Can I encourage a duck to be broody?

[blayt90]

This is interesting i am following because I have multiple females coming. I hope they get broody when they are old enough to lay.

 

[chickens really]

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.

No, I separate but never touch the eggs or Candle them..I Don't mess with her when eggs are hatching either. I read a thread recently when a person lost a Duckling because they assisted it and it was being Broody hatched..
Leave them alone to hatch under Momma and don't touch..Calls can successfully hatch out Ducklings..Too much interference results in losses..

 

[PirateGirl]

You are all full of so much good info. I feel more excited about this possibility and that there are folks out there to help with all the random issues that could arise being that I've never raised ducklings or incubated eggs (I got my ducks as adults).

 

[chickens really]

You are all full of so much good info. I feel more excited about this possibility and that there are folks out there to help with all the random issues that could arise being that I've never raised ducklings or incubated eggs (I got my ducks as adults).

Not sure if in reference to me?...

 

[blayt90]

You are all full of so much good info. I feel more excited about this possibility and that there are folks out there to help with all the random issues that could arise being that I've never raised ducklings or incubated eggs (I got my ducks as adults).

There are a lot of very knowledgeable people on here that love to help. It is what makes this place so great!!!

 

[PirateGirl]

Yes @chickens really and the others on this thread!

 

[chickens really]

Yes @chickens really and the others on this thread!

Well Thanks...I'm humbled...All I want to do is help if I can?.....

 

[Pyxis]

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?

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.

 

[chickens really]

I wish you the best and hope you get the results Your hoping for.....Ducklings under Momma will work if you take certain precautions and leave her to do her deal..

 

[PirateGirl]

Agreed... lots of info available on BYC and on the internet in general from lots of different people/sources, and some is better than others. Right now I'm trying to absorb it all and make the best plan I can. It sounds like the brooding and hatching part is the easy part with a mama duck. Now my brain is switching to if I have to modify my coop/run to separate out the other ducks from mama and babies if there are problems later and what the best plan is with the ducklings because I wouldn't keep them.