Is it ok to remove just hatched ducklings from broody chicken??

[Yorkshire lass]

Good morning

I have a bantam pekin/cochin and bantam silkie who have teamed up with their broodiness, and I am trying to discourage this. However, if circumstances were different I would happily let them brood some duck eggs. Presently I am using a Brinsea manual incubator and am on day 30 with only 1 of the duck eggs pipping a tiny crack so it looks to me bleak especially as I can not see any sign of life from the other 4 eggs.

I would like to try hatching some more eggs if possible with the broody hens rather than trying with the incubator again. The problem is I have 3 cockerels in 3 separate areas of the garden (1/3 acre) along with their hens (standard and large fowl, as well as the bantams). I could put both broodies in a large dog crate within their pen, next to the chicken house so they would keep in contact with their flock. Because these chickens are not in the main part of the garden (and not making contact with the 3 ducks we have already, as they are in the main garden) I would have to remove the newly hatched ducklings and brood them myself and then eventually integrate with the 3 ducks.

I do not feel comfortable about this as I think they may imprint on the mothers before I have got to them, but if this does not happen, I still would be worried about the impact it might have on the hens. I may be over-thinking but would this not be cruel to do??

Please let me know your thoughts.

Many thanks, Kirsty

 

[Ridgerunner]

You are overthinking it. Like most mothers, broody hens can be very protective of the chicks they hatch, whether ducklings, turkey poults, or regular chicks. But within a couple of days of the chicks being gone they normally break from being broody and start on the road to build up their nutrition where they can start to lay again. They get over it quickly.

Same thing with the ducklings. They might imprint on the hen to start with but will soon get over it. There will be no long lasting (longer than a few days) effects on either the hen or the ducklings if you brood the ducklings yourself.

 

[Yorkshire lass]

You are overthinking it. Like most mothers, broody hens can be very protective of the chicks they hatch, whether ducklings, turkey poults, or regular chicks. But within a couple of days of the chicks being gone they normally break from being broody and start on the road to build up their nutrition where they can start to lay again. They get over it quickly.

Same thing with the ducklings. They might imprint on the hen to start with but will soon get over it. There will be no long lasting (longer than a few days) effects on either the hen or the ducklings if you brood the ducklings yourself.

Many thanks for your response Ridgerunner. Good to know.