momma duck pushing eggs out of the nest!

[joannec328]

My broody duck has taken 5 out of the 13 eggs she was sitting on out of her nest....she had been sitting on them for about 20 days now....she broke 2 of them and was running around the yard like a lunatic! is this normal? I have never had a duck sit on the eggs before...I usually incubate! Does this mean that those eggs aren't fertile?

 

[Amiga]

It is possible. There is a bit of mystery with broodies. Many feel that they can sense if there is something wrong. I don't know, we have no drakes . . . . Sometimes I wonder if they just get a crazy notion and start randomly booting eggs out of the nest.

You could try candling the unbroken eggs.

 

[satay]

If find with my ducks they will boot our unfertile eggs.

 

[joannec328]

Thank you! I feel better knowing that they sometimes boot the infertile eggs out and that she hasn't completely lost her mind! I have another question.........when the eggs hatch....will momma take care of them and keep them warm or do I need to set up a heat lamp like I do when I incubate?

 

[Amiga]

It will depend on momma. Some are great mothers from the gitgo, some, not so much.

 

[Going Quackers]

They will boot out bad eggs, our Lilly tossed out 4 eggs out of her nest after her 9 ducklings had hatched... clearly they were just no good anymore...

Now though, you can have a bad brooder.. my other duck was on purpose destroying her eggs when they were alive! so one does have to watch.. as for a heat lamp the mama is one.. but do be sure she is up to the task as amiga said some are not good mums.

 

[joannec328]

She has faithfully sat on the other 8 eggs since she booted out the other 5...2 of the 5 she broke and it was just yolk...so they clearly weren't fertile...they should have developed somewhat by now because she has been sitting on them for at least 3 Weeks....we will know soon about the other 8! Thanks for all your advise!

 

[joannec328]

Ok so now she is down to 3 eggs....I'm starting to wonder if any of them are going to hatch! It was 28 days yesterday! Would she still be sitting on the eggs all day if none of them were fertile? She only leaves the nest 2x a day for about 5 minutes to eat and swim a little!

 

[PlumTuckered]

Try to be patient, I've seen some of my duck's eggs hatch from 3 days early to 3 days late. I've got two girls on eggs that are "due" to hatch in the next couple of days..it can be nervewracking for us anxious human Mom's

Michelle

 

[drkimba]

Ok so now she is down to 3 eggs....I'm starting to wonder if any of them are going to hatch! It was 28 days yesterday! Would she still be sitting on the eggs all day if none of them were fertile? She only leaves the nest 2x a day for about 5 minutes to eat and swim a little!

what happened?