Hatching Duck Eggs Today!! Questions from a first-timer....

[nuggetchick]

We had a broody hen (White Pullet) and no longer have our Roosters so we decided to give her duck eggs as "Romeo" has been busy with the girls! We gave broody hen 10 duck eggs (Pekin & Mallard ... and probably crosses to arrive) on Sept 5-7. Another broody hen (Black Giant) joined her about 2 weeks later. Yesterday our first Pekin hatched with a little bit of our help. Then, a second Pekin arrived more easily and the third hatched real quick! We had taken the eggs from broody hen after they made the first hole and put them in a separated area in a box with a heat lamp, monitoring the temp and adding humidity. I woke up this morning to our first Mallard duckling that had already hatched under the broody hens!

I now have 2 more today with small holes and am wondering if I should keep them under the broody hens, put them in with the newly hatched 4 ducklings, or put them in a separate box with another heat lamp?

I was also wondering if it would be a good idea to put more duck eggs under the broody hens? I figure if they stop we could always build an incubator to finish the process? Keep in mind too that we're in Wisconsin and winter is knocking on the door.

Answers and any other advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[cmfarm]

I don't think you should put more eggs under the same chickens. If you have different broody hens then that is a different story. From what I understand it is hard on them because they don't eat and drink very much when they have gone brood. I think it is really up to you what you want to do with the hatching eggs. You could really do any of those things.

 

[nuggetchick]

Thanks for the response, cmfarm! Once all these eggs hatch, if I don't put more under the hens, will that break their broodiness? I was just thinking if they were still going to set, why not take advantage! I definitely agree with what you are saying though, their combs are really drying, especially the first broody hen so I don't want to force them to keep working so hard!

Update on hatching : 6 out and 4 to go!! So exciting!! I see why people say it's addictive! Maybe we'll just build an incubator....