Mandarin Duck thread ( for posting pictures and discussing)

[ShellyBear]

IS it normal for a female to bury her eggs under the shavings?

 

[BYC-user-174785]

Yes it is. Eventually they will down the nest and cover the eggs with down when they are off of the nest.

 

[DuckDodgers]

Blue creek, have you had any go broody yet this year?

 

[BYC-user-174785]

I have eight hens on eggs right now and then a few nests have down in them so I am expecting at least two more broodies in the near future. I also set some old eggs that were nest dumped in incubator and surprisingly some of those are developing. In that picture in my previous post that nest has twenty eggs being incubated by a woodie hen and after candling today they are all fertile and developing.

 

[DuckDodgers]

Wow that's awesome!

 

[RuzichFamily]

I've gotten a clutch of seven eggs so far but she's not gone broody yet. What are the odds that she won't go broody? My second hen laid her first egg yesterday on the ground. Any way to encourage her to get in her box?

 

[3BirdGirlz]

I've gotten a clutch of seven eggs so far but she's not gone broody yet.  What are the odds that she won't go broody?  My second hen laid her first egg yesterday on the ground.  Any way to encourage her to get in her box?

Mine lay about 12 eggs before she sets. Hopefully your other hen will get it figured out. You do have more than one nest box right?

 

[RuzichFamily]

Mine lay about 12 eggs before she sets. Hopefully your other hen will get it figured out. You do have more than one nest box right?

Yes, I have a box for each hen.

 

[ShellyBear]

I figured something out. My hens like older nesting boxes more than bran new ones. Any one else relize that?

 

[cajunfowl0]

I figured something out. My hens like older nesting boxes more than bran new ones. Any one else relize that?

it's probobly because they have seen other hens use them so they know it's safe