Need help with Muscovy Momma

[lauralou]

OK, here goes. I had a pair of super nice muscovy ducks. The drake was killed. I bought another pair of "regular" muscovies to keep my lonely hen company until I could get another super nice drake.

Things worked out well and everybody was happy. The new drake bred my hen. She is currently sitting on 15 eggs. Things worked out even better, and I was able to purchase the brother of my original drake. YAY!

So I sold the new pair in anticipation of the special drake's arrival. I would have liked to have kept the new female, but didn't want to eat the male. He was very sweet. So I sold them as a pair.

Now the special drake is soon to arrive, and my hen is on Day 24ish on her eggs. I am thinking that I need to take her eggs away from her so that she will stop being broody and get down to the business of breeding with the drake that I want ducklings from.

I have more broody chickens than you can shake a stick at! My plan was to catch my muscovy hen off of her nest and swipe her eggs. Then give them to broody chickens to finish the hatch. I have a separate pen to keep them in.

Is this a completely insane plan? Has anyone ever done anything like this before?

I could leave her eggs with her and put the new drake in the separate pen. That's certainly a possibility. But I don't want to keep any of these ducklings. I plan to sell them all. What I really want is the bloodline that I originally bought. And I don't have another hen for him. Unless I can beg the breeder to sell me one. Which is doubtful. I'm sure she already sold off any hens that she didn't want. I was too lucky that she was willing to part with this guy. Thankfully she's the nicest person, and felt sorry for me.

This is my first ever duck hatch, so I'm sorta clueless. Oh, and I should mention that I also have 12 muscovy eggs from the new hen that I sold. Under 2 broody chickens. So I already plan on having a batch of ducklings running around with hens for mommas. I have the world's broodiest chickens, so I don't expect any problems in that department. These are big, experienced hens who love babies!

I really need to make a move here, so any input will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Duck Keeper]

I've heard that to break a broody, you take all the eggs away, remove any speck of nesting material, and place a very "active" (if you get what I'm saying) drake in with her...

Not sure how well this will work, since my ducks are a little on the young side.

My buff DID sit on eggs, but they were so staggered and then the wind blew over the house and cracked them all, so sooner or later I'll try more under her after I collect some eggs for the 'bator.

 

[jmc]

My opinion, but based on what I've seen others do.

You can definitely swipe her eggs and give them to your little chicken hens.

As far as breaking her broodiness goes: If that drake is sexually mature, he is gonna take care of that problem but fast

You should be fine--even if it takes a little waiting...........

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
This method is great if you want to watch a duck fight! The drake is going to want to mate and as long as the duck is broody she isn't going to have anything to do with him, you will probably end up with a injured duck. I have broke Moscovy broodies hundreds of times (egg selling, broodies don't lay). WE put them in a raised wire bottom cage (cools off the brooding surface) with a roost for the duck. When you find the duck on the roost she is 'broke' Some don't normally roost so after three days & nights you let them out even if they aren't roosting. usually they are broke at this point but if you find them sitting a nest they go back again.

 

[Wifezilla]

Is it really necessary to not let her finish this clutch? She is almost done. What's the hurry???

 

[lauralou]

Quote:
I know!

That's why I'm asking if this is a crazy plan. I DO tend to want to tinker around with my broody hens too much. It's a well-known fact. I can't leave 'em alone while they're brooding. I admit it!

I really don't want to watch a duck fight. These drakes are enormous! And he is sexually mature. She's a fiesty little hussy, but I don't think she could go toe to toe with a drake the size of a goose!

Maybe I should just scrap the idea of Project Switcharoo?

 

[MDC]

If you take her nest away, like what was said, it'll still take her 2 weeks or more to get back into egg laying.

You will probably have to remove the original nest because ducks have been known to set on nothing!

 

[lauralou]

I really want to thank everybody for the advice I've gotten! You guys are great!

I have decided that I'm not going to do it. I'll just let nature take it's course.


I'll put the new drake in the separate pen until my hen is ready.

Plus, I just negotiated a trade for more Welsummer eggs in exchange for garden produce! YAY! That should take care of my itch to set something under a broody chicken.

Funny how things work out...

 

[goosedragon]

ɱůşçōvý :

If you take her nest away, like what was said, it'll still take her 2 weeks or more to get back into egg laying.

You will probably have to remove the original nest because ducks have been known to set on nothing!

Are you sure about that 2 week period before she will start laying again? We had anywhere from 60-100 hens laying so it was hard to keep track as to who was laying when but I had the impression that they returned to production sooner than that. Maybe it makes a difference when in the broody period that they were broken. We collected eggs twice a day and any nest box that had a duck in it in the morning was flagged. If there was a duck in the nest in the evening she earned a trip to the 'broody breaker cage' no questions asked (who would ask a duck anyways?). My Younger systers would pick up the eggs in the morning because they went to school later than I did. Removing a broody Muscovy is no job for young girls! If one was very tough I would need Dad's help to handle her.​

 

[MDC]

My experience has been 2 weeks on average, +/- a day or two. This also tends to happen when birds are moved from their 'home pen' to a new pen, taken to auction, etc. you can just about count on 2 weeks although as with everything there will be individual differences.

That said, I generally do not remove birds from active setting so that very well could be a factor - if they've only stopped laying for a few days they might be able to gear back up easier. Usually when I put a bird back into the breed pen she's raised ducklings for several weeks and until I've fostered her ducklings with another hen so she's been out of lay for a much longer period.