Duck eggs under broody chicken

[HeatherD42]

My neighbor's hen just started setting some of my duck eggs yesterday. Do I need to mist the eggs to simulate a duck who's left the nest for a bath? If so, how do I accomplish it? I guess I'm supposed to disturb the broody as little as possible, but I don't really want to creep onto my neighbor's property at night to lift her off the eggs...

 

[Amiga]

Hmmmm, I wonder if @Miss Lydia might have some ideas?

 

[HeatherD42]

deleted...

 

[lomine]

I may be wrong as I've never incubated any eggs but aren't the humidity requirements the same for chicken and duck eggs? If a chicken egg needs the same humidity shouldn't the broody hen be able to provide it without assistance?

 

[HeatherD42]

With ducks, they get up each day to eat, drink, and bathe, then they get back on the nest with moist feathers

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hmmmm, I wonder if @Miss Lydia might have some ideas?

I have never let one of my hens[chickens] sit any duck eggs but watching my ducks that are broody they do wet themselves at least 1X a day for humidity not sure if a chicken can keep the humidity up as high but I have seen others on here that have had hens brood and hatch ducklings before. So I am thinking it can be done. Not sure if they misted the eggs for the hen or not though.

 

[DoubletakeFarm]

One of my silkies just hatched some call duck eggs for me. I put 5 under her, 4 developed, and she hatched all 4. Way better percentage than my incubator. I didn't touch them after I put them under her. So I would say no you do not need to mist them.

 

[HeatherD42]

The fertility rate of my eggs was really low (good for nothing drake!!) so I'm worried I won't get any ducklings if I don't do everything I can to improve the hatching rate. But I don't want to bother the hen so much that she decides to stop setting the eggs

 

[HeatherD42]

I'm glad to hear it went so well for you, DoubletakeFarm!