Hey guys i have 3 ducks that are close to a year old now, and they have been producing eggs but not laying on them??? My male mates with them and i want some ducklings in the spring time! Why wont my moma ducks lay on the eggs to hatch them? to young? If it matters they are mallards
Many domestic ducks just don't get broody. It could be that next year someone will begin to get with the program, but maybe not. I have three runners and a buff that I know get some degree of broody, but only one runner who stuck it out for six weeks last year. The eggs weren't fertile, but I wanted to let her sit anyway. She stayed in fine body condition, took a couple of breaks each day. If I were to ever want some to hatch, now that we have a drake, I feel she might be up for the job. At the same time, I would - and may, this year - get ahold of a good incubator and be prepared to step in and do the hatching and equally as important, the brooding. We just don't know how duck moms will be. Some will sit on the eggs a month and then kill the babies or neglect them. A few drakes are good pappas, but most do not appear to be. And even with good parents, ducklings need to be separated from adults for the formers' safety. That's about what I know about the situation. Do you have any broody chickens? Some have done that successfully.
Not really the best time for ducks to be brooding. Although I know a rare few will brood this late in the year most will wait until spring to start showing broody behavior. While they are laying eggs for the clutch they can freeze and it would be a waste to brood them anyway. Another thing to think about is that not all ducks will be broody you could have a flock of 5 and 2 might try to brood while the other 3 just contribute eggs for the broody hens. If you want ducklings now it would be most advisable to incubate them in an incubator.
