Mother Duck Killing her Ducklings

[Lndzd]

Help! My Duck hatched 8 ducklings. (She had 10 eggs and already threw out and killed 1 right after it hatched). They all hatched 2 days ago and were perfectly healthy, then this morning I saw that she threw 2 of the ducklings out of the nest and drowned another one. Why would she kill a 2 day old baby? Does she have too many and can't handle it? Should I take some of the ducklings away and put them in a brooder box? I don't want her killing more of them. Thank you for any help/advice you can give me!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Help! My Duck hatched 8 ducklings. (She had 10 eggs and already threw out and killed 1 right after it hatched). They all hatched 2 days ago and were perfectly healthy, then this morning I saw that she threw 2 of the ducklings out of the nest and drowned another one. Why would she kill a 2 day old baby? Does she have too many and can't handle it? Should I take some of the ducklings away and put them in a brooder box? I don't want her killing more of them. Thank you for any help/advice you can give me!

I'd take them all away, some ducks are just not good mothers and she sure hasn't proved she is, I wouldn't take any more chances. are you sure it's her? any others able to get to the ducklings?

 

[Lndzd]

It is definitely the mother. Okay, I think I will take them away from her. How long do you think I should wait before I can try to put them back with her and my other female duck?

 

[Miss Lydia]

It is definitely the mother. Okay, I think I will take them away from her. How long do you think I should wait before I can try to put them back with her and my other female duck?

I'd let them be at least 4 weeks old and in the meantime fix it so they can all see each other at times during warmest part of day so ducklings won't chill [but where none will be in hot sun] so they can be together but not where any harm can come to the ducklings. . Your ducks will accept the duckling eventually but there will always be a pecking order. a couple years ago one of my Scovy went broody she was a wonderful brooder, once hatching began she attacked the one duckling and tried to kill him, the other died trying to hatch, she surprised me. I have never had an unfit mother duck till her. Last year I let her sit again, watched her closely ready to intervene she was a wonderful mother. You just never know.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

I had one that was unfit for motherhood. Do take the remaining ducklings away and brood them yourself.

 

[Joyful_shay]

Same is happening to my Muscovy too;she had been a good mother with her first brood but this second one she just hatched;she kills the ducklings one by one over night.....I just removed them all from where she is
The only thing that's baffling me is that she has always been a good and defensive mother so why would she kill her babies?