Old fashioned Broody thread for ducks 2013 edition

[keirys]

Just wanted to add they can nest as much as 3-4 times a season. Depends.
Sure if you take thier eggs or babies away they'd go through the cycle on the more frequent side.

omg i have to go through this 3 more times lol

 

[quirkybeeper]

Forgive me, I just got here and haven't read through all 23 pages

I have a Pekin who's been sitting since at least April 23...so I should have little ones very soon! I'm so excited! But anxious at the same time, I tend to worry for the sake of worrying sometimes lol

I asked this on another thread, so I apologize in advance for the double post or if this has already been answered. My mama's belly/abdomen seems to sag in the middle, almost like an indentation from the nest or something. My main concern is that she's not eating enough.

Anyway, I haven't gotten any pictures of her right now, but she does look so sweet sitting there in her house! I don't want to bother her too much, but she's sitting on close to a dozen eggs! My boyfriend and I are trying to get a brood box ready, I figure I'm lucky to have a Pekin even sitting, so I'm planning on bringing the babies inside to take care of them until I can find homes for some of them. It'll be nice to have little peepers in the house again!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Forgive me, I just got here and haven't read through all 23 pages

I have a Pekin who's been sitting since at least April 23...so I should have little ones very soon! I'm so excited! But anxious at the same time, I tend to worry for the sake of worrying sometimes lol

I asked this on another thread, so I apologize in advance for the double post or if this has already been answered. My mama's belly/abdomen seems to sag in the middle, almost like an indentation from the nest or something. My main concern is that she's not eating enough.

Anyway, I haven't gotten any pictures of her right now, but she does look so sweet sitting there in her house! I don't want to bother her too much, but she's sitting on close to a dozen eggs! My boyfriend and I are trying to get a brood box ready, I figure I'm lucky to have a Pekin even sitting, so I'm planning on bringing the babies inside to take care of them until I can find homes for some of them. It'll be nice to have little peepers in the house again!

Welcome and Congrats on the broody Pekin. I hope after all moms work of sitting your going to let her keep a couple of her ducklings. I hope we get to see a pic of her and her little ones when they hatch, as for her hanging down It's pretty normal for a heavy weight to lose weight when brooding and notice it more, All you can do is put food and water close by and hope she'll eat, yesterday when I went to close my broody up for the night it didn't look like she had eaten much, and yes it makes us worry, all we can do is hope they are getting enough and when hatch day comes they will start taking care of themselves again. I also put Vitamins in her water. Again I hope you'll reconsider and let your Pekin have a couple of her ducklings to raise herself, it just seems cruel to take them all away after she has faithfully sat on them all this time.

 

[keirys]

Candled last night they all look good, they are starting to get veins. I have no clue how many eggs she's sitting on! I have been obsessing over these eggs! So obsessed that now she's biting me every time I got near them

 

[quirkybeeper]

I hope you'll reconsider and let your Pekin have a couple of her ducklings to raise herself, it just seems cruel to take them all away after she has faithfully sat on them all this time.

You're right, it does seem cruel. I talked to my boyfriend about it (he has the final say on pets, otherwise I'd be a crazy cat and duck lady!), and we decided to let a few stay with mama. I just worry because their pen isn't fully enclosed, and there are quite a few stray cats in the area. I guess this human mama is about as protective as the feathered one!

My drake was being silly yesterday and had perched himself on the top of their pool ramp. I got a couple pictures of him, but mama did not want her picture taken! I got about 15 feet from their pen, about 25-30 feet from her nest and, I don't know if Pekins hiss, but I'm pretty sure she was hissing at me

 

[Miss Lydia]

You're right, it does seem cruel. I talked to my boyfriend about it (he has the final say on pets, otherwise I'd be a crazy cat and duck lady!), and we decided to let a few stay with mama. I just worry because their pen isn't fully enclosed, and there are quite a few stray cats in the area. I guess this human mama is about as protective as the feathered one!

My drake was being silly yesterday and had perched himself on the top of their pool ramp. I got a couple pictures of him, but mama did not want her picture taken! I got about 15 feet from their pen, about 25-30 feet from her nest and, I don't know if Pekins hiss, but I'm pretty sure she was hissing at me

I'd go ahead and reinforce her pen while you have time if it isn't secure. this is what I have done and it is just to keep the majority of the flock at bay till ducklings are big enough to be with them all.
I can also close up this small broody coop to keep preds out during the night. My main concern is the lil ones getting stepped on, we lost one to a stampede last year.

 

[quirkybeeper]

I'd go ahead and reinforce her pen while you have time if it isn't secure. this is what I have done and it is just to keep the majority of the flock at bay till ducklings are big enough to be with them all. I can also close up this small broody coop to keep preds out during the night. My main concern is the lil ones getting stepped on, we lost one to a stampede last year.

Our setup isn't quite that elaborate. We're going to put wire mesh around the bottom of the pen, at least 18-24" high to make sure the little ones don't get out. We live in the suburbs though so we're limited as to what we can do, but we are going to make a bigger pen for them soon, under an existing car port. We've only got a flock of 2, one drake and one duck. They've got around 230 square feet, where we've got their kiddie pool, another smaller container for their water, a large dog house, another smaller shelter that we made, and their food, of course.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Our setup isn't quite that elaborate. We're going to put wire mesh around the bottom of the pen, at least 18-24" high to make sure the little ones don't get out. We live in the suburbs though so we're limited as to what we can do, but we are going to make a bigger pen for them soon, under an existing car port. We've only got a flock of 2, one drake and one duck. They've got around 230 square feet, where we've got their kiddie pool, another smaller container for their water, a large dog house, another smaller shelter that we made, and their food, of course.

This is not elaborate at all honestly, I put this fence up and my big chickens go right over it, but it will keep the mama and ducklings safe and most everyone else out. That lil coop is my very first chicken coop and has become my broody coop over the last couple years, bird math got hold of me and we had to build bigger so watch out it is contagious.

Looking forward to seeing your lil ones when they hatch.

 

[quirkybeeper]

This is not elaborate at all honestly, I put this fence up and my big chickens go right over it, but it will keep the mama and ducklings safe and most everyone else out. That lil coop is my very first chicken coop and has become my broody coop over the last couple years, bird math got hold of me and we had to build bigger  so watch out it is contagious.     Looking forward to seeing your lil ones when they hatch.

I'm excited too! I forgot to mention, when I say it's not fully enclosed, I just mean there's only a 3-4 foot fence, but there isn't a roof, just a cloth mesh over part for shade. And no door. I love my boyfriend to death but come on, how do you forget a door?

I'd love to make them a bigger coop like that, it looks really cozy! Maybe when we move them, I'll get him to get me some extra wood

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm excited too! I forgot to mention, when I say it's not fully enclosed, I just mean there's only a 3-4 foot fence, but there isn't a roof, just a cloth mesh over part for shade. And no door. I love my boyfriend to death but come on, how do you forget a door?

I'd love to make them a bigger coop like that, it looks really cozy! Maybe when we move them, I'll get him to get me some extra wood

Construction sites are a great place to find scraps of left overs, My son worked on a construction site 3 yrs ago and that's how we built our last duck house you can see it in the back ground,. Most of the time they are going to carry it off to the land fill and will be happy for someone to take it off their hands, just be sure to ask not just stop and help your selves. lol