Need Advice!

[barberfamducks]

This is my family and I's first year letting one of our broody hens hatch duck eggs! She has shown true dedication to sitting on eggs (even sitting on nothing!) so we know she'd make an excellent mother! But us, not so much. I've tried researching what precautions we should take and a timeline of what we should have done or should be doing, but haven't had much luck.

She is a fairly large blue laced wyandotte hen sitting on four large Buff duck eggs. They should (hopefully) be fertile since we kept the hen with two males for a while (and I know candling is done on the 8th day).

But I do need guided on when and if I should separate the hen, if I should provide food and water (as I have yet to see her leave her eggs and its been about five days), and everything else! I would also love to hear success stories on letting hens hatch duck eggs and success stories on letting hens raise ducklings! I would greatly appreciate any and all help! Thank you and wish us good cluck!

 

[CascadiaRiver]

We had a broody on some eggs and she got up once and a while and did her business, so I wouldn't worry about feeding her and watering her unless she begins to look weak or ill. I raised chicks under a hen so I don't know much about ducklings, good luck to you though!

 

[barberfamducks]

We had a broody on some eggs and she got up once and a while and did her business, so I wouldn't worry about feeding her and watering her unless she begins to look weak or ill. I raised chicks under a hen so I don't know much about ducklings, good luck to you though!

Thank you! I put a little dish of food and a even littler dish of water next to her and she gobbled down the food but didn't touch the water so I removed it. I'm so excited to candle the eggs! First time in my entire life seeing something live in an egg!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

This is my family and I's first year letting one of our broody hens hatch duck eggs! She has shown true dedication to sitting on eggs (even sitting on nothing!) so we know she'd make an excellent mother! But us, not so much. I've tried researching what precautions we should take and a timeline of what we should have done or should be doing, but haven't had much luck.

She is a fairly large blue laced wyandotte hen sitting on four large Buff duck eggs. They should (hopefully) be fertile since we kept the hen with two males for a while (and I know candling is done on the 8th day).

But I do need guided on when and if I should separate the hen, if I should provide food and water (as I have yet to see her leave her eggs and its been about five days), and everything else! I would also love to hear success stories on letting hens hatch duck eggs and success stories on letting hens raise ducklings! I would greatly appreciate any and all help! Thank you and wish us good cluck!

The most cruel thing I ever did was hatch duck eggs under a hen. When the ducklings went to water and first began to swim around, the poor hen suffered a seizure. But it will work if you have enough Poultry strength Prozac.

Your hen needs food and water available to her at all times because she comes off the nest on her own schedule, not on your schedule to eat, drink, and relive herself. Taking her off the nest yourself can result in her abandoning the eggs. This is especially true since duck eggs take longer to hatch than chicken eggs and she may get impatient.

 

[CascadiaRiver]

Thank you! I put a little dish of food and a even littler dish of water next to her and she gobbled down the food but didn't touch the water so I removed it. I'm so excited to candle the eggs! First time in my entire life seeing something live in an egg!

I've candled who knows how many eggs and its still exciting every time I see one 'swim' around ^^

 

[barberfamducks]

The most cruel thing I ever did was hatch duck eggs under a hen. When the ducklings went to water and first began to swim around, the poor hen suffered a seizure. But it will work if you have enough Poultry strength Prozac.

Your hen needs food and water available to her at all times because she comes off the nest on her own schedule, not on your schedule to eat, drink, and relive herself. Taking he off the nest yourself can result in her abandoning the eggs. This is especially true since duck eggs take longer to hatch than chicken eggs and she may get impatient.

I don't plan on taking her off the nest until all the eggs have hatched just to move her some place safe. Would that be okay? I would just hate to wake up one morning and see dead ducklings due to my other over-jealous hens that I won't let sit on eggs.

I've candled who knows how many eggs and its still exciting every time I see one 'swim' around ^^

And I bet! I have 7 grandkids who are just ecstatic over us hatching out our own eggs! My two littlest whom are twins always play mama hen where they pretend they're the mama hen taking care of their little babies (stuffed animals)! I should have gotten into backyard flocks sooner!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I don't plan on taking her off the nest until all the eggs have hatched just to move her some place safe. Would that be okay? I would just hate to wake up one morning and see dead ducklings due to my other over-jealous hens that I won't let sit on eggs.

You should already have her sitting in a stand-alone nest box so that in the middle of the night and without fuss, you can move the hen, the nest box, the nesting material, the eggs and all to a place where she won't be disturbed or get confused as to which nest is her own.

 

[barberfamducks]

You should already have her sitting in a stand-alone nest box so that in the middle of the night and without fuss, you can move the hen, the nest box, the nesting material, the eggs and all to a place where she won't be disturbed or get confused as to which nest is her own.

I waited until night and I moved her into this secure old brooder we use to use. It didn't seem to phase her and it's a much better (calmer) place for her to hatch her babies! It even has a small run on it so when the eggs hatch and she feels fit to venture outside with them she can! Thank you for the advice!

 

[barberfamducks]

Our hen hatched two ducklings! Two down three more to go! Can't believe how clean they are! Not even a day old! So excited!

 

[barberfamducks]

NEED HELP

For some random reason the other three eggs aren't hatching! The first two hatched and it was amazing how effort free it was. I checked on her about 12 hours later and bam two brand new ducklings! But the rest of the three aren't going to be so easy! She got off her nest to feed and drink so I looked at the eggs and one of the eggs have pipped. So I tapped the egg with the pip hole by my ear and I heard peeping! Not sure if I am to rescue it or let it be! The hole did seem a little dry. The other egg I picked up and THE HOLE SIDE OF IT WAS CRACKED! Not cracked open, it did another weird thing and just seemed to crack the egg shell not the membrane! I seen the little booger in there moving a little and again I have no clue what to do! And the last egg hasn't pipped and is in good shape.

I have another hen sitting on eggs should I let her hatch the three then when they hatch move the ducklings back over to my other hen? She just seems to have too much on her hands and I'm afraid she might crack the remaining eggs and possibly kill the ducklings in the process!

Do I help the duckling who pipped? I didn't see it's little beak, just a small pip. But I did hear him peeping.

How do I help the cracked egg shell duckling? I think it might also have busted the air sack too! They should be fully developed now because I put five eggs under my hen all at once, and for some reason two eggs hatched early and the rest seem to want to take their time!


Please help!