Duck who Had Niacin Deficiency Won't Lay

[saving grace]

Well, they're both still at it, and no eggs from the one who isn't laying. Here's a pic of them.

And yes, my duck who does lay uses the chicken's raised nesting boxes. I was absolutely flabbergasted when she started doing this, but every morning there's a duck egg in there. She hops up on a chair, then hops into the box. I love it, since she never poops in there and this way her eggs are WAY cleaner. And the chickens do go in the same nesting box as her sometimes, both squished together.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have a Muscovy that will share a chicken nest box with a hen. It’s so cute

 

[saving grace]

So, the hen who was sitting lots on the floor nest has now stopped all that behavior since I had to get rid of her nest to let a broody chicken live in that coop space. The other duck, though, is seeming very broody. I don't think she's gotten off her nest since last night, though she is still laying, so I guess I'll just wait and see. I feel a little bad for the other duck, since she has only her sister and is consequently alone a lot of the time.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Will she go inside and spend time with her sister? Is this duck sitting on fertile eggs? I have a broody Muscovy and she won't even let her sister come inside the coop, the drake goes in and lays with her but I had to put up a divider so my other Muscovy could sleep in the coop.

 

[saving grace]

Will she go inside and spend time with her sister?

She goes in the coop frequently, but her sister is in the chicken's nesting box which she can't get to. She doesn't seem lonely or anything and just goes about her business, I just can't help feel a little bad for her.

Is this duck sitting on fertile eggs?

She's currently just sitting on golf balls. I don't have a drake and I don't want any more ducks at this point. I was thinking of maybe putting some fertilized chicken eggs under her as an experiment if she stays broody. Have you ever tried that? I've heard people say that Khakis are good sitters but as soon the eggs hatch they aren't very good mothers, which is fine with me since I'll be selling the chicks most likely anyway.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I let my chocolate Orpington hatch a duckling but I ended up taking it from her and giving it to my Muscovy that only hatched one. Then I felt so bad for mama chicken I ended up getting her some day old chicks to have and raise. I think she’d probably be able to hatch some chicks as long as she didn’t break the eggs accidentally.

 

[saving grace]

I let my chocolate Orpington hatch a duckling but I ended up taking it from her and giving it to my Muscovy that only hatched one. Then I felt so bad for mama chicken I ended up getting her some day old chicks to have and raise. I think she’d probably be able to hatch some chicks as long as she didn’t break the eggs accidentally.

Interesting! The duck seems very intent on hatching some eggs, so I'll collect maybe a dozen eggs for her to sit on. We'll see how it goes.

 

[saving grace]

Well, I'm going to put a dozen chicken eggs under the broody duck today! She has a LOT of feathers lining her nest, so that seems like a really good sign. She seems very diligent, though I have noticed that in the evening before bed she'll go and have a bath for an hour or so and leave the eggs. It's pretty warm here, so I think the eggs should be fine, but still a little unnerving. I'll have to keep a close eye.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hope it works out for her. And you.