Old fashioned Broody thread for ducks 2013 edition

[Miss Lydia]

Hello my lovely duck lovers!!

I apologize for not being on for a while. Our parents have fallen (literally) ill and let's just say getting to my posts on here were one of the many things I have had to let go of. Anyways....all is getting better....my mom is healing.

In the meantime.....our 2 babies are nearly full grown ducks!! I cannot believe how fast they grow!! They still cheep....not yet a quack but they are trying!!

I have to admit....I am having a hard time with 3 duck hens. They are just too much. I had 5 drakes, alone, for over a year and they were the most peaceful creatures. Not messy...easy to be around, followed me...made no noise. Hens....let's just say if you have more than one you know what I mean!! They are so nasty!! Well, their poop is hideous...the noise they make at me when I am out with them is awful. Why are they so mean?? I am looking to downsize to just one mama. I just am being defeated with the smell they make of their coop and their pond. It's really hard to keep after 3 of them and their pond. My water bill is huge!! LOL!!

Sure have missed y'all so much! I'm going to read everyone and see what's been going on!

Hi, glad to see you back and sorry about your parents being sick, glad to hear your seeing healing now. I do know what your talking about with the girls I have 10 of them, 4 being broody on nothing but still acting like the devil about it. ugh. But I do love my ducks and thank goodness we have a spring and I use that water for cleaning out pools drinking water and cleaning up. If I had to use our well my dh would not be a happy camper. I really don't think you'll have a problem finding homes for your extras people always seem to be looking for girls. When you get time how bout some recent pics.

 

[Weezy58]

Aww come on, she may put up a fuss but your bigger. LOL and what if another was to need help? I'd look and candle, she has to get off sometime, that's when you make your move. I go in and close the door so she can't get back on the nest till I'm through. I agree if there is a chance one of the geese or drake could get one then you did the right thing, can you not move her and rest of ducklings to a safer area till they are old enough to be out with the flock. I have 2 geese and know how worrisome they can be when there's ducklings around. Now that our ducklings are 10 weeks they all run together again.

LOL! You caught me - I'm intimidated by a mad mama duck! No new babies today. Will have some help tomorrow with checking on the remaining eggs. This batch totally caught us off guard so we weren't prepared (obviously). It's really a communal nest that gets duck, geese, and infertile chicken eggs laid in it. Sometimes a Barred Rock will sit on it for a few days, then this Swedish will. Today I saw the BR sit for about an hour and then the duck took over again. We never dreamed their tag-team approach would actually produce healthy babies!! But they're doing just great

 

[Miss Lydia]

LOL! You caught me - I'm intimidated by a mad mama duck! No new babies today. Will have some help tomorrow with checking on the remaining eggs. This batch totally caught us off guard so we weren't prepared (obviously). It's really a communal nest that gets duck, geese, and infertile chicken eggs laid in it. Sometimes a Barred Rock will sit on it for a few days, then this Swedish will. Today I saw the BR sit for about an hour and then the duck took over again. We never dreamed their tag-team approach would actually produce healthy babies!! But they're doing just great

How sweet that she has had help incubating, Look forward to hearing what left.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Update: removed a liquid egg from Rouen today, and a cracked one from KC. Both Ladies left their nests willingly. All the Rouen's eggs are dark, 3 air cells were just huge, but the majority are looking like Day 23-24. So she might have a spread out hatch like on that other thread. KC's were difficult to judge, I didn't have my good flashlight plus outside was very bright.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Update: removed a liquid egg from Rouen today, and a cracked one from KC. Both Ladies left their nests willingly. All the Rouen's eggs are dark, 3 air cells were just huge, but the majority are looking like Day 23-24. So she might have a spread out hatch like on that other thread. KC's were difficult to judge, I didn't have my good flashlight plus outside was very bright.

If your having hight heat and humidity that maybe one of the reasons your not seeing them sitting so much today H.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

It's not too bad really 72'F and only 61% humidity. I really think she's just getting antsy sitting. She's really my most social duck, I think she misses ranging with the flock.

 

[Miss Lydia]

It's not too bad really 72'F and only 61% humidity. I really think she's just getting antsy sitting. She's really my most social duck, I think she misses ranging with the flock.

Your probably right.

 

[BackyardAnita]

I have a broody duck sitting on 5 fertile eggs, how do I move them to the broody coop easily and without breaking her broodiness?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have a broody duck sitting on 5 fertile eggs, how do I move them to the broody coop easily and without breaking her broodiness?

I put my duck nest and all[which was shavings with the eggs in it] into a dog crate then carried her to the small coop I use for broody's and their hatchlings. I kept her closed up for the rest of the day she had already been out for her daily run, the next day I open the door and she came out when she was ready but I had to be sure to be there so I could take her back to her new nesting area because they always go back where they originally start. I picked her up and put her back closed the door again, the next day she found her nest by herself. This was about a week and a half before hatch. I've moved other broody's too and never had one break but know they can.

 

[jdywntr]

Well, as of this morning, I have 11 more additions to my flock of I have no idea how many right now. 3 are chocolate barred!!! Which puts me at 6 chocolate out of the last four hatches totaling 55.

Mom, well the hen that happened to be on the nest when hatching started, has not allowed me to get close enough for pictures. I was able to clean out the nest and look at the babies when she was eating but had no camera handy.

One of my older hens went broody a week or 2 ago. One of my 6 month olds had been setting on this nest the whole time. The last few days, the younger hen was not staying on the nest as much and I was finding the 2 of them on each other's nests at night. Well, 1 egg pipped and young hen left the nest in the morning, not to return. But Green went ahead and took over. She hasn't been the longest lasting mom, she has 21 two month olds that she "left" with another hen that had 7 of her own when they were about 3 weeks old. I'm hoping that being the only one with littles right now will help her remain with her babies. If not, she'll be allowed to remain, but not go broody.

I made the decision to remove the eggs from Green's original nest. The younger hen wasn't returning and I really don't need more babies right now. Though I do have another hen setting right now.

I have gotten a lot of interest in ads I have put out to sell some of the younger birds though.