Ducklings

[SuzHa]

Hi, I really need all of your expertise on this please.


My mallard has been sitting on her nest since Jan 1st and today the ducks were acting different. I currently have 2 males and 1 female and the males spend the majority of the day inside instead of outdoors. So, I went into the pen to check and noticed 5 dead ducklings near the hens nest. They were all wet laying apart from one another. I moved the mother from her nest and there was one live fluffy duck chirping under her with 4 eggs left. I'm not quite sure what happened to the dead ones.


Will the males or female kill the ducklings or were they born dead and she threw them out? Also, how long does it usually take for the full nest to hatch is there viable eggs? Any and all advice will be appreciated. Thank you all!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

You need to immediately remove your drakes from where Mama and duckling and the rest of eggs are. Drake will kill ducklings You can use some type of fencing or scrap lattice but you want to keep the mama and ducklings separated. I usually wait until my ducklings are at least 3 weeks old before they can be with mama around any drake or even other flock members. mama will not protect her ducklings if they wander off the nest she is intent on hatching.

Once hatch begins it can take 2sometimes 3 days for hatch to finish.

i am very sorry you lost some of the ducklings.

 

[SuzHa]

You need to immediately remove your drakes from where Mama and duckling and the rest of eggs are. Drake will kill ducklings You can use some type of fencing or scrap lattice but you want to keep the mama and ducklings separated. I usually wait until my ducklings are at least 3 weeks old before they can be with mama around any drake or even other flock members. mama will not protect her ducklings if they wander off the nest she is intent on hatching.

Once hatch begins it can take 2sometimes 3 days for hatch to finish.

i am very sorry you lost some of the ducklings.

Thank you so much for educating me. I try to learn from all the forums and wish I would’ve read this info awhile back. I had no idea….but it was a brutal lesson to learn. the men will be separated from here on out. I hope i can get another duckling or two, so that one isn’t alone.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I hope more hatch keep us updated. Once mama wants to bring them outside make sure the dads can see them but not get to them this way they at least know they are there and will hopefully help when time comes to put them all together. Are they in a run or do they free range?

 

[SuzHa]

I hope more hatch keep us updated. Once mama wants to bring them outside make sure the dads can see them but not get to them this way they at least know they are there and will hopefully help when time comes to put them all together. Are they in a run or do they free range?

ok good advice. they free range. they are all in their pen now and the 2 boys are currently inside of a dog crate in the pen separated. i will let the boys out during the day and keep mama inside the coop. We started with 4 ducklings last March and had 2 boys and 2 girls, but a fox got to one of our girls. I was planning on getting more females in March. i live in southwestern PA and luckily it’s been very mild weather. Once the weather drops again should i bring the ducklings inside the house (with the mother duck)?

 

[Miss Lydia]

You may have too. I did once when we had a cold snap come through in spring I used a large dog crate and set them up in the coolest room in the house we use wood heat so putting them in the downstairs bathroom was the best since it wouldn't get too warm but not cold like outside. So they would still be okay to go back out once the cold left. Mama will keep them warm but they don't sit on their ducklings like a chicken does. Don't forget to post pictures when you can see hatch is done and mama starts bringing them for food and water. Another thing to remember is to not give the ducklings anything with water deep enough they can climb into a drown or chill when temps are not warm.