Can ducks tell when there eggs are going to hatch?

[BlueO]

Hello! So I have a broody duck. She has been sitting loyally on 7 eggs and they are developing. My incubator has some (more like 40) eggs that are going to hatch soon and I was wondering if I could replace her eggs with the ones in my bator. I would obviously not give her 40 eggs but possibly 40 ducklings. I would add a heat lamp so they all stay warm. My reason for wanting to do this is because ducklings stink and I’m getting tired of them being in my garage! If they were in the coop with their “mama” duck I wouldn’t have to change there cage 3 times daily. But here’s the questions, will my duck take all the ducklings? Will she still sit on eggs that are not her own? The eggs she is sitting on are 5-7 days behind my eggs. Will she know too go on lockdown sooner then she would have?

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[BlueO]

Any ideas?

 

[BlueO]

Anyone…

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I'm not a duck person but let me see if I understand your question. Five to seven days before her eggs hatch, you want to give your broody duck 40 newly-hatched incubator ducklings? Is that right?

She may adopt the ducklings, but then she would abandon the eggs she's been sitting on and they would die. She'd start taking the live ducklings out and about to eat, drink, swim, etc. and her eggs would get cold and die. Does that answer your question?

 

[deer trail duck farms]

i would advise against this. first yes she would abandon her eggs. then 40 ducklings is to many at once.

 

[BlueO]

I'm not a duck person but let me see if I understand your question. Five to seven days before her eggs hatch, you want to give your broody duck 40 newly-hatched incubator ducklings? Is that right?

She may adopt the ducklings, but then she would abandon the eggs she's been sitting on and they would die. She'd start taking the live ducklings out and about to eat, drink, swim, etc. and her eggs would get cold and die. Does that answer your question?

Thank you! Sorry not sure I wrote that well! I was planning on giving her the eggs that are going to hatch soon and put her eggs in my incubator.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Ah, sorry I misunderstood. She will probably hear the ducklings chirping in the egg and feel them moving. She can't count 28 days if that's what you're wondering. Sure you can take her eggs away and finish them in the incubator. But ... will she accept eggs not hers? I don't know. Let's ask @NatJ, I think she would know. You sure can't give her 40 eggs, IMO..

 

[NatJ]

Ah, sorry I misunderstood. She will probably hear the ducklings chirping in the egg and feel them moving. She can't count 28 days if that's what you're wondering. Sure you can take her eggs away and finish them in the incubator. But ... will she accept eggs not hers? I don't know. Let's ask @NatJ, I think she would know. You sure can't give her 40 eggs, IMO..

I don't know for sure about ducks.

For chickens, almost every broody hen will accept any egg you give her. Most hens will accept any chick that hatches under them, and most hens will also accept chicks that you add in the first few days if the new chicks are the same color and age as the ones she already has. Some hens will accept chicks of other colors or other ages added to their chicks.

Ducks might be like chickens in this respect. Or they might not.

I expect that she probably will be fine with you switching the eggs. I do not know if adding ducklings after hatch would work or not.

I agree with @BigBlueHen53 that she will probably hear the ducklings chirping and know that it's time to sit tight and let them hatch.

I would obviously not give her 40 eggs but possibly 40 ducklings. I would add a heat lamp so they all stay warm.

I do not know how well it would work to have 40 ducklings with one mother.

I would be concerned about adding the heat lamp. The mother duck will not want to be under the heat, so she will probably stay away from it. That means ducklings will have to choose whether to snuggle under mama for warmth, or whether to sleep under the heat lamp to stay warm. If you want the mother duck to care for the ducklings, you do not want them going away from her to warm up at the heat lamp. You want them to stick with her.

My reason for wanting to do this is because ducklings stink and I’m getting tired of them being in my garage! If they were in the coop with their “mama” duck I wouldn’t have to change there cage 3 times daily.

Can you just put the 40 ducklings out in the coop with a heat lamp? That seems like the simplest way to get them out of your house.

And you could leave the broody duck with the eggs she already has, which should hatch a number of babies she can reasonably care for.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

@NatJ, I sure miss @Miss Lydia ! I don't really know who our other duck experts are. You were the only one that came to mind.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

It seems to me (NOT being a duck expert!) that ducklings need an adult to bond to. They will imprint on the first thing they see. The OP is going to have a lot of regrets if 40 ducklings imprint on them!