So I am finally, after several broody ducks gone wrong, can finally say that my girl Sally has 1 week left on the nest till her clutch of 16 hatches! I am pumped and can't wait to meet these ducklings! I started a thread here from in august when she went broody but, as it was not mating seasons, none of the eggs were fertile. I am so happy that she decided to go broody again and this time things are going well. I candled an egg about a week ago and there was development. For it being my first time to candle an egg and see development I was very excited(as last august whenever I candled...yeah...gross
). I will probably post when mama goes on lock down in the coop in several days and then when they start to pip( if mom will even let me get a look), and definitely when they hatch! Sally and Jeffery(parents) seem excited(but to be honest there facial expressions always look like they are smiling so not 100% sure
). Mom is a buff and dad is a pekin both are 2 yrs. I put pics at the bottom just for fun! 
I do have a question/idea I am needing some insight on tho. When she first went broody I didn't close the coop door(she is in the coop) and the other girls laid in her nest for about 4-5 days until I realized that her nest was getting bigger and she wasn't laying the eggs. Well now...all the eggs are going to have different hatch dates(with a span of about 5 days
). Because I am not...sadly...keeping any(due to interbreeding) they are all going to homes. I was planning on keeping them with mom until they all hatch and then give them to their new family but thinking that hatch dates are going to be spanned over several days I will want to get the ducklings to homes before they are 5 days so the new fam will be able to enjoy them while they wee little. My plan is once a duckling hatches keep it with mom for about 24 hours to that it can get fluffy and then put it in a brooder and give them to homes as they hatch. I just don't know if that is a good plan. Will mom neglect the nest if I start taking ducklings out of the nest before all of them hatch? What if just one hatches way before the others...it would be alone in the brooder for who knows how long and it would be waiting to go to a new home. Also when all the ducklings are in the coop with mom I would be giving them duckling food but should I wait to give them food when they get in the brooder(if that is I even put them in a brooder)? I would love yalls thoughts on this and would really really appreciate it!
I am very excited about this but am just trying to work out some knots. Thanks so much in advance! Can't wait to meet these little guys!
). I will probably post when mama goes on lock down in the coop in several days and then when they start to pip( if mom will even let me get a look), and definitely when they hatch! Sally and Jeffery(parents) seem excited(but to be honest there facial expressions always look like they are smiling so not 100% sure). Mom is a buff and dad is a pekin both are 2 yrs. I put pics at the bottom just for fun! I do have a question/idea I am needing some insight on tho. When she first went broody I didn't close the coop door(she is in the coop) and the other girls laid in her nest for about 4-5 days until I realized that her nest was getting bigger and she wasn't laying the eggs. Well now...all the eggs are going to have different hatch dates(with a span of about 5 days
). Because I am not...sadly...keeping any(due to interbreeding) they are all going to homes. I was planning on keeping them with mom until they all hatch and then give them to their new family but thinking that hatch dates are going to be spanned over several days I will want to get the ducklings to homes before they are 5 days so the new fam will be able to enjoy them while they wee little. My plan is once a duckling hatches keep it with mom for about 24 hours to that it can get fluffy and then put it in a brooder and give them to homes as they hatch. I just don't know if that is a good plan. Will mom neglect the nest if I start taking ducklings out of the nest before all of them hatch? What if just one hatches way before the others...it would be alone in the brooder for who knows how long and it would be waiting to go to a new home. Also when all the ducklings are in the coop with mom I would be giving them duckling food but should I wait to give them food when they get in the brooder(if that is I even put them in a brooder)? I would love yalls thoughts on this and would really really appreciate it!I am very excited about this but am just trying to work out some knots. Thanks so much in advance! Can't wait to meet these little guys!
