Mean broody duck!

[DaniellyB]

I'll tell you how I have had to deal with my Broody Muscovy they do not like to have company these girls don't once they go broody I make them their own space using left over lattice or anything else I might have laying around. That way she has her own space and she can come out anytime she wants but no one would dare go in. She is still inside the coop. I had 3 Muscoivy go broody at one time [I've never done that again]. Each one had their own space to brood and hatch once hatched then They had their own ducklings with them and I would let them bring them outside but boy did that get complicated. If the ducklings would see another mama with her duckling well the ducklings would join them and then one mama wouldn't have her ducklings so then I'd have to walk them all back inside and separate the ducklings so each mama had their own again. that went fine until about 2 weeks when mamas knew who their own duckling was and Since I had yellow ducklings and chocolate ducklings eventually I had to make sure the right color was with the right mama. lol let's just say now you know why I never let my Muscovy all brood at one time. At 3-4 weeks of age 2 of the mama decided they were done so The mama that was left took all the ducklings and cared for them until they were 6 weeks old. These ducklings were Runners and Buffs and to this day that Muscovy is still sleeping and hanging out with those ducks they are 5 yrs old and the mama is 9.
If you can separate the broodies up with their own eggs that may be better. You just never know how they will react until you try. In my coop, we had originally set up stalls because we had more than 1 Muscovy drake and they could not sleep in the same house unless inside a stall so it was nice to be able to use these stalls for broody mama and ducklings. Maybe someone else had be able to let their Muscovy share a nest and it turned out fine I haven't. @Crazy Maizie and I think @Quatie has Muscovy maybe they can chime in.

There will be LOTS of changes next time around! The nest with 3 ducks on it are going to be hatching any day now... I do not want to take the ducklings from their mamas but I also do not want any getting hurt.
Worst case, should I just take the ducklings away and brood them myself? I do not plan on keeping them all

 

[Miss Lydia]

That's a decision only you can make. One year my Muscovy was hatching and she went ballistic when I tried to move her and her ducklings from on top of the poop board [which I should have never let her do that, to begin with] But I ended up bringing her ducklings inside and brooded them myself. Sometimes you just have no choice. If your around alot maybe just see how they are reacting once hatching starts but again you have to make that decision. The other alternative would be to remove 2 and let one have all the ducklings. If things get out of hand.

 

[DaniellyB]

That's a decision only you can make. One year my Muscovy was hatching and she went ballistic when I tried to move her and her ducklings from on top of the poop board [which I should have never let her do that, to begin with] But I ended up bringing her ducklings inside and brooded them myself. Sometimes you just have no choice. If your around alot maybe just see how they are reacting once hatching starts but again you have to make that decision. The other alternative would be to remove 2 and let one have all the ducklings. If things get out of hand.

I have a feeling my black and white mama is going to be taking over.

I made another post today about a pipped egg on wrong end... off topic on this thread but I am doing everything I can

 

[Miss Lydia]

Do you have this info? If you need help there is @WVduckchick , @shawluvsbirds , @Pyxis,
@HollowOfWisps. Just to start.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

 

[DaniellyB]

Do you have this info? If you need help there is @WVduckchick , @shawluvsbirds , @Pyxis,
@HollowOfWisps. Just to start.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

SO very nerve wracking... Looks like I have done what I need to in the time being. I just do not want to lose him like I did with the last one who ended up this way

 

[Miss Lydia]

I know it is nerve wracking. This is the one I was trying to find.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/incubating-and-hatching-muscovy-eggs.63532/

 

[nchls school]

There is one who seems to be the dominant of the females. Should I just let her have them or separate them all with their own ducklings? There was only about 12 eggs last time I checked (right after they booted 7 from the nest). I cant imagine all 12 will hatch though.

I recommend putting a divider between the two brooding ducks or, better yet, give the twelve eggs to one hen and break the broodiness of the other.

My Betty Muscovy has 12 eggs. I candled yesterday and all 12 are developing.

 

[DaniellyB]

I know it is nerve wracking. This is the one I was trying to find.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/incubating-and-hatching-muscovy-eggs.63532/

Thanks!!

 

[DaniellyB]

I recommend putting a divider between the two brooding ducks or, better yet, give the twelve eggs to one hen and break the broodiness of the other.

My Betty Muscovy has 12 eggs. I candled yesterday and all 12 are developing.

Oh man... I am going to have some mad mamas no matter what lol

 

[Miss Lydia]

Oh yes and it will take time for them to get over it too. It sure does mine.