Mama duck left the nest...

mamaduck83

In the Brooder
Jun 23, 2019
22
41
39
I was advised to post this here to see if anyone has any ideas!

One of my buff orpington ducks went broody late which I wasn’t thrilled about. I let her keep 3 eggs and two ended up being viable. She sat like a champ for about a month but then we had a cold snap and she’s left the nest. Both ducklings have pipped internally and are still in their nest inside the duck house. She seems to sit on them at night but leaves them all day now. I have a heat lamp on them in the duck house so they don’t get too cold (it’s in the 50s during the day now) but can I expect them to actually hatch now?? I don’t have an incubator... anything else I can do? I hate to lose these two darlings but I’ve never successfully hatched abandoned eggs before... the eggs are cool to the touch but the straw surrounding them is reading in the 80s. As of this afternoon I still see some movement inside the egg and hear little scratching noises.
 
I was advised to post this here to see if anyone has any ideas!

One of my buff orpington ducks went broody late which I wasn’t thrilled about. I let her keep 3 eggs and two ended up being viable. She sat like a champ for about a month but then we had a cold snap and she’s left the nest. Both ducklings have pipped internally and are still in their nest inside the duck house. She seems to sit on them at night but leaves them all day now. I have a heat lamp on them in the duck house so they don’t get too cold (it’s in the 50s during the day now) but can I expect them to actually hatch now?? I don’t have an incubator... anything else I can do? I hate to lose these two darlings but I’ve never successfully hatched abandoned eggs before... the eggs are cool to the touch but the straw surrounding them is reading in the 80s. As of this afternoon I still see some movement inside the egg and hear little scratching noises.
Hmmmm, that’s very very odd that a buff would just leave like that. Are the eggs and the broody buff in a cage with other chickens or ducks? Has this hen hatched eggs before?
 
Hmmmm, that’s very very odd that a buff would just leave like that. Are the eggs and the broody buff in a cage with other chickens or ducks? Has this hen hatched eggs before?

Yes, she has hatched a brood every year for the last 3 years. The ducks have a house to themselves and none of the other ducks are broody. They all come back to the house at night and during the day Ive been keeping a heat lamp on the eggs.
 
Sounds crazy, but I've actually successfully hatched a goose egg in my bra before! :lol:

Since they've already pipped, I'm unsure what to do though. Is there a way to cover the opening and make it warmer in the house during the day when mama isn't laying on them?

Seems like if you hear movement that everything is going ok. The cold temps without mama are worrisome though. Hopefully someone with more experience/knowledge will be along soon.
 
The only thing I can think of that you can do is put the broody buff in a dog create (or some type of smaller enclosed area) with the eggs and just leave her be in there and hope she sits on them. I’ve had to do that with one of my hens. It’s best to do it overnight though, it will better the chances of he sitting in them
 

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