broody duck, broken eggs

[tiffanya]

Recently my Cayuga, Lucy started sitting on four eggs. Our ducks are in the same run and coop with our chickens. Her nest is under a laundry basket inside the coop. I check each day to make sure no chicken eggs have been added. Our drake, Will does a decent job of defending her nest but I know that some of our hens will lay on it when she gets up. Today when I got home the laundry basket had been moved a bit, one eggs had been moved and it appeared the other two had broken. I cleaned up the nest, put the remaining two eggs back and Lucy came back to sit. I don't know if she accidentally broke the eggs or something else happened. This is my first time with a broody duck. Any recommendations? Leave her ne and see what happens or try to move her?

 

[DaftaboutDucks]

Hi tiffanya, We had our broody rouen in with our chickens last year. The first 18 eggs, 1 successful hatch. The chickens got all the other either eggs or later the ducklings while hatching. They would push Jilisa off her eggs and eat the ducklings.

We had a camera set up in the coop cause we didn't know where the eggs were going. The second 11 eggs ...the same thing happened we moved her to a dog house....she stopped laying on them.

This year, the first bunch we took the eggs to incubate them. The second bunch 5 in the bator & 9 under her in the dog house. No eggs missing now & they are going to hatch soon ....sometime around the 12th. Soooooo my vote is to possible try to move your duck at night & see if that helps.( We moved our Jilisa during the hatching probably the worst time to move her)

 

[tiffanya]

I've thought about keeping her where she is until they hatch, then moving, but am not sure. Broody fever has struck at our house so I have lots of options and things to think about. Never had a broody chicken or duck until a couple weeks ago; now have one duck and two hens that are broody. Guess I have some timing to figure out.