Mallard sitting! Again

[Weeg]

I have 5 ducks, two mallards, two white crested, and a buff. About 2 months ago our mallard started to sit on some eggs. Nothing hatched because 3 other ducks joined her on the nest and It was to late by the time I realized that was a problem. Now she is trying again.

I put a baby gate around we’re she is sitting so no one will join her. She has a small pool of water to drizzle on her eggs and plenty of food. We really hope she hatches ducklings and want to make sure nothing goes wrong this time after the two month fiasco of dead egg, dead ducklings, and not knowing why every thing was dying.

We also have two chickens on injured reserve in with our ducks so she is sitting on two chicken eggs too. Will that be a problem? I know chicks hatch before ducklings and I know we might have to take the chicks from her if they hatch? Any feedback is very much appreciated, because we don’t want to do what we did for two months all over again.!
We are slightly traumatized, so any help appreciated,
Thanks so much! Avery

 

[MGG]

I have 5 ducks, two mallards, two white crested, and a buff. About 2 months ago our mallard started to sit on some eggs. Nothing hatched because 3 other ducks joined her on the nest and It was to late by the time I realized that was a problem. Now she is trying again.

I put a baby gate around we’re she is sitting so no one will join her. She has a small pool of water to drizzle on her eggs and plenty of food. We really hope she hatches ducklings and want to make sure nothing goes wrong this time after the two month fiasco of dead egg, dead ducklings, and not knowing why every thing was dying.

We also have two chickens on injured reserve in with our ducks so she is sitting on two chicken eggs too. Will that be a problem? I know chicks hatch before ducklings and I know we might have to take the chicks from her if they hatch? Any feedback is very much appreciated, because we don’t want to do what we did for two months all over again.!
We are slightly traumatized, so any help appreciated,
Thanks so much! Avery

This may be a dumb question, but you have a drake right? Are her eggs definitely fertile? Remove the chicken eggs. Once those hatch she'll abandon the ducks and they'll die. And she'll try to get them into water, which will end in them either drowning or getting chilled by the water.

 

[nchls school]

It would be best to remove the chicken eggs as she can cover just so many. If the nest gets too many eggs some or all will die. Remove all fresh eggs as soon as they are laid or as you can. This is especially important if the mallard has 10 or more of her own eggs.

 

[MGG]

Also, can you post a pic of her set up? The food and water should be far enough away that she has to get up each day to eat and drink. Otherwise she'll poop while in her nest which is a bad deal.

 

[Weeg]

Yes I do have a drake. I will remove the chicken eggs but I just left to camp for four days. Will it matter that I waited that long to remove the eggs? The water is outside her a-frame so she has to get up and I’ve seen her poop outsize the nest do that shouldn’t be a problem. I maybe able to send a pic in a bit. Thanks so much!
Sver

 

[Weeg]

I s as m getting a pic of her setup now, thanks for all the help!

 

[Weeg]

Sorry for being so late on my reply. I couldn't get the pics until i got home. Any way, I am home now and she is still just as broody. I was also thinking, the chickens that are with the ducks, are separated from our rooster because they are on injured reserve. Are there eggs still fertile? Our mallard is still sitting on the chicken eggs so I don't know. And if i take the chicken eggs she will only be sitting on about 4 duck eggs is that a problem? She has been separated from the other ducks since i noticed her sitting, so she has a small clutch. Anyway here are the photos, thanks for help and patience!

 

[Weeg]

Ps. To remove the chicken eggs, what is the best way to do that without stressing her out? And in the pic, her A-frame looks bigger than it really is, its just because she's a little duck.