Can I encourage a duck to be broody?

[casportpony]

My Muscovies have never on purpose rolled an egg away actually never found an egg out of their nest once they start to brood. Haven't had my Runners or Buffs go broody so can't say on them. I have had Muscovy since 2004 and nope never once.

Mine will cover all f their eggs if no other hens try to lay in their nests. Eggs tend to get displaced when there are multiple hns on one nest.

I had an egg explode under a broody once. Nasty That's why I candle eggs under broodies now, lol.

X2

 

[Miss Lydia]

That is something I have never had to deal with my Muscovy females do not like to share a nest at all. lol

Never had an egg explode either I am pretty OCD when mine are brooding I check them daily.

 

[PirateGirl]

I had an egg explode under a broody once. Nasty That's why I candle eggs under broodies now, lol.

How often do you candle under a broody? Do you try and sneak in when she's up eating or do you attempt to move her temporarily?

 

[PirateGirl]

Now I'm just brainstorming separation ideas if I can get one of the girls to take to the nest... that might be the most complicated part.

 

[casportpony]

With three laying in one nest it does complicate matters.

 

[CayugaJana]

Don't count on it. Sometimes eggs roll out of nests, but I have never seen a duck discard non-viable eggs.

If you find an egg on the outside of a nest please candle it before you toss it or you might be deepl saddened when the egg breaks and you find a live duckling.

Been there, done that.

Me too...... I couldn’t sleep that night after it happened.

 

[chickens really]

To me that's crazy and totally not needed. ..
The entire purpose of a Broody is to leave her to hatch out and not interfere at all..Birds have been hatching for thousands of years..Leave her alone and wait till she hatches them..Mommas are smarter than us in hatching offspring..

 

[casportpony]

Me too...... I couldn’t sleep that night after it happened.

So sorry. It's a horrible feeling, isn't it?

 

[PirateGirl]

To me that's crazy and totally not needed. ..
The entire purpose of a Broody is to leave her to hatch out and not interfere at all..Birds have been hatching for thousands of years..Leave her alone and wait till she hatches them..Mommas are smarter than us in hatching offspring..

So I don't need to separate mama and the ducklings from the rest of the flock once they hatch and she should protect them from the others? This would be wonderful. Then I'd just have to make some ramps and/or modify the food/water setup so the littles can reach.

 

[CayugaJana]

At one point I thought about letting my Pekin hatch eggs. She had a few what I call fart eggs that were deformed as they were her first eggs. The deformed ones were rolled out of the nest the next morning. I put them back in thinking more eggs might entice her to sit faster. The morning after that, they were again rolled out of the nest however they were SMASHED this time. All the rest were perfect in the nest.

I wrote dates on each egg I incubated (my first time). That way I could see any trends forming since I don’t know a lot. Like—— if the eggs that were the oldest were the first to quit. Or one morning it froze and none of those eggs lived.....etc. Also I wouldn’t have a stinker or some of the previous issues mentioned.