Muscovy Duck Hatching Chicken Eggs Surrogate Mother Experiment

[Majd]

Omg they're sooo soooo cute.... what a fantastic experience! !! Hope everyone handle stuff like these like you did... I'm sooo happy for you and what ana amazing way to check backyard chickens after some time not online ))))

 

[Doctor Pammie]

Thank you for all these awesome pictures. We have 3 Muscovy hens that all raised clutches this year. We have broken up their nests when they tried to go broody a second time. Just today one of them started trying to nest again and while we don't need any more ducklings (26 was enough!) we do need some chickens. So we were wondering how a Muscovy would do actually raising the chicks. Your pictures tell us what we need to know. Thank you so much for sharing your experience!

 

[Kiwibird]

I have a muscovy sitting on three chicken eggs. She's due tomorrow. I'm about to put in a paint roller tray to hold mama duck's drinking water, as well as a chick drinking fountain. The deep end of the paint tray will hold enough water for her to clean her nares. If she does somehow manage to put a chick in there, it can get out by walking up the ramp. If anyone has a better idea about water for the mother, please let me know. She cannot rely solely on a chick water fountain.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have used a chick water font for the first few days to two weeks for my muscovy when she hatches ducklings. She will be fine with that. I would skip the paint tray personally.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I have used a chick water font for the first few days to two weeks for my muscovy when she hatches ducklings. She will be fine with that. I would skip the paint try personally.

x2...I'd be worried about chicks walking into the paint tray and getting chilled (and at such a young age, it could be fatal). Even if you could only offer another container with deeper water daily for nares-blowing while she's supervised, that should be sufficient until the chicks are old enough that the risk of accidentally killing themselves diminishes. Best of luck!

 

[Kiwibird]

x2...I'd be worried about chicks walking into the paint tray and getting chilled (and at such a young age, it could be fatal). Even if you could only offer another container with deeper water daily for nares-blowing while she's supervised, that should be sufficient until the chicks are old enough that the risk of accidentally killing themselves diminishes. Best of luck!

Mama duck definitely wants to get out of the broody coop daily, so I think ths will work. Thank you. No chicks yet. She threw one out a few days ago which had been developing normally, so hopefully the eggs under her are doing okay.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Mama duck definitely wants to get out of the broody coop daily, so I think ths will work. Thank you. No chicks yet. She threw one out a few days ago which had been developing normally, so hopefully the eggs under her are doing okay.

Hoping your Mama Muscovy has a great hatch! Those girls are usually incubating experts...maybe she knew that egg quit and got rid of it.

 

[Kiwibird]

Hoping your Mama Muscovy has a great hatch! Those girls are usually incubating experts...maybe she knew that egg quit and got rid of it.

It's her first hatch, so she may not be completely clued up yet. However, a couple of her sisters went broody a few days after she did, and I purchased some fertile duck eggs for them to sit on. I'll move a couple of their eggs to her nest if the chicks don't hatch.

My drake seems to be too young to be a daddy yet, although I am looking closely at me breakfast eggs each day to see whether he has done he deed. He's about the right age to get started.

 

[Kiwibird]

The paint tray is working well. Mama duck prefers it and the chicks can get in and out easily. It's summer here, so they won't chill.