Now what am I going to do???? (pics) Need advice (Disaster)

[4-H chicken mom]

I recently posted a pic of my Black East Indies duck sitting on a nest of 21 eggs. Since she could not possibly cover all the eggs, we candled and removed all the eggs that didn't show anything. We left her with 10 and marked them. Now there are three new eggs and this is what has decided to join her.

Now I have two ducks that have eggs that are weeks apart from one another. What do you think will happen when the first eggs start hatching? Will she abandon her nest? Will they fight over the babies? I know she has been stealing some of the eggs from the first ducks nest and putting them in hers. Also, Should I remove the drake from the pen? Will he hurt the ducklings?

Update on hatch:

(My inexperience killed my ducklings).

I wish I known that I should have seperated the two ducks or better yet, take the eggs and incubated them myself because of what I was afraid of, happened. I took the drake out thinking he would hurt the babies, when I should have worried more about the moms. Three ducklings had hatched and all was fine as long as the stayed underneath them. A day after they hatched and started to venture out. They killed two of them. I was able to get to the third one, but she had it in her mouth. I brought it to the house and set up of box for it. I thought it might be OK but she must have injured it because it died 8 hrs later. I was so mad I went to the barn and took the last three eggs that were still in the nest and put them in the incubator that I had up and running just in case they abandoned these eggs because they weren't as far along as the first three. I figured I couldn't do any worse hatching and caring for them than they did. Four of their eggs died a week before hatching and I blame them for getting off the nest too much when it was cold out.
Please pray that these last three make it. They deserve better than what I cause the others to endure.

 

[purelypoultry]

Drakes can get in the way of the rearing process. they are not needed to help the ducklings. I would suggest taking the drakes out of the brooding pen.

 

[ScoobyRoo]

ooOOOOO, I just LOVE those!!

I have what I believe to be a Cayuga duckling which I think is pretty too. But yours.....I may need to get me some of those! Good luck with the hatching!

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Thanks I will remove the drake. Has anyone ever finished incubating eggs that were started but was abandoned?

 

[Birch Run Farm]

Yes, I have fired the bator up when a first time broody didn't finish brooding. She actually gave up three days early! I caught the problem in time and the eggs hatched.

 

[lady chicken whisperer]

sorry for your loss

 

[wyliefarms]

So sorry!

We had a chicken do that once. 3 chicks were dead when I checked on them and took the rest to the incubator, 5 hatched, one died due to humidity changes while hatching. That hen was the most broody, but I never let her set on eggs again. The kids and I were devistated!

 

[Deedee]

I hate this has happened. I will be praying that the others will hatch and eerything will be OK.

 

[chickensioux]

Sorry for your problems. They sure are beautiful.