Old fashioned Broody thread for ducks 2013 edition

[keirys]

Varies. My last clutch had 5, this one had 10(down to 9, she tossed an infertile one)

Ok I my duck has 15 & hasnt stopped laying yet.

 

[Going Quackers]

Ok I my duck has 15 & hasnt stopped laying yet.

Yep, they can have big clutches! thankfully mine have never gone to big but then the last hatch, was in Mid-mar they would have froze to death, she sat through a real cold February to get the 4 she got(1 egg didn't work)

 

[keirys]

Yep, they can have big clutches! thankfully mine have never gone to big but then the last hatch, was in Mid-mar they would have froze to death, she sat through a real cold February to get the 4 she got(1 egg didn't work)

I was hoping today was the day she would settle but nooooooooo lol..

 

[Miss Lydia]

I was hoping today was the day she would settle but nooooooooo lol..

She's an over achiever

 

[keirys]

She's an over achiever

I guess well she's not sitting and the chickens like to lay on her nest they kick all her eggs out

. I am contemplating on moving her out of the coop. I was gonna place her in her own area in the backyard. Should I wait to move her until sh starts sitting or just move her now? This is a BIG learning experience lol.....

 

[keirys]

Thats it im moving the duck maybe this will get her sitting lol..The chicken that lays the soft shell-less eggs loves to lay her eggs on the ducks nest. Of course when the duck decides to sit in her nest it breaks all over

...She's going in the dog crate in the garage

 

[CT]

I'd say you still have time but artificial lighting is most likely your culprit.

Drat. I wouldn't ordinarily light the ducks at night, but I rearranged some things before winter set in that made it seems like a good idea to keep everyone in the chicken coop at night. I will have to get the new duck apartment put together soon.

Experienced duck-keepers, can you offer advice for encouraging natural brooding? My flock is only about a year old, and all WH. Also, loving the pictures of your ducks on their nests. i should take the tablet outside and show my girls. "See, all the cool ducks are doing it." (Too many eggs; not enough freezer meat.)

 

[Miss Lydia]

Drat. I wouldn't ordinarily light the ducks at night, but I rearranged some things before winter set in that made it seems like a good idea to keep everyone in the chicken coop at night. I will have to get the new duck apartment put together soon.

Experienced duck-keepers, can you offer advice for encouraging natural brooding? My flock is only about a year old, and all WH. Also, loving the pictures of your ducks on their nests. i should take the tablet outside and show my girls. "See, all the cool ducks are doing it." (Too many eggs; not enough freezer meat.)

Since I have Muscovy's and brooding is so built in I am finding myself discouraging broody, but one thing I have found is leaving the eggs in the nest seems to trigger the broody mode. So you might try that. Some breeds just seem to have it and some don't not too sure where WH fit in on the scale.

 

[DaytonDuckMom]

I'll post some photos soon, our first year with Welsh Harlequins, we have 3 ducks & 2 drakes, is there anything
special we need to setup inside their coop to help the ducks along with a safe & successful hatch ?

I started with 3 ducks and 2 drakes. Big mistake! Too many drakes and the hens were nearly getting drown and injured when the drakes would gang on them! Be careful! I use straw and put out a make shift hen box. They first started laying all over the coop but after moving the eggs daily to the box they all began to lay in the box. I finally have 1 broody and she is sitting on all of them! First time!! Enjoy and keep your eye on those boys!! Keeping my fingers crossed you get a clutch! This is our first, tooo!!

 

[farmer boy]

my duck now has 18 eggs when will she stop she can't cover them but i have to wait until she stops laying so i can get the extra eggs ... i think something attacked my hen because she has a bald circle patch and it looks like it was yanked out what could it be ??