ducklings!

[MAHorsegal]

How long from the first hatch should it take the rest to hatch? I have a momma duck who abandoned her clutch about a week from hatch date over the summer. We removed those eggs and I didnt think much of it until I saw her last week sitting on about 2 1/2 dozen eggs!( i guess her sister was contributing to the clutch!) the first one hatched around 8am yesterday and now there are 10 that have hatched or almost finished hatching. every time I go out there there is one or two more! I brought them inside because the drakes keep harassing her and she keeps leaving the nest and the weather dropped from 90-60 degrees over night. so now I have 8 babies inside...

I raised chicks and raised ducks but they were a few days older than these guys


1. what kind of waterer? I've tried a tiny cup and they spill it. hubby cut a hole in a tiny water bottle and they tried to swim in it and got stuck!

2. how big of a brooder should I get if I most of them hatch? I am leaving on Tues for a week and would rather have it already settled before I go, so hubby dioesnt have to deal with moving them to a bigger place while Im gone, since he is taking care of the kids, cats, bunny and the horses, ducks and chickens~

3. how long should it take for the majority of the ducks to hatch?

 

[Amiga]

We used a chick waterer - you could put very large (too big to swallow) marbles in the base if you are very concerned. Eventually they will need a head washer - the Raising Ducklings sticky has one of those described, I think.

Do you have room for a 4x5 foot, 20 square foot brooder? In a week, those ducklings will double in size, I think.

I used a puppy playpen with 6 mil plastic in the bottom and up the sides several inches, and towels for bedding. My ducklings ate shavings, and we were allergic to the aromatics (since then we realized that some shavings are so fresh they still have a bunch of resin - other shavings are fine).

And you will need water management. Take a look at these.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/641902/created-a-water-saver-for-my-duck-brooder

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/679433/water-water-everywhere/10

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/858161/feed-water-solution-for-brooder#post_12901321

http://frankiemakes.blogspot.ca/2012/06/watering-solution-for-ducks.html

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/259876/do-your-ducks-have-water-at-night/10#post_13568197

For hatching, it is going to depend on when they were laid. It could take several days, I think.