I have a broody Pekin laying on approximately 9 eggs. She removed & destroyed 2 but they may have been unfertilized. To set the scene: Mama chose to nest in the lower level of chicken coop that has its own gate, which is inside the main pen for 4 other ducks + 6 chickens, so they are safe in that way. MotherGoose (her name) is completely blind in one eye & seems to have limited vision in the other. She tends to scare easily. Tho she is totally protective of her eggs. My main questions are....will I need to supply the first ducklings with any heat while others are still hatching? & How much space do they need? There's about 5 sq.ft. of coop floor when you subtract the nest, food, water. I'm worried about her stepping on the babies. I can relocate once they hatch, which I know I will do after they grow a little, but at first, the coop would stay warmer since it's small. I have some heat packs like the kind used for shipping. I thought about putting out one or two of them when it comes close to due date. She's been on eggs constantly since the 10th (exception few minutes/day) so the 8th would be 28 days. She was laying on the first 3-4 eggs a little for about 4 days before the 10th, but not a whole lot. So I'll be on watch by the 4th. Any advice is appreciated!
