Apparently Chickens *can* hatch out duck eggs!!

[Jay13]

I had heard several different things regarding whether it was possible due to different requirements for humidity and temperature. Well I stuck some of our runner duck eggs under a broody hen and out popped 6 cute ducklings! I don't know how confused she is or if she even cares, but my chickens and ducks all live together so hopefully they will figure out all the ducky stuff by watching their parents and not try and roost with the hens. Although that would be interesting to see!!

 

[Cadjien_De_Louisiane]

Cool pic, Ive never done it but Ive heard of many people doing it before.

 

[Jay13]

We wound up resorting to this because I lack an incubator and my Indian Runner Ducks won't go broody (i hear that is an issue with the breed). I just feel really lucky that it worked, and my first time too!

 

[cmfarm]

They are so cute!

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! That's so cute!
My chickens hatch duck eggs well and regularly. It is my opinion that duck eggs do not *need* higher humidity, but duck eggs can *tolerate* higher humidity. When my Pekins and Swedish have gone broody on their own eggs, for the most part, they start well and go rotten. When I take the eggs and put them under broody chicken hens, they all hatch.
On the other hand, a Moscovy duck just hatched 9 of 9 eggs last night. She never 'swam' and went back to the nest wet like the other breeds usually do. In fact, I never saw her even take a dip in the pond the whole time she was brooding.
When I set duck eggs in the incubator, I don't treat them any differently from chicken eggs and (unless I've dinked up humidityand chicken eggs don't hatch), they hatch well.
Good luck!

Lisa

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Oh! But what's more unusual to me is the broody Rock.
Mine aren't prone to go broody.

Lisa