Old fashioned Broody thread for ducks 2013 edition

[Going Quackers]

Congrats GQ! one thing is the ducklings won't need to eat for a few days so that may give your temps time to normalize a bit. I hope so. I have my first broody chickens but no ducks yet.

Yes, true you know me paranoid lol besides mama needed food since, although she could hop onto the shelf.. you can see she's under that to go get food, i doubt she'd leave those babies.. so for now that should be good.

Do i dare say it's not supposed to get better?

We're nothing but negative temps with teen windchills for days according to the forecast... i'll see what has hatched and perhaps she will move today, i'd prefer her not to be so tight and without the aid of a heatlamp directly, she is a bit cold with having to remain sat tight.

Thank you though! better be a girl in there

At least i see colour! maybe we'll get one that looks like her, mind you i have no clue what colour that is.

What kind of chicken? that would be fun... there so darn cute. Did you see my siggy, i finally relented and am getting my oldest her silkies, i must have had a small lapse in my normally good judgement... perhaps they'd make good dusters though? you know a natural type.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yes, true you know me paranoid lol besides mama needed food since, although she could hop onto the shelf.. you can see she's under that to go get food, i doubt she'd leave those babies.. so for now that should be good.

Do i dare say it's not supposed to get better?

We're nothing but negative temps with teen windchills for days according to the forecast... i'll see what has hatched and perhaps she will move today, i'd prefer her not to be so tight and without the aid of a heatlamp directly, she is a bit cold with having to remain sat tight.

Thank you though! better be a girl in there

At least i see colour! maybe we'll get one that looks like her, mind you i have no clue what colour that is.

What kind of chicken? that would be fun... there so darn cute. Did you see my siggy, i finally relented and am getting my oldest her silkies, i must have had a small lapse in my normally good judgement... perhaps they'd make good dusters though? you know a natural type.

I see that now, well always nice to let the kids be involved so much better than other things that could get their attention. I love silkies, just don't have any, my cochin bantam is sitting on 1 of her eggs and 2-3 LF EE eggs and my bantam game is sitting on 1 of her eggs and I'm not sure how many EE egg today I am going out to mark so I can give them a respectful number to hatch but take away the rest, of course they are in the 2 fav. nest boxes.

 

[Going Quackers]

I see that now, well always nice to let the kids be involved so much better than other things that could get their attention. I love silkies, just don't have any, my cochin bantam is sitting on 1 of her eggs and 2-3 LF EE eggs and my bantam game is sitting on 1 of her eggs and I'm not sure how many EE egg today I am going out to mark so I can give them a respectful number to hatch but take away the rest, of course they are in the 2 fav. nest boxes.

Well this is true, just she's almost 18 so as i said if she leaves for collage, and/or moves we'll keep them, it's such long winters here surely they'd be good mittens lol

Good luck! never had broody chickens, of coarse my current girls aren;t known for it and er.. lack the roo? LOL I hear silkies would go broody on a rock, hey maybe they'd be a good back up for 'scovies since apparently, it is rather hard to avoid, did i mention Lilly is getting broody like? i told her NO, but you know how well that went last time.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Congrats-- can't wait for more pics! I hope you get girls too GQ. Same wish here. Only had 1 last year. I wouldn't worry about candling at this stage, unless you are looking for life signs before you toss. But ya, I think Mamma Ducks know. I'm not great at it either, must be an art form. And practice makes perfect! So have you considered bringing mom and babies inside til the cold breaks?
GQ- I know several people keep Silkies around me (MI)-- we aren't that far. Silkies are too cute but I am holding out for Rainbow Rangers (or Freedom Rangers)

 

[jdywntr]

How did I miss that news JW?! And the adopted baby still around and everyone is fine together? That is great. Did you post pics?

I started another thread but here is yesterday. The foster is in the foreground. His mom decided she didn't want to be a mom, I guess, and he found himself a warm spot. Freaked me out since the last place I looked for him was in with the broody. But all is good.

Yes, she's a scovie so we get an extended level of stress... er wait lol

She hatched one yesterday, we THINK a few more have i won't know till later this morning, my biggest issue is our cold, it's nasty... -10C with windchills into the teens and snowing. Only going to be worse, we had a nightmare trying to move her yesterday, so let her keep the old spot, fenced it off(the other ducks didn't care whatsoever) and put feed/water low enough for a babe, i also tilted a heat lamp in her direction, i have a stall all set to use for her and her brood, safer, warmer but she may not co-operate even today.

I know she can keep them warm enough but they do have to eat which puts them at risk of chill. so they need under a lamp area.

Here a bad but gives an idea of the hatched one yesterday, you can also see that really dark egg. I have candled nothing, i suck at doing that no other way to put it but i should know whether we have more another egg had pipped yesterday.. two of them though, look dud like but i will definitely candle before doing a thing unless dusty tosses them then likely they are, she would know.

Oh yay. A little dark colored baby.

I wish I could have some duckling color variety. All of mine, 24, are black barred but at least my first drakelets are chocolate split.

Holy shnikey's I just realized I have 29 muscovy right now!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well this is true, just she's almost 18 so as i said if she leaves for collage, and/or moves we'll keep them, it's such long winters here surely they'd be good mittens lol

Good luck! never had broody chickens, of coarse my current girls aren;t known for it and er.. lack the roo? LOL I hear silkies would go broody on a rock, hey maybe they'd be a good back up for 'scovies since apparently, it is rather hard to avoid, did i mention Lilly is getting broody like? i told her NO, but you know how well that went last time.

18 well looks like mom may have some new pets, and yes silkies and bantams are known for their broodiness, I think mine would probably sit on snake eggs, So Lilly is thinking about brooding, well at least you won't be hurting for ducklings this year. just be nice if it was a tad warmenr when they start eh? we're at 28 this morning up from 24 and I am so hoping by day 20 it will be warm for my girls when they bring their chicks out. It's going to be so hard for me to Not let my girls sit this year, they are not going to be happy with me at all.

 

[Going Quackers]

Ok for an official update. We have 4 babies!

and the final egg is rocking. I have pics! i just need to upload. My husband helped me move her she went CRAZY in the stall but he nailed more boards down so she was locked in.. she can see out btw... this is the door she just dislikes the concept, she finally calmed down though and is covering the babies and is attentive...




off to load pics of our babies! her best hatch yet... she only had 2 hatch last year, 1 survived, no clue why the second died and her first ever nest resulted in nothing.

Here we are, BAD pics but it's a cell, red light of the lamp didn't help and we were moving real fast to get everyone settled.

You can see the final egg there, that is the rocker lol






so from what i briefly saw(we did a game of hot potato except with ducks, my husband grabbed them passed them to my son and then to me... ) we have 1 solid yellow, 2 brown and yellow and one black and yellow...

hmmmmmm

 

[jdywntr]

Ok for an official update. We have 4 babies!

and the final egg is rocking. I have pics! i just need to upload. My husband helped me move her she went CRAZY in the stall but he nailed more boards down so she was locked in.. she can see out btw... this is the door she just dislikes the concept, she finally calmed down though and is covering the babies and is attentive...




off to load pics of our babies! her best hatch yet... she only had 2 hatch last year, 1 survived, no clue why the second died and her first ever nest resulted in nothing.

 

[jdywntr]

Cute babies!!! I didn't even notice the yellow one looking at the pic at first. Yay variety.

 

[Miss Lydia]

So cute and it is very hard to see that lil yellow one. Congrats on the hatch and the move ya!!!