Moving eggs near to hatching

[RebBloomer]

Hi All,
I'm a long time reader, first time poster, so please forgive my ignorance here (especially if I'm posting in the wrong spot).

I've got some duck eggs I've been incubating (all currently going well). They're at Day 23. Recently I've had a broody hen hatch a half a dozen chicks and it seems this broodiness is catching because I now have a little pekin hen who's currently trying to hatch a golf ball.

Here's the thing. I'm really not looking forward to nine ducklings in my brooder (in my bathroom). I'll do it but I know how much they smell. So in an effort to avoid the stink, I was thinking I could put a couple of my near-to-hatch duck eggs under my newly broody hen. When her eggs and mine (in the incubator) hatch at the same time, her broodiness will be cut short and I could slide the extra (incubator) chicks under the proud (incredibly quick) mamma. She could raise them for me and I could bypass the need for the brooder (btw I live in Australia so our daytime temperatures are currently averaging 30 degrees celsius and night times get down to around 20).

Questions:

1. Can this be done? I read somewhere that the broody hens don't count so if new chicks magically arrive, they just mother them too. Is that so?

2. As she's such a little hen, is she too small to be a mamma to all those ducklings (there would be 9)? I mean if they get cold, they won't all fit into her feathers, will they?

3. If this all worked, would the little mamma freak out when the ducklings tried for a bath?

I really want these ducklings to survive, but I'm also in love with the way my current broody is mothering her chicks...and the EASE with which she does it. Are there too many opportunities for failure or is this a reasonable concept?

Cheers in advance for the advice!

 

[Bryam]

Yes, sounds like a perfect plan, inorder for to believe she hatched them she has to have been broody for atleast 1 week. Best of luck!

 

[RebBloomer]

Dagnabit! A week, you say? These eggs only have three or four days left. Maybe I shouldn't risk it. Shame, I was soooo chuffed by the idea of avoiding the brooder.

 

[rustymurphy]

May be put 1 or 2 under her and watch to see what happens when they hatch incubator ones should hatch at same time if she loves them sneak the rest under her at night and again watch her closely Incase she rejects them some times you can get away with this if she takes care of them you don't have to if she doesn't you can rescue them and take Care of them yourself just watch very close give them to her well after dark so she is sleeping do not disturb any more than necessary if you can turn of flash light do it in the dark