Mother Nature Ducklings

[Tacswa3]

Meaning, My ducks laid the eggs and I'm letting them hatch and care for them. So far 8 have hatched but 2 got suffocated and squished soon after hatching. Problem is there is 3 females huddled up in a 10 gallon storage container(turned upside down with door cut in ). This is where most of the eggs are so when the ducklings hatch, they are already at a disadvantage due to crowding. I'm not sure what to do at this point because I don't want to disturb the nest. Any ideas??

 

[Serin]

I would take two girls out and let one do all the sitting.

 

[sourland]

This is frequently a problem with hens of all species co brooding nests. I would remove the ducklings and place them in a brooder until all are hatched and then I would return them to the mothers. Another option is to remove one mother and place her and the hatched ducklings in a separate pen out of sight and sound of the two setting ducks. This would create more space in the nest. As more ducklings hatch a second hen could be moved allowing the third to hatch the remainder.