32 eggs in a nest, should and I do I candle. (PICS)

[Sophie Mae]

This is my nest

This is where my nest is located

This is momma on the nest

How do I candle with out up setting the nest? Will Momma keep sitting?

 

[Bleenie]

32 is a LOT!! She sure looks like she's trying her best to cover them all though. I would be worried about her stacking the eggs and rotating them when she turns them. the growing eggs can get cold and die if she moves them to the edge of the nest where they aren't getting enough warmth, or the bottom, underneath other eggs.

Get one of those little pocket LED flashlights and go out there at night. remove them one at a time and set the good ones to your left and the bad ones to your right(or non-growing ones if you wanna reduce her number of eggs). When you're all done candeling slowly slide them back under her tummy, she will start to move them all into place until she's comfy and then she'll settle back down on them for the rest of the night. She looks like she's calm enough with your presence to allow you to do this. Good luck.

 

[Sophie Mae]

Thanks, I will do this tonight, just to be fair, I had 2 females fill the nest. I was surprised she was the one to set though.

 

[Bleenie]

I had one go broody on about the same amount. she did really good but was also in a box in the coop and a lot of the eggs were from my 3 bantam cochin hens.... we had babies hatching for dayssss

 

[Sophie Mae]

I candled last night and took away 3. She stayed on the nest but tried to bite me each time I took and egg out....32 times. At least it did not hurt.

I found another momma sitting today. Daddy duck sure is not happy, both of his girls are busy.

 

[Bleenie]

lol, hopefully he doesn't get too frisky when they get off their nests for breaks. One of my boys likes to sit in the house with the broody girls, even sleep in there at night. he doesn't like not having them with him but thankfully he behaves when they get off to eat and drink.

 

[Sophie Mae]

Mine, not so nice. I feel soooo bad for the girls when they get off of the nest. He chases them down I do not interfere to much, I am not always home. I keep fresh water and food close to the nest but they want to walk around some, that's when he gets them. I am not able to get to the second nest so I have no idea how many eggs, I am guessing no more than 9 or 10 though since they started out laying in the same place. Of neither place is in the more secure areas I had for them.