Black Swedish Broodiness

[Koko Acres]

Hi, We are relatively new to keeping ducks and have acquired a few different breeds that are not laying/mating age yet. We do have a trio of mature Black Swedish in a separate paddock. The two Black Swedish ladies are laying eggs in a nest and they are fertile. My husband and I are hoping they will hatch these eggs on their own as we really would prefer to grow our flock naturally without an incubator, if possible.

Will I see these ladies sitting on their nest? When will I know if they are either going to hatch these on their own or if we need to go ahead and get an incubator? We started letting them keep the eggs 7 days ago.

Thanks!

 

[Gigachad poultry]

Hi, We are relatively new to keeping ducks and have acquired a few different breeds that are not laying/mating age yet. We do have a trio of mature Black Swedish in a separate paddock. The two Black Swedish ladies are laying eggs in a nest and they are fertile. My husband and I are hoping they will hatch these eggs on their own as we really would prefer to grow our flock naturally without an incubator, if possible.

Will I see these ladies sitting on their nest? When will I know if they are either going to hatch these on their own or if we need to go ahead and get an incubator? We started letting them keep the eggs 7 days ago.

Thanks!

They are a more 50/50 because it's just depending on setup, welfare, and the individual hen, ect ect. I'm sure your good on setup and welfare, but the hens will be the true decider of whether or not they feel broody.

 

[Koko Acres]

They are a more 50/50 because it's just depending on setup, welfare, and the individual hen, ect ect. I'm sure your good on setup and welfare, but the hens will be the true decider of whether or not they feel broody.

Thank you so much for responding. I take it from your response that if they feel broody I will definitely see it. (I’ve never seen a broody duck before). Hopefully I will know it when I see it.

How many days should I let them collect before I step in and incubate? I don’t want to waste these or have a bunch of rotten eggs. Thanks again!

 

[Gigachad poultry]

Thank you so much for responding. I take it from your response that if they feel broody I will definitely see it. (I’ve never seen a broody duck before). Hopefully I will know it when I see it.

How many days should I let them collect before I step in and incubate? I don’t want to waste these or have a bunch of rotten eggs. Thanks again!

You're very welcome, and trust me if either of them go broody you will know or they will let you feel the fact in the form of one of the worst bites you'll ever feel! I'd say you should drain any extra eggs you don't want or get some plastic eggs and give them about 8 and I'd also suggest using golf balls as it works very well. I won't risk then breaking any eggs or any going bad. Then once they're broody you should wait for them to leave for a food and water break to then replace the fake eggs with hatching eggs so they actually hatch something. hope that helps

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

All depends on the individual duck
But any duck of any breed can do it if they really want
I have 10 girls
I was leaving the eggs in hopes a certain girl with health issues would sit ti give her a break from laying but instead her sister a year younger decided to
Once I knew she was sitting all day I removed all but 8 eggs
Number them daily and remove the oldest eggs when it’s time
It’s great to have 8-10 for a first time
Some will try to sit on 20 eggs but can’t incubate them properly

First signs were her missing when I would do head count a few times a day
Next was her loud different honk and fast movements
They run ti eat , drink and swim quick
It’s funny to watch
Mine would leave her nest in the morning for 1-1.5 hours then again late afternoon for 20 mins
She lost 2 eggs due to sisters laying eggs in her nest I would remove daily but twice they broke ( cracked ) the living eggs one the first week one at day 19 both died
The other 6 eggs hatched and babies are good
I decided to make a separation in the duck house After the second egg was broken to prevent the other girls from laying in her nest ( it worked ) I would close her in at night and by morning the other girls had laid so I would open her area and leave the small duvk door open to outside so she could come and go as needed
Was also perfect at hatch time as this kept the other ducks from getting near the babies and I was able to keep feed and water in that area for them
When they do show interest at first they may only sit at night until they are fully done laying a clutch of eggs
They get noisy and speedy
Depending how tame they will get protective too
I couldn’t get near her eggs or the babies at first but I respected her boundaries
Now I can walk by them and she is fine

 

[Koko Acres]

Thank you so much for your responses. I thought one of the ladies was sitting yesterday morning but then she ran out of the coop when I got close. The nest looks different tonight. It’s kind of built up in a mound back in the corner and looks like a trench is dug around it. I thought it was strange.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Thank you so much for your responses. I thought one of the ladies was sitting yesterday morning but then she ran out of the coop when I got close. The nest looks different tonight. It’s kind of built up in a mound back in the corner and looks like a trench is dug around it. I thought it was strange. View attachment 3565182

They often build them up high especially in summer
Theos way they can sit higher off the eggs not to overheat them

 

[Gigachad poultry]

Thank you so much for your responses. I thought one of the ladies was sitting yesterday morning but then she ran out of the coop when I got close. The nest looks different tonight. It’s kind of built up in a mound back in the corner and looks like a trench is dug around it. I thought it was strange. View attachment 3565182

When duck are broody they will construct a nest something like this

I really do think and hope this is a step in progress to their broodiness and I'm wondering if they might brood together like Muscovy ducks do sometimes.

 

[Koko Acres]

Well guys, she is sitting and has been consistently sitting for a few days now! She is in a pen with another black Swedish hen that has not been sitting and a black Swedish Drake. I suspect that the other hen is laying and mama broody is collecting those eggs and sitting on them too. Should I separate the non broody hen and drake from mama broody so no more eggs get laid near her or will it be too stressful for her to be alone. The larger duck pen with my others is only about 10 feet away from the small pen and the ducks are clearly visible. I know there is only a limited amount of eggs she can hatch. Thanks!

 

[Gigachad poultry]

Well guys, she is sitting and has been consistently sitting for a few days now! She is in a pen with another black Swedish hen that has not been sitting and a black Swedish Drake. I suspect that the other hen is laying and mama broody is collecting those eggs and sitting on them too. Should I separate the non broody hen and drake from mama broody so no more eggs get laid near her or will it be too stressful for her to be alone. The larger duck pen with my others is only about 10 feet away from the small pen and the ducks are clearly visible. I know there is only a limited amount of eggs she can hatch. Thanks!

Please do a hatch along with her and her eggs, I'm so happy she started sitting!