Going out of town 2 days before hatch?

[dehave]

My hen is setting on a nest that should be hatching ducklings on the 28th of May. Is it a bad idea to go out of town early the 26th, returning morning of the 27th? My mother lives in a house on our property and she would be keeping an eye out for me. Is it pretty common for ducks to start hatching early? I figure my hen will do most of the work.

Thanks

 

[babyboy1_mom]

Do you have the duck in a seperate area? Are you planning on letting the mother take care of the ducklings or are you planning on taking them and raising them.

What breed of duck do you have? Some ducks are not good mothers. I know that Runners have been said not to be good mothers. I have read on here that some Mallards will go off and leave their babies unattended as well.

Dorothy

 

[dehave]

My hen (chicken) is setting on 6 duck eggs and tomorrow night I will put 5 chicken eggs under her. She is acting as a surrogate for the duck eggs, so when they hatch they will go back to the woman that owns them and she will raise them. Her ducks aren't maternal, they are runners.

I am giving her the chicken eggs so that she will have some babies to take care of. Something to show for all her hard work. When everyone is hatched she will be moved with the chicks to a brood house, dog house with fenced chick run. I tried to move her before I gave her eggs, so she could be seperated from the other hens, but she left and went back to her old nest, so I left her there.

 

[babyboy1_mom]

I also have Runners, so if I want a hatch, then I put mine in the bator. For this reason, I cannot answer whether they will hatch early. My last ones in the bator did, but that is a different story...lol If you mother is going to be there and watching, then I would have a brooder already set up and ask her to take any that hatch out and put in the brooder.

Dorothy