baby ducks should be hatching any day - questions

[mettafour]

I am new to ducks. We have 4 ducks, but one of my ancona hens have gone broody and is sitting on her eggs. According to my calculations, the eggs should hatch in the next 2 days. I have her penned off from the other 3 ducks in the pen. The ducks also share a large pen with 2 chicken hens and 1 banty rooster. Her area does not have a cover on top of her pen. Should I be concerned about the rooster once the ducklings hatch?

Also, since this is her first time to sit, she is only about a year old, is there anything I really need to be concerned about? Should I put anything special into her pen with the ducklings? She has a water dish and food, but do they need anything special?

I REALLY REALLY appreciate anyone's feedback. I'm so excited, but terrified that I will do something wrong and something will happen to the ducklings.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am new to ducks. We have 4 ducks, but one of my ancona hens have gone broody and is sitting on her eggs. According to my calculations, the eggs should hatch in the next 2 days. I have her penned off from the other 3 ducks in the pen. The ducks also share a large pen with 2 chicken hens and 1 banty rooster. Her area does not have a cover on top of her pen. Should I be concerned about the rooster once the ducklings hatch?

Also, since this is her first time to sit, she is only about a year old, is there anything I really need to be concerned about? Should I put anything special into her pen with the ducklings? She has a water dish and food, but do they need anything special?

I REALLY REALLY appreciate anyone's feedback. I'm so excited, but terrified that I will do something wrong and something will happen to the ducklings.

Sounds like you have it covered, well all but her pen, I wouldn't worry much about the roo my roos never mess with babies. but I'd be concerned about something else climbing in a eating mama and ducklings. Mama duck will take care of everything else showing them where food and water is, make sure water isn't deep enough they could climb in an drown and that the feed is unmedicated and made for ducks or chicks. and if they don't forage you may want to supplement their diet with Brewers yeast, or niacin in their water to give them healthy legs. Let us know when they hatch and of course pics we love pics. And

 

[mettafour]

Thanks Miss Lydia. The duck is safe from predators. She is in a barn which has electric poultry netting circling the opening and a Great Pyrenees between that electric poultry netting and another layer of poultry netting. We have coyotes and I'm training our LGD. Could you give me an idea of how much brewers yeast to use? I do supplement their feed with it, but I wasn't clear on exactly how much to give them. I just sprinkle it on.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks Miss Lydia. The duck is safe from predators. She is in a barn which has electric poultry netting circling the opening and a Great Pyrenees between that electric poultry netting and another layer of poultry netting. We have coyotes and I'm training our LGD. Could you give me an idea of how much brewers yeast to use? I do supplement their feed with it, but I wasn't clear on exactly how much to give them. I just sprinkle it on.

For my lone duckling last year I used a teaspoon per cup of food. I don't think it's that important if they are going to be pastured soon after hatch, it's ducklings brooder raised that seem to have the problems.

 

[Going Quackers]

Good luck! i completely understand your concerns, i had the same with our first hatch, while it only produced one duckling it's doing very well and even graduated to free ranging with mum yesterday, sounds like you have ticked all your boxes!