My experience with a broody hen vs. incubator

[duckface]

-I wasn't too successful with my first incubator experience. Only four out of ten hatched.
-Mallard hen, however, hatched 19 out of 21 eggs.
-Got very attached to the four I "birthed" myself.

We plan to keep them.
-Sold mallard's babies this past weekend, they were a week old. Very traumatic for her...and me. She still comes to the duck house as if she's looking for them.

So, the short of it is...I don't know if I could do it again. I knew we couldn't keep the 19 ducklings and we didn't interact with them aside from feeding and watering, but it was still hard to see them go. And then to see how our hen reacted. I now wish we let her keep a couple.

With the incubator, aside from spending 26 days worrying about keeping the temp. and humidity just right, the hatching period was such a wonderful experience. Watching all four hatch out was incredible and I knew then that parting with them would be impossible. Well, now I have a couple of people who have requested I hatch some for them so I cleaned up the bator today, but I don't know...

How do all of you do it?

 

[duckyfromoz]

I used to only hatch a few each year... And always had people wanting ducks so didnt have trouble finding homes for them. Now I have an incubator and have larger numbers I try noe to get attached to certain ones... But it is hard. I have chosen to breed a fairly rare color.. So its easy to find homes for them - and I get satisfaction out of knowing that I will be helping to increase the numbers of these ducks.

 

[duckface]

I guess it will be easier knowing they will already have places to go so I may give it another shot. I'd be doing Pekins this time. I wish I wasn't such a schmuck!