Duck brooding chicken eggs

[Chickster72]

Our duck is sitting on approx 10 duck eggs, which may or may not be fertilized, & approx 10 chicken eggs that are for sure fertilized. I'm thinking the chicken eggs should start hatching any day now but another 12 or so days til the duck eggs would hatch. My concerns are whether or not she will reject the chickens when they hatch?? If she accepts the chicks, will she ditch the duck eggs to care for the chickens?? What if she tries to teach the chicks to swim?? I'm not sure what to expect. Has anyone been through this?? Any advice or other experiences would be helpful. Thanx

 

[ILoveMyDuckys]

in my experience she will probably except the chicks, (you should just keep her where she can go swimming on a pond etc..) but will leave the other eggs, as she'll probably just think after they don't hatch a few days later that they are rotten...and leave them to care for the chicks.

However as the chicks hatch and if you take them from her right away and put them under a heat lamp, she'll probably carry on sitting on the duck eggs until they hatch to....

Hope it goes well

 

[ILoveMyDuckys]

She must be a big duck, to be sitting on 20 eggs!

 

[dekel18042]

Our duck is sitting on approx 10 duck eggs, which may or may not be fertilized, & approx 10 chicken eggs that are for sure fertilized. I'm thinking the chicken eggs should start hatching any day now but another 12 or so days til the duck eggs would hatch. My concerns are whether or not she will reject the chickens when they hatch?? If she accepts the chicks, will she ditch the duck eggs to care for the chickens?? What if she tries to teach the chicks to swim?? I'm not sure what to expect. Has anyone been through this?? Any advice or other experiences would be helpful. Thanx

If she has access to water and wades in it, she will be in for a surprise when the chicks don't follow. When the chicks hatch if you take them immediately she may continue to sit on the duck eggs. Or you could leave her with the chicks and finish the duck eggs in an incubator.
Personally I think it would be easier for a duck to raise ducklings.

 

[Chickster72]

I do have an incubator so I guess Ill see what happens.

She is a fat duck lol. I'm not even sure what kind of duck she is. I'll post pic tomorrow.

 

[ILoveMyDuckys]

in my experience she will probably except the chicks, (you should just keep her where she can go swimming on a pond etc..) but will leave the other eggs, as she'll probably just think after they don't hatch a few days later that they are rotten...and leave them to care for the chicks.

However as the chicks hatch and if you take them from her right away and put them under a heat lamp, she'll probably carry on sitting on the duck eggs until they hatch to....

Hope it goes well

lol, misspelling,I meant "just keep her were she CAN'T go swimming"

 

[ILoveMyDuckys]

I do have an incubator so I guess Ill see what happens.

She is a fat duck lol. I'm not even sure what kind of duck she is. I'll post pic tomorrow.

Like dekel18042 said as well though, I think it would be better for the duck to raise the ducklings, and you to raise the chicks....

 

[Chickster72]

Well, so far, no good. One of the chicks hatched & didn't make it. I dont know if she just didn't survive or if the duck killed her or if chickens killed her...just found her in yard with the duck going crazy.

With the duck off her nest, however, I was able to snatch her eggs & candle them. All duck eggs had to be tossed..no development, not viable. Only four chicken eggs left that look ok.

 

[ILoveMyDuckys]

Awww, that's to bad

Hope the other chicken eggs hatch....

 

[Gray Farms]

I'd take the chicks, she's likely to abandon the duck eggs and care for the chicks.