First time hatching duck eggs

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
We'll be waiting to hear how it all comes out in the morning. Try to rest.

 

[70%cocoa]

I agree with Miss Lydia. The hen will do a great job with the ducklings, 24 hours a day. They will feel safe and secure with the hen. It will be much easier for you to have the hen looking after them. You can take them away after about 3 to 4 weeks of age once the hen has done her job and is starting to think of getting back to her normal life.

I am really hoping for one of my chicken hens to go broody so I can give her duck eggs....hens do a much better job than an incubator and brooder!!

 

[TammyC]

When she first went broody I thought something was wrong with her and was taking her off the nest and putting the duck on but the duck wouldnt stay.. I then looked it up and realized that it was ok once I knew what she was doing.. I am happy that she is doing it.. Once they get old enough she will go unbroody, right?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
Yes probably between 4 to 6 weeks she'll leave them on their own.

 

[70%cocoa]

Yes, that's right

Once the ducklings are old enough she will start to lose interest and go back to being 'her normal self'.

It's great to have a hen who is a successful sitter and a good mother - you are lucky to have such a good hen

Good on you for being willing to leave the ducklings with the hen

You'll have a wonderful time watching them as a little family.

One thing I have found with mother hens is that they can kick litter into the waterer, so I put the waterer (I use a chick waterer) on a large piece of plywood to create a 'non litter' zone and this helps to keep the waterer clean. It can pay to have more than one waterer too, in slightly different spots. The ducklings won't be interested in water straight away though (maybe the day after they hatch) and they won't start to get hungry for food until about 48 hours after they hatch.

Where is the hen now? Is she in her own separate area, protected from the other birds? It's a good idea to prevent the other birds from interacting with newly hatched ducklings or chicks (to keep the new babies safe).

It's very exciting to have new ducklings!! I hope you get some sleep tonight.

 

[Karen09]

This summer I had a Chantecler hen go broody and she hatched out 5 Cayuga ducklings. She raised them like she would baby chicks and would stand on the bank once they found the creek water and watch them. They at first acted more like baby chicks and now do go to the creek but the Ameraucana rooster is the high male of the flock and they run to him if they feel like there is danger. My husband says they are dickens. Not really ducks and not chickens - sort of a cross but the mother hen taught them to go into the chicken coop at night, eat with the chickens and hang out mainly with the chickens. They were about 4 or 5 weeks old when they stopped hanging out with "mom". She then layed a few eggs and went broody again. The nice part was it was easy to tell if another chicken had layed an egg under her (Cayugas lay a grayish blackish egg where the chickens lay either green/blue or brown). Also they go in the coop with the rest of the chickens (something our Mallards did not do). They have even now got the Mama Mallard going in the coop. The broody hen will do a great job raising them, keeping them warm and showing them how to eat bugs, and they will hang out with the chickens for better protection. Good luck with the hatching.

 

[TammyC]

70%cocoa :

Yes, that's right

Once the ducklings are old enough she will start to lose interest and go back to being 'her normal self'.

It's great to have a hen who is a successful sitter and a good mother - you are lucky to have such a good hen

Good on you for being willing to leave the ducklings with the hen

You'll have a wonderful time watching them as a little family.

One thing I have found with mother hens is that they can kick litter into the waterer, so I put the waterer (I use a chick waterer) on a large piece of plywood to create a 'non litter' zone and this helps to keep the waterer clean. It can pay to have more than one waterer too, in slightly different spots. The ducklings won't be interested in water straight away though (maybe the day after they hatch) and they won't start to get hungry for food until about 48 hours after they hatch.

Where is the hen now? Is she in her own separate area, protected from the other birds? It's a good idea to prevent the other birds from interacting with newly hatched ducklings or chicks (to keep the new babies safe).

It's very exciting to have new ducklings!! I hope you get some sleep tonight.

We have a dog run that is always open in our fenced yard and a coop inside that so they all come and go as they please and she has the nest under the small coop that we bought. I tried moving here into a igloo dog house and she got mad.. I hope that since she is with the rest of the chickens and ducks this wont be a problem..​

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
We have a dog run that is always open in our fenced yard and a coop inside that so they all come and go as they please and she has the nest under the small coop that we bought. I tried moving here into a igloo dog house and she got mad.. I hope that since she is with the rest of the chickens and ducks this wont be a problem..

Probably won't be, I hatched well not me but my hens hatched chicks in the coop with everyone there, mama will not let anyone mess with her babies. On occasion one might get pecked but most flock members respect mama when she has babies, [they know she will kick butt]. My mama duck hatched her duckling in the duck coop too. No problems.

 

[70%cocoa]

Just be careful giving the other birds access to the ducklings. Some birds can show aggression towards new hatchlings. Also, mother hens can charge at other birds they see as threatening and in doing so trample a duckling. I don't want to make you feel worried, but I would try to fence off the mother hen and ducklings for a bit. Use mesh that is too small for the ducklings to get through - like half inch by half inch.

You may not have a problem letting them mix (especially if you have a lot of room) but I just like to play it on the safe side. Things should be fine tonight while the hen is just sitting and everyone is sleeping but have a think about your setup first thing in the morning.

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

Good luck..this is a very exciting time I know.