Hatching Baby Ducks

[GambleFamilyHomestead]

I Have two ducks one male and one female, the male is a pekin and the female is a breed that I don't know, maybe you guys can answer that question to. She is black with some green I thought she was a Cayuga but she lays white silkie feeling eggs. So we are not sure. My main question was if we let her nest a clutch of eggs will she automatically go broody and hatch them? I was jut wondering cause I know that's not always the case with chickens but i'm not sure about ducks. We are trying to widen our duck flock and we want to build them their own place with there own pond but we don't want to be responsible for ducklings if possible.

Thankyou.

 

[Fisherlmiranda]

My welsh duck will go broody if left to collect eggs, but my cayuga wont. So I think it is pretty much a case by case thing. You will have to let her collect eggs and see what happens.

 

[CindyinSD]

You might consider giving her fake eggs at first so as not to endanger your fertile eggs. You can store the real ones in a cool (not cold) room until you decide whether to give them to her or put them in an incubator.

I’m not clear on the exact conditions of storage. I know you put them in an egg carton (I assume a paper one) then prop one end up on books or etc. You switch ends once a day. I think there’s something about regulating the humidity, but I can’t remember what exactly it is that people do. I’ve only purchased (not collected) fertile eggs so far, so this info is from reading here and from YouTube vids.

 

[CindyinSD]

By the way, if you’ll post some photos of your duck, I’ll bet plenty of folks here will be able to help with identifying her breed.

 

[GambleFamilyHomestead]

Thankyou, I will post some Photos of her as soon as I get home. Her eggs are quite small for a duck but she is pretty young. I dont think shes even 1.

 

[CindyinSD]

If she’s that young, she may not be fertile yet... how old is your drake?

 

[GambleFamilyHomestead]

He is 2 I do believe they are fertile i'll take a photo of one of the eggs cracked open I do have some in the incubator right now they are developing. I will post pictures around 5:00