Moma duck not taking care of her own babies

[Carladuckie]

Hi, I have two mom Muscovy ducks. The one mom just had her eggs hatch and has now 16 ducklings. The other mom's eggs just started to hatch and has now three in her nest box. She seems very disinterested in her own ducklings and is more attentive to the other mom's babies. I am worried that the three in the nest are not going to be taken care of. Am I just being silly or is there something I should do to help them out? Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Separate the 2 mamas and their ducklings. about the only thing you can do.

 

[Carladuckie]

Drats, I'm not really able to do that. Thanks for your advice though

 

[Miss Lydia]

No way you can put something up between them? My Muscovys do not like to share nests or ducklings always a chance if a fight breaks out ducklings are going to be trampled.

 

[Carladuckie]

I'll have to take a look and see if I can do that!

 

[ANightPerson]

I had a Blue Swede with the same problem. She would generally try to take care of them, but she wasn't interested in her ducklings at all. She kept letting them chill, so after four died we ended up having to take in babies. All did very well under human supervision.

 

[Carladuckie]

I'm hoping for the best but I know that nature usually has a way of taking care of things. I'm thinking that maybe because the other duck had so many ducklings that they think there are too many to take care of???

 

[ANightPerson]

You could try putting her ducklings in with the rest to try to integrate them if she isn't caring for her own. Other than taking them yourself, that's all I think you can do. The ducks will sort it out themselves, but if you want to be cautious keeping her brood alive, I think your best chance is taking them in. I have some hens that'll get broody, then fight over eachothers nests until all of the babies or eggs chill and die. If she started with many eggs and only hatched the few, it could be she's just not a very good mom. If the other hen's eggs hatched first, she may just be mixed up.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm hoping for the best but I know that nature usually has a way of taking care of things. I'm thinking that maybe because the other duck had so many ducklings that they think there are too many to take care of???

Nope just some ducks don't make good mothers, and to protect hers that have hatched from dying from neglect either put them in with the other ducklings or brood them yourself.

 

[Chickens of the century]

I'm hoping for the best but I know that nature usually has a way of taking care of things. I'm thinking that maybe because the other duck had so many ducklings that they think there are too many to take care of???

Maybe, or maybe the other ducklings aren't fertile. I dont really have a answer to this..