A part-time broody duck?

[destinduck]

Almost ! I just really wanted to see how long one would go broody. I have so many different kinds of ducks with different laying times that I can keep fresh eggs under her for 3 months easy. My first ducks laying are usally the wooducks in March. With the Baikal teal laying in june or ealy July. She would get up and eat or drink when she needed. She did give up the quest at a little over 2 months.Cant say I blame her. I finished the rest out in a incubator.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Almost ! I just really wanted to see how long one would go broody. I have so many different kinds of ducks with different laying times that I can keep fresh eggs under her for 3 months easy. My first ducks laying are usally the wooducks in March. With the Baikal teal laying in june or ealy July. She would get up and eat or drink when she needed. She did give up the quest at a little over 2 months.Cant say I blame her. I finished the rest out in a incubator.

I am assuming your in Destin Fl.? how did you fair when the last hurricane came through there? okay just went and looked at all your animals very beautiful. And your in my favorite part of Fl. we're born and raised Floridians too but east coast. Thats why we are now in the mountains of NC.

love them sandy white beaches though.

 

[Margot50]

Thank you all,
There are now 4 eggs, so perhaps she will increase her clutch again.... I also found a call egg outside the litter pan. (I also got a pair of grey calls). They are tiny! Think I will slip it into the big nest.
Babs (the broody hen) is back in the nest this am and didn't pop out when I refilled the "pond." I will keep you posted.
Margot

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you all,
There are now 4 eggs, so perhaps she will increase her clutch again.... I also found a call egg outside the litter pan. (I also got a pair of grey calls). They are tiny! Think I will slip it into the big nest.
Babs (the broody hen) is back in the nest this am and didn't pop out when I refilled the "pond." I will keep you posted.
Margot

Thank you and sorry we got off track. Looking forward to hearing all about it..

 

[Margot50]

Babs is still playing with me. Up to 7 eggs in the nest, so will have to remove some to guard against population explosion but......
will she just keep reloading until she gets the feeling that she has enough?
Of course the eggs are great to eat, so who is complaining.

Also there was a single good-sized shelless egg outside the nest this morning. Very cool. Slippery!
Dropped it on the way to the house to show DH. Dogs loved it! There was also a pullet sized egg a couple of eggs ago, leading me to wonder if Daphne (Aust Spotted hen 2) was reving up. Nutritionally they are fine, free choice oystershell and good quality food so I assume is just a fluke.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Babs is still playing with me. Up to 7 eggs in the nest, so will have to remove some to guard against population explosion but......
will she just keep reloading until she gets the feeling that she has enough?
Of course the eggs are great to eat, so who is complaining.

Also there was a single good-sized shelless egg outside the nest this morning. Very cool. Slippery!
Dropped it on the way to the house to show DH. Dogs loved it! There was also a pullet sized egg a couple of eggs ago, leading me to wonder if Daphne (Aust Spotted hen 2) was reving up. Nutritionally they are fine, free choice oystershell and good quality food so I assume is just a fluke.

probably a fluke. let her finish laying all she wants then go in and remove the ones to thin it down some. I have one girl sitting on 4 another on 5 I have to watch for pop explosion also.

 

[Margot50]

The saga continues..
Babs however has I think finally settled down on a clutch of 14 eggs. Or rather I should say that yesterday was the first day where she went back a sat after her morning bath and snack after only about 1/2 hour and stayed all day, rather than her usual 2 to 3 hour breaks.
But today I went in to do the water change and Daphne was no where to be seen, and lo and behold she was snuggled in next to Babs. Babs is used to me looking in on her and just gives me the eye, but Daphne did the whole open mouth and hiss routine. Daphne however popped out as soon as I started to run water in the tub. But still thought she should make nasty faces at me.

So.... I can't isolate Babs. There is at least a chance that Daphne is going broody?? Apparently Babs has no problem sharing her nest with Daphne at the moment. But if Daphne is going broody I assume she will want to lay in the same nest with Babs given their coziness today. Or will she think that the eggs are hers too and just set. Do 2 ducks ever set together successfully and co-rear the ducklings.
Should I mark Babs eggs and remove Daphnes?

Duck management advice would be appreciated.

 

[Margot50]

I just did some math. If I was correct that there were 7 eggs 4 days ago and there are 14 eggs now, both ducks must be laying in the nest, although this is the first I have seen Daphne actually settling on the eggs. How intersting and funny.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I just did some math. If I was correct that there were 7 eggs 4 days ago and there are 14 eggs now, both ducks must be laying in the nest, although this is the first I have seen Daphne actually settling on the eggs. How intersting and funny.

Broodiness is contagious lol. If they are close they will probably do fine sharing the nest and if some eggs are behind in hatching hopefull the other will continue to sit till they are hatched. Keep us updated. with pics of course.

 

[Margot50]

Ok!
My plan is to mark the eggs and remove some to avoid the population explosion we discussed. Then I will continue to remove the unmarked eggs........Next week I will candle and reassess.
Hopefully in 28 days we will have a happy event (or several) and 2 maternally fulfilled ducks happily leading the assorted brood around.
I will take pictures etc.

I did see the aust spotted drake (top duck) going after the call drake (bottom bottom bottom duck) with more energy than usual this am. If both aust spotted hens are setting then there is only the one call hen with the two drakes out and about. Could be interesting. Poor Crispy (call drake)