Buff Duck started sitting on her eggs, Is it Too early ?

[howard]

I have a male and female Buff. She started laying an egg a day in November but has had NO interest in sitting on them... I put a couple of plastic eggs in an area that she sometimes layed to get her to lay all her eggs there instead of all over the duck house. Well that worked fine for about 3 weeks... the last 3-4 days she has been sitting. I never thought that she would set.... Or at least I thought the chances were slim that she would since she was an Incubator hatch.

Is it too early in the year to have any success with her. It is March 27th in North Alabama and the long range forecast is to have occasional near freezing temps. over the next 2 or 3 weeks.

One other question.... Will she continue to lay while sitting ? I've read that ducks eggs hatch in about 28 days. She will have quite a stack to sit on if she does.

I've considered leaving 5 or 6 and marking them with a grease pencil, then take any others she lays. Will they hatch over a period of 5 - 6 days ??

Any comments would be appreciated
Howard

 

[Duck Keeper]

Once they go broody, they stop laying eggs.

And there isn't much of a chance of her going broody, since /most/ breeds (and this is just generally speaking, there are exceptions to the rule) have had the broody-ness bred out of them. If you wanted something to hatch out their eggs, I personally would have to say mallards? Or a broody hen/goose if you can find one elsewhere.

It may be too early for her to set even if she were to go broody, but then again, I'm not an expert.