duck egg question

[duck boy]

my hen magpie is laying on a nest of about 6 for a 4 days and i can tell that she has more in her so if the first 6 hatch will she still take care of the ducklings and the eggs at the same time.



Thank You

 

[Smartie_Pants]

Okay, are you saying that she has gone broody and you think she she still has some eggs she needs to lay? Sometimes that happens, and usually they will stay on the nest until all of the chicks hatch, even if it takes a few days.

 

[goosedragon]

I must disagree! (I hope politely enough so I don't get eddited) True broodyness is controlled by hormones that shouldn't be produced until the clutch is finished. Some times there will be an egg inprocess that is laid after she starts to set. If the duck has plucked a 'brood patch' on her breast and used the feathers to line her nest she is broody for sure. Some poor ducks start to set the nest before they are truly broody, they set and the eggs start to develope then she changes her mind and the eggs are lost. A true broody duck will usually get off the nest and throw some cover over the eggs, rush to drink and feed. Poop away from the nest, the biggest stinkyest poop you will ever see from ducks... Take a quick bath if the weather isn't cooling her eggs too fast, and rush back to the nest. They are single minded during the process and will put up with no delays.
Usually at hatch she may wait up to 48 hours for the last egg to hatch, while the ducklings live off the yoke they absorbed just before hatch. When the main body of ducklings start to peep that they need to eat and drink, she has to make a choice to risk the main hatch for one last egg that she knows is still alive. usually she chooses the live birds over the egg that may never hatch.

 

[duck boy]

well she stays on her nest at night but during most of the day she is off with the boys,and she does cover her eggs up pretty deep so i dont know if i should but them in a incubater, but i really want her to raise them. Any more advice

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
In my opinion she isn't really broody and neither she nor you are going to get those eggs to hatch. If it were me I would leave the eggs alone, there is a theory that a full nest promotes broodyness. BTW if she does go truly broody and kicks some of the eggs out of the nest DO NOT put them back! They are the dead eggs she ruined, they may be rotten and if so they can explode because of the gas built up inside. Take a smallish plastic bag and place it over the egg and pick up the egg from the outside. That way if it breaks or blows the stink will be confined to the bag not all over you! Dispose of the mess carefully! Good luck these not truly broody birds cause a lot of problems.

 

[duck boy]

is there anything else i can do to get her more broody

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
I don't know of any, if we could make birds go broody, there would be a lot less incubators sild.

 

[ro.netcmarie]

this is starting to hit home for me too. i have a pekin and she has laid 16 eggs in her nest, but only sits on them at night, but covers with leaves good before getting off in the morning. at night she is back up there on it. i do see some feathers in there, but mostly leaves. i dont want to mess with it. i want her to do it on her own. if i get some babies that will be fine by me, if not no biggie, i have 4 in the bator due to hatch this weekend, plus 4 ,alard babies!!!!! I am a busy woman!!!

 

[duck boy]

well i got her to lay on her nest during the day, what i did was they are in a quite large space and she layed her eggs in her house so i just took some chicken wire and put it around the house with water and food so she has noting else to do but sit on them which worked. Might want to try it

 

[ro.netcmarie]

may have to try that. but am scared to go near her, everytime i go outside she looks and listens to see if the dog or I come out, if she gets scared she will haul butt down to the pond. the nest is near my house, they are free range ducks.