Hatching ducklings this time of year?

[lovesgliders]

I have four very broody Silkie hens and am toying with the idea of letting them hatch a few call duck eggs... but I'm not sure if it is a bad time of year to do this? Temps are in the 30s-40s here. The Silkies nest is in the coop and they have food and water within reach and never leave it.

Note: once the ducklings hatch they would come inside immediately and be handraised by me.

 

[MummyToTwins]

I know this is a silly question but how can you tell if the hens are broody? Do ducks also get broody?

 

[Kevin565]

If their coming inside to be brooded I think it should be fine.

 

[Kevin565]

Quote:
Yes ducks will also go broody. They usually make a hidden nest and compile a few eggs in there. Then they are their sitting almost all the time.

 

[toadbriar]

I hatched 4 last November and put them outside for good on Valentine's Day. It was a poop-encrusted feathery dusty nightmare.

 

[lovesgliders]

Thanks, I'm excited to hear this.

You can tell hens are broody when they won't leave the coop and peck at you when you "steal" their (infertile) eggs. LOL One of my hens also makes a kind of warcry and puffs herself up like a balloon (I guess trying to scare me off?). She isn't terribly intimidating, at least not to me. LOL Basically they become like paperweights in the coop, they hardly move.

I have Silkies, a breed known for its broodiness.

I know of the mess associated with raising ducks indoors. I will be going into this knowing full well that I'll be washing and folding towels every day. Worth it to get guckies. <3 I am sick of waiting for the hatcheries to open.

 

[toadbriar]

in that case - have a fantastic time and be generous with the photos... it's a long winter and fuzzy duckling pics warm it up

 

[Oregon Blues]

I don't think it is a bad time to hatch a clutch of ducklings. If you can find fertile duck eggs. It's still a week or so before duck breeding seasons starts, so fertile duck eggs are going to be a bit hard to come by.

Once the ducklings are fully feathered, they can easily take 30-40 degree weather. The mom-chick ( those are silkie chickens and not silkie ducks?) who hatches them out is going to keep them warm and care for them. Ducklings can survive more weather than chicks.

If you hatch now, your ducks will be old enough to lay in the late spring. If you get a breed of ducks that is an egg layer.

 

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

Quote:
Did you mean to say "guckies"? I call them "yucklings"

I haven't tried the towel method. I just constantly toss layers of pine shavings in the brooder. They still get wet and gross, but it keeps the smell down.