Broody Duck

[PortlandUK]

My Miniature Silver Appleyard has gone broody and has been sitting on 12 duck eggs for about a week now. She is in the annexe of the main duck house so the others don't disturb her and she is coming off for food and water twice a day. Today I have added six tiny Nankin chicken eggs and she has accept them in her clutch of eggs. I'm hoping that they will all be ready for hatching around the same time as I believe duck eggs take 28 days and chicken eggs 21 days. Can anyone offer any advise or tell me of their experience in hatching ducklings within a flock? Many thanks.

 

[Amiga]

I can only offer what I have read here, and trust someone who's done it will check in.

There are different experiences. Some ducks sit all 28 days, some abandon the nest, some hatch the ducklings and then harm them. We don't know until it happens.

So, I would want to know I had an incubator at the ready, and a brooder at the ready, in case.

Also, if she does hatch them out, and is a good mother, they will need some safe space away from the other flock members for a while, most probably.

 

[PortlandUK]

My thoughts too. I haven't got an incubator so we are hoping she will continue to sit. I'm anticipating hand rearing the ducklings one hatched and have got and indoor broody pen ready with heat lamps and everything so they will be protected from the adult flock. It will be very exciting when it gets near to hatching time and I won't want to go to work! Luckily I work school hours and locally so I can whiz home every day to check to see if there's any pipping happening and then I can close the annexe door until they're hatched out before moving them 24 hours later I'm guessing. Any advice?

 

[Amiga]

There's a good thread on the Stickies for the Duck Forum about hatching waterfowl. Have you seen it? Then there's the Thread Formerly Known as Hatch Day is Today, and a thread for Old Fashioned Broody Thread for Ducks 2013 Edition you might like.