Andrea PNW
Songster
- Sep 4, 2020
- 170
- 367
- 156
Hi there duck fam - I am experiencing my first broody hen and have a couple of questions that I am hoping for insight on .... w/two bits of important details to keep in mind - 1. she's a cayuga and is about 11months old 2. I absolutely have no intention on hatching ducklings. My ducks are just pets and I 100% don't want to deal with rehoming drakes
Okay, now for my questions:
1. Is it totally normal that she's gone broody over ONE egg? It's only been a couple of days but I've always retrieved her eggs every single day. She came out last night to eat some treats while i changed the water and food in the duck house and I grabbed the one egg she was sitting on. This morning she was being all broody again and hasn't come out but i imagine she's not sitting on any eggs right? Everything I read says they don't lay when they are broody... so confused. Even if she was - it would be just one egg.
2. Her man Ruthie is roaming around listlessly cuz he's by himself since she won't come out. I imagine this is normal and I just let him do his thing? He heads out of the duck house, takes a bath, walks around the yard, checks in on her, naps somewhere random, goes back to check on her, rinse repeat. He's been totally fine towards Barbe during her two days of "laying in" so that's good. I feel bad for him - but he's kind of a jackass too so I don't feel TOOOOOO bad. I'm just not sure if i should be providing him with some kind of emotional support while I work on breaking her brood (by removing her eggs).
Thank you in advance for your thoughts!!
AC
Okay, now for my questions:
1. Is it totally normal that she's gone broody over ONE egg? It's only been a couple of days but I've always retrieved her eggs every single day. She came out last night to eat some treats while i changed the water and food in the duck house and I grabbed the one egg she was sitting on. This morning she was being all broody again and hasn't come out but i imagine she's not sitting on any eggs right? Everything I read says they don't lay when they are broody... so confused. Even if she was - it would be just one egg.
2. Her man Ruthie is roaming around listlessly cuz he's by himself since she won't come out. I imagine this is normal and I just let him do his thing? He heads out of the duck house, takes a bath, walks around the yard, checks in on her, naps somewhere random, goes back to check on her, rinse repeat. He's been totally fine towards Barbe during her two days of "laying in" so that's good. I feel bad for him - but he's kind of a jackass too so I don't feel TOOOOOO bad. I'm just not sure if i should be providing him with some kind of emotional support while I work on breaking her brood (by removing her eggs).
Thank you in advance for your thoughts!!
AC