Hatching help

[bosschris]

Hello I am Chris and new to this site. I have lots of birds and love spending my days with my animals. I have had chickens before but I am new to ducks and Guineas. So that resents me with a question. I have a Pekin duck that started laying eggs and got upset when I removed the first one to the point she had all the other 5 ducks looking for the egg. Quite the noise they made, so I put it back and she then she laid about 10 more and I started finding her sitting on the nest. So I fenced off part of the coop for her and her best. Then to my amazement a silkie bantam stated hanging out with her and putting her eggs in the nest. I am finding that they are taking turns sitting on the nest of chicken and duck eggs. About twenty in total. Do I have any chance of the eggs hatching? I candled yesterday and from what I can tell I have chicks and ducks at various stages of grow. I marked them so I could pull any new eggs cause now a second silky has joined in. Any advice?

 

[n8ivetxn]

LOL, that's a funny story

Do you have a rooster in the pen with the silkie? What about a drake for the duck? - If you do have males in the pens with these girls, then yes, you should have little ones!

However, ducks' incubation time is several days longer than chickens'....so you may need to separate them into two.....

Happy Hatching!

 

[bosschris]

Thanks! Yes they were with males! I just have never heard of nest sharing responsibilities split among to different species. I have them fenced inside the coop as to not pull them from the flock. At first the drakes were just walking all over the nest and I thought for sure they would crush the eggs. Once I fenced the area Mema, female duck, started sitting and fixing the nest. About a week later I go in an a silkie was sitting on the nest turning eggs and then sitting down. A couple days later when I was able to get a peek I noticed chicken eggs.

So guess I will keep and eye out for chicks and ducks and once they start hatching which should be in one to two weeks, I will separate them.
I appreciate your feedback!

I think I have a mixed up barnyard anyway. For the longest time I had chicks that had to be with the ducks or they whined, a feral pigeon who thinks he is a guinea fowl, and now I have a duck and a chicken sharing nesting responsibilities.

 

[n8ivetxn]

Too cute!