- Apr 5, 2012
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Hello, we have some ducklings due to hatch in a bout a week. They are being naturally incubated underneath one of our duck hens, and was wondering once they hatch
will any of the other ducks or drakes hassle them or try to hurt them? They are enclosed in a huge fenced back yard with plenty of room and have free range during the day and are locked up in a common coop at night.
The hen that is incubating them made a nest in the bushes outside the coop and has been setting on them out there patiently for weeks, she was originally part of a trio that all hung out together, and besides that trio we have another duck/drake pair. For the most part they all get along great, just minor posturing and chasing done by the drakes over their females. But they still mostly stay in their two separate groups.
So my question is, once the ducklings hatch, will the Momma duck go back into hanging out in the trio she came from or stay separate with babies, will the other ducks bother the ducklings or accept them? Do I need to separate Momma and babies from the rest for a bit? Or will Momma be able to defend them just fine.
The hen that is incubating them made a nest in the bushes outside the coop and has been setting on them out there patiently for weeks, she was originally part of a trio that all hung out together, and besides that trio we have another duck/drake pair. For the most part they all get along great, just minor posturing and chasing done by the drakes over their females. But they still mostly stay in their two separate groups.
So my question is, once the ducklings hatch, will the Momma duck go back into hanging out in the trio she came from or stay separate with babies, will the other ducks bother the ducklings or accept them? Do I need to separate Momma and babies from the rest for a bit? Or will Momma be able to defend them just fine.
I would advise you to create some form of partition, I lost 5 eggs to... I'm not exactly sure what, but it was from my flock. I always try to keep mom & new ducklings totally separate for at least 2 days. I have kept them separate for 3 wks, but that was back when I had an aggressive drake. It's really hard to know how your flock will react to new additions, best to play it safe, keep them separate.
