m sorry it happened to you. It was unlikely it was anything you did.

Thank you very much for your response. Very informative. It makes sense that it is most likely one egg which broke, and I think I do remember seeing some of the eggs with yolk on them before they exploded.