EGG HELP!

[DaSouthernYankee]

Okay so I have two hens a Pekin and Swedish. We weren’t sure about our Muscovy but my Pekin is laying eggs! She’s up to 7 and keeping her nest neat and turning them... so I’d like to hatch them, what do I need to know? Ideally if she’ll stay broody it should be warm enough soon for them to hatch outside. Do I need to remove my drake? When can I begin candling? What is the definition of abandonment? When do I need to take over and incubate?! I’m so nervous and wanna have spring hatchlings!!!

 

[Kessel23]

I have never let a mallard derived duck go broody. With the Muscovies I do not remove drakes after the ducklings hatch but Muscovy drakes don't really get as crazy with mating as the mallard derived drakes do so I'm not sure.

 

[chickens really]

Is she staying on the nest?

 

[PirateGirl]

@chickens really beat me to it. Just because she is laying in the same nest/spot daily is no guarantee that she will be broody and hatch ducklings. Is this the first she has laid ever? Or has she just started up for spring? Is she hanging out on the nest? All the time?

Do you know that your eggs are fertile? You could take one from her and crack it open in a bowl to check if you have not already done so. If she's just started up laying they may or may not be fertile, particularly if it's winter where you live.

Day one of incubation and development would be when she stops laying and starts sitting for 24 hours straight. Once she has been sitting 24 hours a day for about a week you can candle and check for development. Even if fertile, they won't start developing until she starts sitting.

There's some good info in the learning center...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/hatching-eggs-raising-chickens.22/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/ducks.30/

 

[DaSouthernYankee]

@chickens really beat me to it. Just because she is laying in the same nest/spot daily is no guarantee that she will be broody and hatch ducklings. Is this the first she has laid ever? Or has she just started up for spring? Is she hanging out on the nest? All the time?

Do you know that your eggs are fertile? You could take one from her and crack it open in a bowl to check if you have not already done so. If she's just started up laying they may or may not be fertile, particularly if it's winter where you live.

Day one of incubation and development would be when she stops laying and starts sitting for 24 hours straight. Once she has been sitting 24 hours a day for about a week you can candle and check for development. Even if fertile, they won't start developing until she starts sitting.

There's some good info in the learning center...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/hatching-eggs-raising-chickens.22/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/ducks.30/

Thank you for all this info!! This is her first ever batch of eggs! I’m not sure if they’re fertile but she has laid one everyday and has moved them, she is out and about during the day but I do catch her on top of them sometimes!

So basically she won’t be on them all the time until she’s laid all she wants? And how does she eat if she’s always on them?!

 

[Kessel23]

When a hen is actually broody she will leave the nest once or twice a day to eat, drink, poop, and take a bath if she wants.

And how does she eat if she’s always on them?!

 

[PirateGirl]

Once a duck starts laying she will lay an egg pretty much every day whether they are fertile or not and whether she is broody or not.

I gave you some good links to read on hatching.

Here are some more good duck links

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ducks-sticky-topics-index.256233/

You can either wait to see if your duck goes broody or you can collect them to put in your incubator once you have it set up and calibrated. There's no telling if your duck will go broody unless you try!

Good luck on your hatching journey.

 

[DaSouthernYankee]

Once a duck starts laying she will lay an egg pretty much every day whether they are fertile or not and whether she is broody or not.

I gave you some good links to read on hatching.

Here are some more good duck links

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ducks-sticky-topics-index.256233/

You can either wait to see if your duck goes broody or you can collect them to put in your incubator once you have it set up and calibrated. There's no telling if your duck will go broody unless you try!

Good luck on your hatching journey.

Thank you! I guess we’re gonna try our best and see what happens!! Here’s to hoping for spring chickens (ducks) hahah