Ducklings hatched in October?

[WVduckchick]

Thank you. I will check an egg tomorrow if it isn't raining too hard. That's another concern - at times when she gets off the nest, she tucks the eggs in where you can hardly see them. Other times, her nest is wide open and her eggs are totally exposed. We will see if she leaves the nest in the rain tomorrow??? I have been worried about having ducklings this time of year but I also have been anticipating having them! We will see...….. Thanks for your information!

Good luck!
My girl is doing the same thing. Sometimes she covers them, sometimes she doesn’t. We just have to trust they know what they are doing.
I was going to check eggs this evening but they were all covered up. This was yesterday, wish I had candled them then!

 

[The Quack Shack]

Good luck!
My girl is doing the same thing. Sometimes she covers them, sometimes she doesn’t. We just have to trust they know what they are doing.
I was going to check eggs this evening but they were all covered up. This was yesterday, wish I had candled them then!
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Well, not good news. We candles all five eggs and there is nothing. One end looks solid and the other end looks empty. And, she laid a new egg in the nest. So my husband just went out to take the eggs to bury them tomorrow, then I will take apart her nest. Hopefully, she will return to her less aggressive nature - chill out a bit. I was really concerned about having ducklings this late in the year, but I also was getting really excited about it. Very disappointing. Thank you all for all of your advice and information. This is a really great site!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

So sorry, but spring is just around the corner

 

[WVduckchick]

Well, not good news. We candles all five eggs and there is nothing. One end looks solid and the other end looks empty. And, she laid a new egg in the nest. So my husband just went out to take the eggs to bury them tomorrow, then I will take apart her nest. Hopefully, she will return to her less aggressive nature - chill out a bit. I was really concerned about having ducklings this late in the year, but I also was getting really excited about it. Very disappointing. Thank you all for all of your advice and information. This is a really great site!!

So somewhat of a relief, but disappointment too. No active veins at all?
I checked my girls eggs last night. I found at least one growing, one possible early development, one looks like a blood ring, and most of the rest look clear. My boys are young, I didn’t really expect any growth at all. So I’ll let her keep them for a few more days and decide what to do. I’d be ok with 3-4 hatching, I definitely didn’t want 13+ anyway!

 

[The Quack Shack]

So somewhat of a relief, but disappointment too. No active veins at all?
I checked my girls eggs last night. I found at least one growing, one possible early development, one looks like a blood ring, and most of the rest look clear. My boys are young, I didn’t really expect any growth at all. So I’ll let her keep them for a few more days and decide what to do. I’d be ok with 3-4 hatching, I definitely didn’t want 13+ anyway!

You are right! Relief but disappointed too. After reading the description of your candled eggs, I hope I didn't mess up. One of Jill's eggs looked like a little line was in it - a vein? Maybe it was developing? I really didn't know what I should be looking for. I should have googled it first! The others were solid on one end and empty looking on the other. Well, her nest is gone and she seems to be happily roaming with the others. She is the smallest of the four ducks and the loudest! Amazing to me. We always know where they are because of her loud quacking!
I have another question you may answer for me. We pen all of our quacks up at night in a secure pen. One end stays rather nice (poop wise) but the other end becomes a matted mess of poop. I change the hay about twice a week. Should I change it more often or is it ok to put hay on top of their mess?
Thanks again for sharing your experience!!

 

[happy duck]

Wait to go jill for wanting to sit...Bad job weather...we need spring again!!! I would separate her into a warm room, maybe even a bed room(maybe when it gets sooner to hatch time). If she and the ducklings are in a warm room, well ventilated, and have plenty of space from ducklings to grow mama can take care of it!