Can ducks tell when there eggs are going to hatch?

[NatJ]

@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.

I have no duck experience, and I haven't read very many of the duck threads either. So I'm going by "chickens do this" and a big chunk of guessing!

I know chicks (baby chickens) can be brooded in the coop with a heat lamp, so I'm assuming that ducklings can also be brooded in the coop with a heat lamp (basic idea: as long as you meet their needs for temperature & safety, it does not matter what building they are actually living in.)

If putting a heat lamp in the coop is possible, I really think that will be the easiest way to brood that many ducklings.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I guess they can bond to each other. But it won't meet their basic need for an adult to teach them ... how to be a duck.

 

[BlueO]

Update! So I ended up giving her some of the eggs in my incubator and she gladly tucked them under her! A few days later she got ducklings! The crazy thing is all of her ducklings hatched before any of mine did! I don’t know if she even did anything differently but her ducklings are doing great! I have given her all of the babies that hatched in my incubator and the last egg has hatched and she’s got 27 ducklings! And she doing great keeping them all warm and safe! She will go out of her way to find the one duckling that can’t get over the brick, and sit on the duckling that is still too young to walk when all the others are getting food. And the best part is she’s adorable!!!

 

[NatJ]

Update! So I ended up giving her some of the eggs in my incubator and she gladly tucked them under her! A few days later she got ducklings! The crazy thing is all of her ducklings hatched before any of mine did! I don’t know if she even did anything differently but her ducklings are doing great! I have given her all of the babies that hatched in my incubator and the last egg has hatched and she’s got 27 ducklings! And she doing great keeping them all warm and safe! She will go out of her way to find the one duckling that can’t get over the brick, and sit on the duckling that is still too young to walk when all the others are getting food. And the best part is she’s adorable!!!

That is wonderful!

Thank you very much for sharing the results and the pictures

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I guess they can bond to each other. But it won't meet their basic need for an adult to teach them ... how to be a duck.

They figure it out just fine on their own. All of my first batch did. They definitely didn't imprint on humans like people seem to think they will

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Also a lamp with mama works surprisingly well. It's no different than a hen brooding when it's 80F at night in the summer. The hen typically stays on the edge of the heat and the babies that don't fit generally stick closer to her but towards the lamp area.

 

[Yardmom]

Sorry I didn't find this thread earlier. For future readers ducks are much more sensitive about their nests than chickens. When we have a duck go broody we try to adjust which eggs, and the number of eggs being sat on. Some hens are fine with it. Others abandon the nests. Moving the nest is usually out of the question. I'm not sure if all ducks would have been ok with an egg switch.
Most ducks do make great mothers. It is not surprising to me that this duck was able to handle 27 ducklings. I have had ducks steal ducklings from others. It is interesting to watch them cater to the littles helping them stay with older ducklings. Another thing that may help mother ducks care for a large number of ducklings is that ducklings don't need as much heat as chicks.

 

[Yardmom]

Another note about why this works for ducks, but not likely to work for chickens. Chickens see other chicks as intruders. Are they afraid others will take resources from their chicks???
Ducks on the other hand usually see other ducklings and want them for their own. At least my duck moms seem to have a more the merrier attitude.