Ducklings hatched in October?

[hbozss]

Then you should be brooding them with additional heat ..

I did it now and they are fine.

 

[chickens really]

I did it now and they are fine.

Awesome..

 

[The Quack Shack]

Welcome to BYC! Good luck with your adventure and I hope that the eggs hatch.

Thank you! I don't know about this adventure! Jill was tight to her nest for several days but the last couple of days she has spent at least an hour off her nest and it is quite cold! I would think that would not be good for her eggs! I was able to count her eggs and she only laid one more - 5 total now.

 

[The Quack Shack]

A broody will stop laying eggs herself, once she gets “enough” eggs, so she may or may not have added any, but if she did, it would have been soon after she stopped leaving the nest. Do any other hens have access to have added more eggs?
It would be nice if you could catch her off the nest and enable you to check the eggs real quick. They normally still leave the nest for a few minutes each day to get a quick bite of food, and drop a big poop! Lol. Mine usually did it just before dusk, so I was able to sneak and check eggs.
If she has some that are delayed, you could remove them now, or just leave them and toss after the others hatch. She may stay on them though, and not take care of the hatchlings, so you’ll have to watch and maybe step in at some point.

My ducks have a covered run/pen but get to free range my yard on weekends and evenings. several have laid out in the open yard too. I’ve done the makeshift temporary fence around them, mainly just to keep them corralled together for the first week or so. I agree with Alaskan, that depends a lot on your predator threat. At minimum, I’d try to give them some type of wind break, especially for the first couple of weeks.

My call duck hen hatched 12 this past April. She brought them outside their house the day the last one hatched and never went back inside. It snowed the next day! We lost one to the cold.

Good luck and please keep us posted!

Thank you! Such good information! I'm so happy to know that she should be able to take care of her ducklings. Have you had any problems with the drake killing the babies? That has me a little concerned too, although Jill is very mean right now. I'm hoping she will protect her babies as well as she is protecting her nest!

 

[The Quack Shack]

I am worried that she isn't brooding in a shelter that can be locked up.

The temperature.... eh, who cares. She will do fine.

But predators.

At this point .... I would panic, and see if I could put a temporary coop/ tractor like thing over her if I thought she wouldn't abandon the nest.

If that isn't possible... and the risk of her getting eaten is low enough.... I guess I would wait for all of the ducklings to hatch... then herd them into a protected area. Sleeping out in the weather is not good. Not just because ducklings shouldn't get rained or snowed on right after hatch.... but that pesky and super scary predator issue.

Other stuff...

she is a first time mom, so keep a close eye on her to make sure she figures it out.

Keep a close eye on the rest of the flock, make sure they are OK with ducklings.

Put rocks in all water dishes/ponds for the first month after hatch.

One of my Muscovy mamas with a set of ducklings... taking them on a walk through the snow. (And no, none died or got frostbite)
View attachment 1562918

Thank you! Such good info! The flower bed where she has made her nest is against a rock cellar wall. It is somewhat hidden. I worry about predators too but I don't dare try to move her nest! We have stacked hay all around her too for warmth and protection. So I will corral her into the pen when the babies hatch (if they do???)
Please explain why rocks need to be in the water? Large rocks or pebbles? To prevent drowning?
I love your picture!!

 

[WVduckchick]

Drakes are unpredictable individuals. I’ve had them go both ways, one grabbed a duckling by the head and slung it, others dote on the babies and sorta help momma raise them. So introducing drakes should be done cautiously and keep a good watch for several days before getting comfortable that he won’t hurt them. I think the drake of mine that slung the duckling just wanted his wife back! Lol

 

[The Quack Shack]

Drakes are unpredictable individuals. I’ve had them go both ways, one grabbed a duckling by the head and slung it, others dote on the babies and sorta help momma raise them. So introducing drakes should be done cautiously and keep a good watch for several days before getting comfortable that he won’t hurt them. I think the drake of mine that slung the duckling just wanted his wife back! Lol

Did your duckling survive? I hope so. My ducks are so interesting. I have two drakes and two ducks. Now that Jill is busy on her nest, Jake has totally taken to Lucy. Poor Huey is the outsider. Jake won't let Huey anywhere near Lucy - very protective. So I am a little concerned about ducklings - he may be jealous. I will need to watch all of them closely. And, when Jill gets off her nest she acts deranged! Very hyper and threatens anything or anyone that looks at her! What a bunch. The eggs should hatch some time during this coming week, if they are going to. Will the mamma help with the hatching or do the ducklings do it all on their own? So I am guessing that I will just need to look closely at the nest to see if there is a little yellow peep under her? I appreciate your comments so very much! Thank you.

