Duck Hatch-A-Long ~ Wanna Join?

[Goin Quackrrs]

I have a question that may be available somewhere but this looks like as good a place as any to ask. I've read some ducks can't rear their own young. Is this particular breeds or am I missing something? My babies are only 2 weeks old now but when they're adults next year and beyond I would like to see them have their own ducklings without much help from me. Is it just to keep them laying when the eggs are incubated or is there some other reason behind it like getting the hatchlings used to people, weather extremes, etc? I live in Georgia so weather usually isn't an issue this time of year. Mine are usually outside in their pool by 9-10 AM every morning and in the laundry room in their guinea pig cage by dark.

Some breed of ducks "go broody" which means wanting to nest and hatch eggs, better than others. I have a friend who has all of her Welsh Harlequins sitting eggs right now.

What kind of ducks do you have? Muscovy ducks are the best mommies, but I've seen a couple runners that were very successful moms and they supposedly never go broody. So it's a combination of breed and individual duck inclination.

 

[DutchChic]

I keep shifting eggs around every time I toss clears and blood rings. Two incubators, half full. I need a hatcher so I can go wild with staggered hatches.

That's what I'm talking about....I have a hatcher! I'm doing staggered hatches, but so far there's 6 eggs in the first, and 5 in the second one.....so much wasted space!!

BUT, I am thinking about setting my next batch

....got to fill that space!

 

[Goin Quackrrs]

That's what I'm talking about....I have a hatcher! I'm doing staggered hatches, but so far there's 6 eggs in the first, and 5 in the second one.....so much wasted space!!

BUT, I am thinking about setting my next batch

....got to fill that space!

I'm already planning to refill Bator 1 after the 11th. Getting eggs lined up here and there. Maybe my drakes will start doing their jobs well in the meantime. I almost wonder if my girl ducks are wearing chastity belts or something!

 

[DutchChic]

I'm already planning to refill Bator 1 after the 11th. Getting eggs lined up here and there. Maybe my drakes will start doing their jobs well in the meantime. I almost wonder if my girl ducks are wearing chastity belts or something!

Shoot, my girls act like shameless hussies, and the boys are taking advantage of it. There's just a bit too many blanks being fired instead of live ammo! I think I have about 14 eggs ready to go, and enough time since the last batch was set. Yep, need to set that batch.......

 

[Goin Quackrrs]

Must. Have. More. Ducklings.

 

[DutchChic]

Must. Have. More. Ducklings.

Yes...most definitely!!!

 

[Johnson5326]

Quote:
Some breed of ducks "go broody" which means wanting to nest and hatch eggs, better than others. I have a friend who has all of her Welsh Harlequins sitting eggs right now.

What kind of ducks do you have? Muscovy ducks are the best mommies, but I've seen a couple runners that were very successful moms and they supposedly never go broody. So it's a combination of breed and individual duck inclination.
Hmmm. Well, I have 2 pekins, 2 mallards, and 2

(maybe runners, maybe 1 is a black swedish?). I know the wild mallards and the ones at the parks and zoos near me are great parents and I've seen some pekins (I think) that were good parents too. I guess the motivation is what we'll have to watch for next year. The 2 mysteries are the ones in the back of the picture. One is almost solid black with a yellowish colored chest, the other is crested with that "dirty" look to its wings like some of the runners I've seen. I'm just amazed at how much they grow each day. I hope I have more females than males.

 

[Apyl]

Oh my, I have felt horrible all week with the flu or something I completely forgot I posted in this thread. So here's my update
The Rouen eggs are on day 5 and I just candled tonite, so far 4 are deffinitly fertile 1 is iffy and 1 looks clear. But since this is my first time I am going to let them stay a few more days before tossing them. My Guinea eggs are on day 4 and I cant tell on any of them, I am crossing my fingers I didn't get a batch of duds. I will check again in a few days. So far the bator is keeps perfect temps so no adjusting yet.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

I have stopped recieving emails from BYC so I totally forgot about this thread.

I got the eggs from BHep in the mail. She sent me 13, two didn't make it so I set 11. That makes 23 duck eggs in the incubator!

This morning we moved my other Sportsman out to my building, now I can use it as my hatcher. I have a batch of chicken eggs due to hatch Tuesday/Wednesday so they are going into lockdown tonight if I remember to go out there, or in the morning. That will give me an empty tray in one of my Sportsman to set MORE EGGS!! Yippeee!! I think I have around 70-80 chicken/guinea eggs to set. Me addicted to HATCHING, you have got to be joking. ; )


I went to TSC yesterday morning, a man was buying some extra roosters off of me so after we got him the roosters we went into TSC to get some Chick Starter, while we were looking for the feed section we found they had just got a big shipment of baby chicks and ducklings in. We fell in love and somehow came how with two ducklings, how'd that happen? One is black, thinking Cayuga or Black Swedish. The other looks like a Mallard duckling, but I'm thinking maybe a Rouen? Does anyone have pictures of Cayuga and Rouen ducklings so I can compare my ducklings to yours? I do not have any good pictures of the ducklings right now to post.

~ Aspen

 

[Goin Quackrrs]

I have stopped recieving emails from BYC so I totally forgot about this thread.

I got the eggs from BHep in the mail. She sent me 13, two didn't make it so I set 11. That makes 23 duck eggs in the incubator!

This morning we moved my other Sportsman out to my building, now I can use it as my hatcher. I have a batch of chicken eggs due to hatch Tuesday/Wednesday so they are going into lockdown tonight if I remember to go out there, or in the morning. That will give me an empty tray in one of my Sportsman to set MORE EGGS!! Yippeee!! I think I have around 70-80 chicken/guinea eggs to set. Me addicted to HATCHING, you have got to be joking. ; )


I went to TSC yesterday morning, a man was buying some extra roosters off of me so after we got him the roosters we went into TSC to get some Chick Starter, while we were looking for the feed section we found they had just got a big shipment of baby chicks and ducklings in. We fell in love and somehow came how with two ducklings, how'd that happen? One is black, thinking Cayuga or Black Swedish. The other looks like a Mallard duckling, but I'm thinking maybe a Rouen? Does anyone have pictures of Cayuga and Rouen ducklings so I can compare my ducklings to yours? I do not have any good pictures of the ducklings right now to post.

~ Aspen

More room in the bators and the feed store ducklings followed you home? Sounds like my life!