Breeding/egg incubation

[Garciaaxen]

Ok I’m always on here asking questions but I am a new duck owner & would love to be educated. I google a lot but I love to hear everyone else’s experience, what works for them & what they suggest. I have an almost 3 month old Rouen Drake & a pair of 2 month old khaki Campbell hens. I know it’s too early for them to start breeding & laying eggs, but I want to be prepared when the time comes & our drake starts mating with the girls. At what age does the breeding start for drakes & hens? Is there usually changes in behavior when it’s that time to breed? If our hens do start popping out eggs is it better for them to sit on them or do I need incubate them myself? If I let the girls sit on their eggs do they arrange their pens, hay & everything to their liking or do I need to do it? During incubation what is preferred temperature the eggs have to be in? Also, if I didn’t want to keep any eggs what would be a humane way of getting rid of them? Just throwing them in the trash? Sorry for all the questions but I would love to be prepared & know what to do when the time comes.

 

[NatJ]

If our hens do start popping out eggs is it better for them to sit on them or do I need incubate them myself?

Female ducks or chickens will lay eggs for a while without sitting on the eggs. Then they may become broody (stop laying eggs, sit on the current eggs to hatch them.) Or they may not become broody.

If no female becomes broody, then you could incubate the eggs if you want them to hatch. Or you could choose not to hatch the eggs, and eat them instead.

If I let the girls sit on their eggs do they arrange their pens, hay & everything to their liking or do I need to do it?

You should provide a nestbox with some bedding in it, and they will probably take care of arranging the details after that.

During incubation what is preferred temperature the eggs have to be in?

If a female duck goes broody and sits on the eggs, you do not have to worry about the temperature. Her body will keep them at the correct temperature, even if the weather is hot or cold.

If you use an incubator, read the instructions for the incubator. Some incubators have to be set a little bit differently than other incubators. It is usually around 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you want to hatch eggs, you can collect the ones laid each day, and store them at room temperature in your house until you have a good number (maybe all the eggs laid in one week), and then put them all in the incubator on the same day. That way they will all develop at the same time, and hatch about the same time 4 weeks later.

Also, if I didn’t want to keep any eggs what would be a humane way of getting rid of them? Just throwing them in the trash?

If you collect the eggs every day, you can use them just like eggs from the grocery store. Cook them whatever way you like, and eat them. Or cook them and feed them back to the ducks, if you don't want to eat them. You can store the eggs in the refrigerator, and they will keep just as long as eggs you buy from the grocery store.

Throwing them in the trash would also be fine, but seems wasteful to me, since you could eat the eggs or feed them to the ducks.