 

[WVduckchick]

Did your duckling survive? I hope so. My ducks are so interesting. I have two drakes and two ducks. Now that Jill is busy on her nest, Jake has totally taken to Lucy. Poor Huey is the outsider. Jake won't let Huey anywhere near Lucy - very protective. So I am a little concerned about ducklings - he may be jealous. I will need to watch all of them closely. And, when Jill gets off her nest she acts deranged! Very hyper and threatens anything or anyone that looks at her! What a bunch. The eggs should hatch some time during this coming week, if they are going to. Will the mamma help with the hatching or do the ducklings do it all on their own? So I am guessing that I will just need to look closely at the nest to see if there is a little yellow peep under her? I appreciate your comments so very much! Thank you.

Poor Huey! Hopefully they will sort everything back out soon after the babies come along.

Sorry, I should have said the duckling survived the slinging! Lol I had fenced the drake off for the few days prior to her hatch, then let him in for a few minutes, until he did that! Then back out he went.

I’ve seen momma ducks help them hatch, but they will do most of it by themselves. She will kinda stand above them to give them room under her. She may roll the egg over and even help chew pieces of shell off if they need it.

Broody ducks are hormone crazed for sure.
This was one of mine on her trip off the nest just a few days before hatch day. She took a quick swim and quacked around for a few minutes.

I should also say beware. Being a first time momma is not always easy. I’m not sure if I’ve read about any ducks killing babies, but first time chicken mommas have been known to do it, so I assume it’s possible with ducks too. So be sure to check on her often when the time comes. I’m sure she will do fine, I don’t mean to scare you, but anything is possible.

 

[The Quack Shack]

X2
I had a cayuga that had a nest in the rose bushes in the middle of my yard. Towards the end, I shooed her off the nest and I took the eggs out. I scooped her nest up with one of those huge snow shovels and moved it inside their shed. Put the eggs back in the nest then put my momma back in. I made sure she didn’t have far to go and had no choice but to sit back on the nest. She did just fine.

Very interesting. I can't see my duck, Jill, being so tolerant. A week or so ago, we were getting our driveway sealed so we had to get all the ducks in their pen and do it quickly because the men were ready to work. My husband told me to shoo her off her nest. Well, she wasn't budging and was very defensive. So my husband came over and thought it would be easy. HA! It was hilarious! All you could see was white wings flapping all over him! Then she bit him under his arm and hung on! I still laugh when I think about it. So, we won't be moving her nest!

 

[The Quack Shack]

Poor Huey! Hopefully they will sort everything back out soon after the babies come along.

Sorry, I should have said the duckling survived the slinging! Lol I had fenced the drake off for the few days prior to her hatch, then let him in for a few minutes, until he did that! Then back out he went.

I’ve seen momma ducks help them hatch, but they will do most of it by themselves. She will kinda stand above them to give them room under her. She may roll the egg over and even help chew pieces of shell off if they need it.

Broody ducks are hormone crazed for sure.
This was one of mine on her trip off the nest just a few days before hatch day. She took a quick swim and quacked around for a few minutes.

I should also say beware. Being a first time momma is not always easy. I’m not sure if I’ve read about any ducks killing babies, but first time chicken mommas have been known to do it, so I assume it’s possible with ducks too. So be sure to check on her often when the time comes. I’m sure she will do fine, I don’t mean to scare you, but anything is possible.

I love your video! Jill acts so much like that! Well, I am hoping the eggs hatch on one of our nice days this week. I certainly don't want them getting wet. And I had no idea the momma might kill them - eeek. I will be keeping a close eye on things. This is all totally new to me and very interesting. Thank you!