Adventures in Cayuga Mama-ing

[DabblinDuckDabbler]

So my Cayuga went broody on a clutch of 8 eggs. I’d read that ducks are NOT the moms that chickens are, so I gotta say, I’ve had pretty low expectations for this clutch. And, Between chickens and mishaps and who knows, the clutch dwindled down to 1. But it hatched this AM!! Yaaaaaaayyy!!! Oh the cuteness!!

About a week ago, I bought a couple of Cayuga ducklings from a local farm that had a hatch on 5/20 (three weeks ago). The idea was to bolster her clutch a bit and hope she could overlook the giant babies that suddenly appeared in her nest. I introduced them to her about a week ago. She was NOT impressed.

well, today, after her baby hatched, I tried again, and—ok, she’s still rather lukewarm, but she’s not attacking them. They snuggled up to her, and she allowed it for a while, but then pushed them off. But her baby thinks they’re just ducky, and piles on top of them, so I’m thinking she’s allowing it. It’s too chilly to leave them out overnight if Mama won’t let them snuggle up to her, so I’m thinking the foster Cayugas will stay in the brooder, but get play dates with the baby in the warm afternoons.

 

[Miss Lydia]

So precious Congrats!!
protect them from the chickens.

 

[DabblinDuckDabbler]

Today’s playdate: seems the babies are all getting on fine, and Mama seems to be OK that baby is distracted, lol.
All the big birds are nosily circling the run where Mama and babies are enclosed, but everybody’s safe and doing fine.

Dad Duck keeps chasing everyone off, and then coming back to supervise. I think he’s a little confused by the size disparity, but seems OK with it if Mama’a OK with it.
— Not to say that I’ll be letting him in the run with them anytime soon.

 

[Beaglegal]

I have wondered if this is possible with ducks, you should keep us posted with how it turns out? I think ducks are probably a wee bit smarter than chickens and harder to fool

 

[Miss Lydia]

I think it depends on when the mama duck hatched. I've noticed there is a short window on when a duck will accept more ducklings and it's in the first few days from her hatching her own. Can't say this for all ducks but last year my muscovy hatched one solo duckling and my hen [chicken ] hatched a solo duckling. They each had a few more eggs but these 2 only hatched. 1 day after hatch I gave the chicken hens duckling to my Muscovy so the 2 ducklings would have a buddy mama Muscovy took that little one on just like she hatched it. Poor mama hen was devastated she lost her baby. But this year she has 2 chicks she is raising so I made up for it.
This may not be for every duck but it was for this one.
And the 2 chicks? they were hatched in a bator, I brought them home at 1 day old and gave them to mama Broody hen and she and them took right to each other.
Ain't life grand.

 

[Beaglegal]

I think it depends on when the mama duck hatched. I've noticed there is a short window on when a duck will accept more ducklings and it's in the first few days from her hatching her own. Can't say this for all ducks but last year my muscovy hatched one solo duckling and my hen [chicken ] hatched a solo duckling. They each had a few more eggs but these 2 only hatched. 1 day after hatch I gave the chicken hens duckling to my Muscovy so the 2 ducklings would have a buddy mama Muscovy took that little one on just like she hatched it. Poor mama hen was devastated she lost her baby. But this year she has 2 chicks she is raising so I made up for it.
This may not be for every duck but it was for this one.
And the 2 chicks? they were hatched in a bator, I brought them home at 1 day old and gave them to mama Broody hen and she and them took right to each other.
Ain't life grand.

My ducks are mostly related and I would like to introduce some WHs in. Mama Cayuga is the matriarch and her acceptance of the ducks would be needed so I was thinking about giving her some ducklings when she goes broody. Not sure she will buy it though

 

[Miss Lydia]

With my hen she was broody close to 3 weeks before I gave her the chicks so all you can do is try. Dolly my Muscovy is one of my best mamas, when 3 of my Muscovy hatched Runners and Buffs 5 yrs ago 2 of the mamas decided that 3 weeks was long enough and Dolly stepped right in and took over so she not only had her ducklings but the other 2's also so 10 ducklings all in all. She is the one who took this little duckling in last year. I think if we catch them when they are good and broody and about the time they will be hatching we have a pretty good chance they will accept duckings. But then again every duck is different so all we can do is try and always have a plan B.
see every duck is different lol
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ted-week-old-ducklings.1475570/#post-24585264

 

[DabblinDuckDabbler]

I have wondered if this is possible with ducks, you should keep us posted with how it turns out? I think ducks are probably a wee bit smarter than chickens and harder to fool

I think that’s why I started the thread (certainly not so I could shamelessly post baby pictures.. ). I didn’t see a lot of info about people doing this.

The next question is how she’ll do with the chicken egg in her nest that’s due to hatch any day now..

update: bigger babies are in the run with them 24/7 now (minus a few snuggle spells with us people). My daughter said she saw them snuggling up to Mama yesterday, so it seems it’s good!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Go ahead and shamelessly post pics
Chick may drown. Be careful not to keep open water inside their pen

 

[DabblinDuckDabbler]

Go ahead and shamelessly post pics
Chick may drown. Be careful not to keep open water inside their pen

This has been my biggest concern. They have the gravity waterers in the run with them, which I refill mutiple times a day, especially the last couple of days when it’s been really warm (for us). The waterers are at the far end of the run from the nest, and of course all the ground around them is basically a mud puddle (baby ducks, ammiright??), but the food and the nest manage to stay dry.

heard peeping from the egg this am, so..on to the next phase of the experiment!! In the meantime, some shameless mama n baby pics:

while Mama really only snuggles the one, she comes running when any of them sound off.

I let them out first in the morning before I let the other birds out, and again in the evening after everyone else is in bed. They get a good stretch and get out their zoomies and Mama gets a couple short flights in from the top of my little hill and babies get to swim in the water dishes.
My heart is full.