Brooding Pekin

[Feathered Family Leader]

Well, we have a brooding Pekin. We are clueless about the brooding process. I hope it is one of the things that just comes natural to her. Ducklings were not planned in my future. She is young and I am worried for her that none of the ducklings survive.

The odd (maybe not to people who understand this brooding but to me) is we have 4 females and every morning there are 4 new eggs. They apparently believe in communal living because they are all laying in the one nest. Is the brooder still laying an egg or is another laying 2? I am thinking if the brooder is still laying, she will never stop sitting.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Do you have a drake? if not the eggs won't be fertile and won't hatch. If you have a drake then you'll need to mark the eggs in the nest now so you can take out any that are laid from this day forward. That way the ducklings won't be hatching or left to die after mom decides to get up and leave the nest with the first to hatch. She usually will stay about 2-3 days after the first begin to hatch. Where is she brooding? she needs safety also.

 

[PirateGirl]

If you have 4 females and are getting 4 eggs a day then she is still laying and not full time broody yet. I also would recommend the same as @Miss Lydia says. Decide how many eggs you want her to hatch, mark them so you know which ones they are, and remove any new eggs that get deposited in the nest over the next month. When I had a broody there was at least one extra egg a day that she either stole from the other girls or they snuck into the nest with her. Think about if she is in a safe place and how you may need to modify it for her and for ducklings if you are going to let her hatch there. You don’t have to let her brood ducklings if you aren’t ready for it. If she went broody now, there’s a good chance she will go broody again next summer and you can giver her eggs then.

 

[Feathered Family Leader]

Thanks for your reply. I have 2 drakes so I am pretty sure there are some fertile eggs. We have a pen with a covered house we call their condo. We purchased a second pen and have another covered house, that's the townhouse to separate the drakes from the hens and then give her some space with her ducklings, if and when they are hatched. He calls it the townhouse I call it the nursery

 

[Feathered Family Leader]

If you have 4 females and are getting 4 eggs a day then she is still laying and not full time broody yet. I also would recommend the same as @Miss Lydia says. Decide how many eggs you want her to hatch, mark them so you know which ones they are, and remove any new eggs that get deposited in the nest over the next month. When I had a broody there was at least one extra egg a day that she either stole from the other girls or they snuck into the nest with her. Think about if she is in a safe place and how you may need to modify it for her and for ducklings if you are going to let her hatch there. You don’t have to let her brood ducklings if you aren’t ready for it. If she went broody now, there’s a good chance she will go broody again next summer and you can giver her eggs then.

I know I'm not ready and I have serious doubts she knows any more about what she is doing than I do. She's no more than 6 months old. Bless TSC and chick days. My husband is adamant that we are going to let her try to hatch. First, he thinks it will break her heart if her eggs disappear and second, he feels like he is performing abortions.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Same thing to both of y’all! lol. Okay then your ready to go. Please let us know how it goes! We don’t get to see many broody Pekins here so hoping she stays the course!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

How many eggs is she sitting? And can you accommodate more and what’s the plan when next spring you have a bunch of hormonal drakes? Well you do have accommodations for 2 already. Just be ready with plan b in case she gives up mid way and you have live ducklings in those eggs you might want to buy or borrow an incubator. How long has she been sitting and is she on the eggs 24/7 besides time to go out eat drink bathe an poop?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Also ducks have built in instinct so if she is truly broody she’ll know what to do.

 

[Feathered Family Leader]

She has 10 eggs that she has pulled under her and spreads out to cover them up She is sitting 24)7 except she comes out about every third day to get in the pond. She takes a bath then goes back to her eggs. She has only occasionally come out for peas and corn treat time. I put a small bowl of food in her corner of the world and I moved one of the water bowls closer to her. We have picked up eggs, eggs and more eggs. Yesterday morning when I went to let them out one of the other female ducks was sitting on top of her. I have tried making another nest but the other females seem to have zero interest in laying in any nest except hers. If they can't lay there they just lay anywhere.. .no area is off limits to rhem.

 

[Miss Lydia]

You better start marking those first eggs so you can take out any new ones being laid or your going to have ducklings developing at different stages and the first eggs that hatch after 2-3 day she'll get up and leave any that haven't hatched so either you will need a bator to finish hatching or your going to have dead duckling in shell. Sounds like she is committed. And how funny having a duck on top of her, broodiness can be contagious that's for sure.