Khaki Campbell ducks

[Kelly3]

We bought two Khaki Campbell ducks, advertised as female two months ago. We now think one of them may be a drake. One of them has gone broody, going for long walks to the long grass to lay her eggs, and only returning for food and water and then disappearing again. While she's been doing this, it's become clear that the other duck is not laying at all (until now we assumed the low number of eggs was due to eggs being all over our garden and neighbouring farms, and we just hadn't found them - there are lots of places to hide. We guess that our disappearing duck is spending all day sitting on eggs and seems bedraggled, really hungry and really thirsty on her return and she hasn't returned at night for three days. We have finally found her nest, with thirteen eggs, well-protected under a bush.

It seems so unusual for a Khaki Campbell to go broody like this (from what I've read - these are our first ducks). It seems exactly like our broody hen. We certainly hadn't been thinking about having ducklings. The eggs have probably been out there for a couple of weeks (although presumably she's adding every day). Any advice on what to do now?

 

[cluckcluckluke]

1) Post a picture of the suspected male duck and I'm sure people will be able to help out with that.

2) If I was you I would candle those eggs (perhaps the male has mated your duck and the eggs are fertile). You could have ducklings, and who wouldn't want that.lol? You can always sell the ducklings off.
I reckon that those eggs will be infertile though and then I would chuck them all out and stop your duck from being broody, then set up a proper nest for her to lay in, in future.

 

[Kelly3]

This is Puddleduck, whose gender we're questioning. We don't know his exact age, but we think he's 35 weeks or so. We may be wrong - we bought them at auction and all the ducks seemed to be just at an age to lay (three months ago) but it didn't actually say. From the start we got an egg every day or every other day, but never two on the same day, so we think it's just Jemima who's been laying.

We've been looking up a bit more about the male/female differences, and there is a clear difference in their sounds - we always thought Jemima was a loud quacker and Puddleduck sounded like she had a sore throat.

Thanks for your advice, Luke, we've candled the eggs and they are not fertilised - I'm relieved but a bit deflated. Bizarrely, whether these were real ducklings or not, Jemima was being a good mum and has only left the nest to eat and drink in last three days. I've never heard of a Khaki Campbell duck doing this.

I think knowing the eggs might be fertilised puts me off eating them a bit, and it's disappointing if we don't get more eggs - that's what we chose the Khaki Campbells for.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

The photo isn't coming up for me?!?!

That's a shame. Ducklings are always welcome. I wouldn't eat the eggs just because you don't know how old they are. They could all be rotten

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I am not sure with ducks, but with chicken if you put them in a cage (wire bottom) off the ground then they have nowhere to lay and therefore go off being broody in a few days. Perhaps try that or ask some other people how you stop broody ducks. I reckon she will start laying again soon after, because yes KC's are very good layers

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[Kelly3]

Thanks. I can see the picture, so hopefully some others can - I don't know what would affect that. Luckily as soon as she realised we'd taken away the eggs, she left her nest and rejoined the other duck and chickens. We got an egg in the coop this morning - the first one in weeks.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Thanks. I can see the picture, so hopefully some others can - I don't know what would affect that. Luckily as soon as she realised we'd taken away the eggs, she left her nest and rejoined the other duck and chickens. We got an egg in the coop this morning - the first one in weeks.

Wow, that is much easier than what you have to do with chickens.lol.
Well congratulations on the egg.

I don't think you have uploaded the photo properly, no one can see it?!?