Can I encourage a duck to be broody?

[arkiechick lady]

I don't do it a lot, and yes, I do try to do it when she's off the nest. Usually I aim to candle once at day 10 to see what's going on and take any that weren't fertile or started and then quit, and then again around day 20 or so.

Let me tell you, I learned my lesson real good after the exploding egg incident. It reeked! And the other eggs were all covered in rotten egg yolk and had to be washed off, and the broody was covered in rotten egg too, and it was just a huge mess. The nest material was contaminated too, of course, and all had to be replaced. I would prefer to never have to deal with that again, lol.

I leave mine with the rest of the flock, because it works with my flock dynamics, but sometimes other flock members will be aggressive to the babies. I know some muscovies that think that newly hatched ducklings that aren't their own make a tasty snack. So whether you separate or not is totally dependent on your flock dynamics and how comfortable you are with leaving them together.

I’m new to Muscovy’s and Geese this year. I know this post is 2 years old but I’m so glad for the information I’m finding in searches about this!

 

[Monet80]

Just thinking about mites makes my skin crawl and makes me want a shower!

If you use Saturday lime, not a problem. This stuff is amazing!