Mandies--- 8 eggs in Nest! help/question on p.4

[Haley_LinckHillPoultry]

Lisa, I'm so sorry to hear about your male, I lost my female not long ago. I've been looking for a female ever since.

But good luck, and send some babies my way!

 

[chickenlisa]

I just hope I get some babies! I bought meal worms today (yuck! Freeze dried ones!)

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Good Luck. A week ago I hatched out 4/6 mandarin ducklings from eggs from my girls.

ETA: Mine hatched out on day 29-30

 

[giffy]

Quote:
One thing to remember is that pin-pointing the day she actually began setting can be difficult. There have been quite a few times I have set up a camera to record what I thought was gonna happen only to be wrong on my timing prediction.

If you are keeping them in with their mother she will lead them to the food source you normally provide. If you feed pellets, just grind up some in a blender. Remember that your water source needs a way for them to get out of. (some type of ramp) Also, the first week or so they can fit through some pretty small openings of your pen.

giffy
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[chickenlisa]

Thanks Giffy! I do need to make a ramp into and out of their little water tub. Would wire fencing bent to go into the water and back out work ok? I might have some extra chicken wire or hardware cloth somewhere around here. I have put up pieces of wood siding against the bottom 2' of their pen so nothing can get through the chicken wire walls.
I am estimating the day 28...like you said, it was hard to pinpoint when day 0 was. I knew when there were eggs in the nestbox, but not when she started sitting on them. I started counting days when I noticed her not out with the others anymore, like usual. Nothing happening today that I could see. I just went out with a flashlight to check. The male and female are out, but not the other female.

 

[giffy]

Quote:
A ramp made of hardware cloth is good, just make sure you either use duct tape or cage guard or some other means to cover the sharp edges of the wire.

I have one Wood duck left nesting in a box, it is one of the nest boxes that I spent the most effort on and put a different type camera in. I also used a motion video camera on the outside to see how much activity is done at night by her.(leaving the nest box) Hopefully we will both see some ducklings soon.

giffy
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[chickenlisa]

I found an old wooden ramp I made for my chicks last year and a piece of plastic fencing that looks like chicken wire, but is black plastic with smaller hex shapes than chicken wire. I have that in the water tub and over the edge with the wooden ramp over that edge to hold it down and big rocks in the water to hold the other edge down. No babies yet- I was just out there and the mama duck is still in the nest box. I SO wish I could see in there to make sure she is ok and also to see what's going on with the eggs!

 

[chickenlisa]

Giffy, anyone hatch in your Wood Duck nestbox yet? I keep checking and nothing yet. I sure hope she's ok in there. Do the mama ducks go in and stay in near the end? This is our first year for Mandarins sitting and hatching.

 

[giffy]

Quote:
My Wood duck is still setting.

When they get close to hatching she will stay in the box.........after hatching she will normally call them out of the box within 24 hours and it will be in the morning. Patience is the key and give her all the privacy you can..........try to resist the urge to peek.

Once they are out, let her do the work..........she can do alot better than you or I.

giffy
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[chickenlisa]

yep, I'm not touching or peeking at all. I will just watch from a distance...hope its soon though.
Good luck with yours and let us know when they hatch please!