Broody ducks losing feathers

[BrahmaBanter]

About a week ago both of my ducks went broody. In that time, both have managed to lose quite a few feathers from the back of their necks. I've checked for mite and we don't have any drakes on the farm. Is it the 2 of them arguing when sitting on the nest and pulling feathers out of each other? Or do they lose the feathers to use when building a nest?

 

[jdywntr]

They pluck chest/abdomenal feathers when they are broody. If you have no drakes, the eggs aren't fertile so why let them go broody? Setting is pretty stressful physically for a hen. They lose a good amount of weight due to staying on the nest. They can also be picked on by others, which may be the feather loss you are seeing.

 

[BrahmaBanter]

I bought some fertile eggs when they first started acting broody. I'll move them apart from the others ASAP and keep a close eye on their condition. Thanks for the help and advice