Duck isn’t brooding Help!

[RachelArizona]

I have a Khaki Campbell that has brooded successfully in the past and I am trying to get her to brood again but she isn’t. She so far has a clutch of 13 eggs and I don’t see her brooding like she used to. Any advice?

 

[sourland]

Wait patiently. I'd mark the eggs so as to remove the oldest as she builds her clutch. Too many eggs can make for low hatch rates.

 

[RachelArizona]

Wait patiently. I'd mark the eggs so as to remove the oldest as she builds her clutch. Too many eggs can make for low hatch rates.

Marking them would have been smart crap. So she has 13. Last time she went broody on 8. Is she just refusing this time? What’s the biggest clutch I should do?

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Brooding is hormonal and not something that is always consistent. You can have a hen go broody in the spring one year on a handful of eggs and not go broody until fall the next year with a clutch so big that she can’t even cover them all. Mine go randomly broody on all different clutch sizes at different times seemingly every year. It’s really just a waiting game.

 

[sourland]

Marking them would have been smart crap. So she has 13. Last time she went broody on 8. Is she just refusing this time? What’s the biggest clutch I should do?

Realistically it's whatever she can cover without them being stacked on top of one another.

 

[RachelArizona]

Realistically it's whatever she can cover without them being stacked on top of one another

Realistically it's whatever she can cover without them being stacked on top of one another.

Hmm ok none are stacked. She sits on then half the day. I’m going to not let her free range the next few days and see if that helps.

 

[BlueBaby]

If you really want some duckling's you can always put them in an incubator.

 

[RachelArizona]

If you really want some duckling's you can always put them in an incubator.

I unfortunately don’t have one. But last year when she brooded it was quite convenient having her with the duckling so I really would like her to do it if possible.