Both of my pekins are broody,no fertile eggs

[PlumTuckered]

My pekin gals are mother (14 mos. Old),and daughter(8 months old). Both have gone broody. Mom is on 18 eggs, daughter is on 10 eggs, none of the eggs are fertile. I had the 10 eggs in the bator, hoping I had caught the girls' last fertile eggs after giving my drake away. Both girls have been sitting on the nest of 18 eggs for 5 straight days/nights. I carried the dud eggs out from the bator to see if one of the gals would build a nest for them and sure enough my 8 month old gal did. I have 4 scovie eggs in the bator for a neighbor, 3 are viable and one is iffy, these eggs are due to hatch in 11 days. Would you put those viable eggs under your gals with the dud eggs and hope for the best, or would you get some fertile eggs and switch them for the duds?

Would anyone happen to be in need of a test hatcher by any chance?
I'm so proud of my gals, I always read that pekins rarely get broody. I really want them to be able to have some babies of their own.

Michelle

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

Not to dissapoint you, but I think pekins going broody isn't really rare...the ones at my lake do it pretty often at least. But while they do go broody they never seem to sit for more than 16 days. It's exactlly how I ended up with my duck Sunny. I found the pekin nest while fishing and kept a close eye on it. Maybe 10 days later the mother had obviously given up and was back with the other ducks scarfing down bread and sleeping in the sun. The nest was somewhat out in the open so crows ate several of the eggs before I decided to grab a few. (4 of them) To make a long story short, 2 hatched one died and Sunny grew up great. I candled the eggs when I got them and think they were on maybe day 13-16. I have to refrain from going to the same pond because there's always some kind of abandoned duck nest in the spring.

 

[PlumTuckered]

Thanks so much for responding!
The little brats went and moved the 10 dud eggs into the nest with the 18 dud eggs and are again both sitting on the nest together...these goofballs have me shaking my head big time LOL They are spread out side by side on the nest and singing to eachother.

My neighbor plans to "toss the babies on the pond and let nature take it's course" when these eggs of her's hatch. One of the reasons I'm considering putting the eggs under my girls is so that the hens will teach the babies what they need to know and I'll have a great excuse for not sending them to their real owner until they are big enough to go with her grown scovies. I know these ducklings won't be mine but I can't help worrying about them.

I'm sorry to be so needy for opinions but I want to do the best thing for these scovie babies above all. If you were in this situation would you chance putting the eggs under the hens now(they have 11 days till hatch date), or wait till a few days before hatching day (assuming my hens are still on the nest of dud eggs) and then slip them in the nest?

Michelle

 

[froggie71]

My Pekins are still babies, but we have runners, swedes and khaki campbells on nest now. They had tons of eggs in their nest. The swede and khaki who are sharing a nest, just moved their nest for the 2nd time and only took the eggs that are good, getting rid of all the duds or quitters themselves. As for your friend that wants to release muscovy ducks check out this thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=304055

 

[sourland]

Letting your ducks hatch and raise the muscovies sounds like a far better plan than "throwing them on the lake and letting nature take it's course." Nature is not necessarily kind, and ducklings without a mother to guide and protect are easy targets for predators.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I've also heard that pekins are not normally broody, but someone forgot to tell mine that

I had one go broody late last fall (like November!), but she gave up after a week or so. The eggs were no good anyway. I just yesterday gave a dozen duck eggs away, wish I hadn't, I'd have sent them to you

If you like, I can send you some, I only get 1-2 eggs a day, but I don't have bator space for them, and all my broodies are full

 

[PlumTuckered]

Yeah, my neighbor has 6 grown Scovies, she brought me 4 eggs and asked if I would put them in my 'bator for her so I did. Later she said that she was glad I could hatch them for her since her silly hen wasn't sitting on them. I tried to explain to her that the hen was most likely not finished laying yet since there were only 4 eggs. Neighbor argued that the hen wasn't broody so she was useless. Anyway she then said that when the eggs hatch she's going to toss the babies on the pond with the adults and let nature take it's course...I was mortified. I explained over and over that the babies could NOT be "tossed on the pond with the adults", I even explained why and she said well I work and don't have time to take care of ducklings. I already decided that I am not going to let her have her ducklings until they are ready to be with her other ducks ( I would rather just keep them and refuse to give them to her but my husband hates 'scovies and he won't back down)..LOL I feel like I'm in a tug of war over these darlings that haven't even hatched yet ;-)

Shelleyd2008, you are so sweet to offer me some eggs! I would love some but now I'm worried that if my pekin gals quit the nest before hatch day the eggs won't make it. I've got the neighbor's 'scovie eggs and her Mom's guinea eggs in my bator right now. Have your Pekin gals ever successfully hatched any eggs? Is there any hope that mine might?

Michelle

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

Quote:
To be honest, I've NEVER heard of a pekin hatching out eggs...I also doubt they would raise them. There's 10 pekins at the lake where I find the nests, I've never seen any signs of babies. Usually just cracked open eggs and unhatched ones in the nests. BUT, don't give up! While it isn't a common thing for a pekin it's not immpossible!

 

[sourland]

Pekins in a semi-feral situation where they can be bothered by predators both two legged and four legged have very little chance of successfully brooding. Broody pekins (not all go broody) in controlled environments can very successfully hatch and raise ducklings.

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

Quote:
That makes sense....but I still haven't heard of one that did hatch and raise ducklings!