Old fashioned Broody Thread for Ducks

[LydiaB]

^^ I can provide water. The problem is food. I have a dish of duck food about 20-30 feet away, outside a gate that she can get through. The ducklings would be able to get through the gate as well, as long as the dog doesn't mind ducklings it should work okay. I could provide the food in a stall in the goat barn, where we used to house the ducks. The goats can't get in there. Would she move them inside when they hatch? Right now we have chickens taking over that barn, but I will try to fix the gate inside the building so they can't get through. I will take pictures of the set up so you can see it.

 

[LydiaB]

The top picture was taken from the door in the second picture. The ducks can get in through a small hole in the paneling where the green bucket is, and there are at least two other small entrances. The broody duck is under the door that is leaning against the building with the purple bucket in front of it. She can fit through the bottom of the gate. The food is not in the picture, it is about 5 feet away from the gate. Goats have long necks

 

[Wulfandwyn]

I assume this is a good place to ask a question about letting a duck hatch duck eggs
I am thinking about getting a muscovy hen off craigslist to help me hatch shipped call duck eggs. Does anyone know how realistic it would be to try and pull this off? My earlier attempt at hatching eggs didn't go so well, so I want to try a broody.
Thanks,
Dwen

I was able to hatch 2/8 mini silver appleyards under my broody muscovy. A few eggs got crushed, but I am not sure if it was from her or my chicken hen that kept butting in to lay her eggs. I don't know if MSA eggs are a lot bigger than call duck eggs.

 

[Margot50]

A Duckling has hatched!!!!
I checked Daphne's eggs on Thursday and not a PIP in sight
Then tonight there is an adorable fully hatched fluffy little duckling! Silverhead I think from the pictures. Hurrah! What a miraculous thing indeed. I didn't check any of the remaining eggs. Too excited.

 

[Miss Lydia]

A Duckling has hatched!!!!
I checked Daphne's eggs on Thursday and not a PIP in sight
Then tonight there is an adorable fully hatched fluffy little duckling! Silverhead I think from the pictures. Hurrah! What a miraculous thing indeed. I didn't check any of the remaining eggs. Too excited.

Congratulations, Keep us updated!!!

 

[Margot50]

We are up to two ducklings. A bluehead this time (I think), cute as can be.

Yesterday morning I went out and the duckiings were out of the nest and could not get back in as the opening was up about 6 inches and the duckilings are tiny. I made a little ramp up to the opening. Daphne flew out of the nest and flogged me! After I left and was watching from the other end of the run they had a nice arrangement where the kid were outside the nest on the ramp and Daphne was inside sitting on her eggs. Every once in a while one of the ducklings would lose its footing and roll over and over down the ramp. Get up and trundle back to the top. They popped in the 'pond' with Daphne who went through a full wild wash complete with splashing, wings flapping and dishing the water over the head etc. The little babies were just bobbing up and down. They immediately started pecking at things on the ground or on the fence.

The other ducks kept going over to the nesting box and looking in, which Daphne tolerated but didn't encourage. Bunny, the grey call hen, tryed to bite the ducklings (bite doesn't seem like the right word......) after which Daphne went to the rescue. All the other ducks just seem curious.

Meanwhile Babs has gone seriously broody. It was hot the last couple of days. Babs just lay on her eggs with her head out on the ground outside, saying OHH it is SOOO HOT.

I put a floating piece of wood in their 'pond' for an island if the little ones need one. I worry some because if the ducks wash vigorously they knock alot of water out and it might be hard for the ducklings to get out.

Couldn't get a count this am, had to get to work. But peeked in and saw at least two.

 

[Miss Lydia]

We are up to two ducklings. A bluehead this time (I think), cute as can be.

Yesterday morning I went out and the duckiings were out of the nest and could not get back in as the opening was up about 6 inches and the duckilings are tiny. I made a little ramp up to the opening. Daphne flew out of the nest and flogged me! After I left and was watching from the other end of the run they had a nice arrangement where the kid were outside the nest on the ramp and Daphne was inside sitting on her eggs. Every once in a while one of the ducklings would lose its footing and roll over and over down the ramp. Get up and trundle back to the top. They popped in the 'pond' with Daphne who went through a full wild wash complete with splashing, wings flapping and dishing the water over the head etc. The little babies were just bobbing up and down. They immediately started pecking at things on the ground or on the fence.

The other ducks kept going over to the nesting box and looking in, which Daphne tolerated but didn't encourage. Bunny, the grey call hen, tryed to bite the ducklings (bite doesn't seem like the right word......) after which Daphne went to the rescue. All the other ducks just seem curious.

Meanwhile Babs has gone seriously broody. It was hot the last couple of days. Babs just lay on her eggs with her head out on the ground outside, saying OHH it is SOOO HOT.

I put a floating piece of wood in their 'pond' for an island if the little ones need one. I worry some because if the ducks wash vigorously they knock alot of water out and it might hard for the ducklings to get out.

Couldn't get a count this am, had to get to work. But peeked in and saw at least two.

Good idea on the floating wood because ducklings do drown,. So haapy for you about ducklings keep up with the news and Congrats!! can't wait for pics.

 

[Going Quackers]

Well this is pretty much the final update of my broody's..

Lilly booted out the remaining 4 eggs, started with two.. then followed by a day later another and then finally the last one... after that i moved her and the 9 babies(what a task!) to the pen for daytime forage and basically ability to properly run around. They are all doing fantastic, foraging, running.. flapping the little wings.. again cute quotient is on overload.

Lilac absolutely freaked out when we moved Lilly and the brood, if anyone has any doubts about the noises a 'scovie girl can make.. get her in a situation like this and you'll find out they are so far from mute it's hysterical. Once as she found they were in the pen she calmed down, watched for awhile then went off foraging.. we took the last egg, she clearly had no intent on continuing with it and i doubt it was live anyhow.



Dusty(Junior's mom) is still attempting a bit of a broody moment but hasn't gone full hog, i am removing her eggs though.. we are done.. We have tons of pics so i'll try and update with some. So my first go rounds with breeding have been a true roller coaster ride, resulting in the end a total of 10 ducklings but that is with 4 ducks trying, so i don't think we did all that good, we had a lot of nest stealing, deaths... total failures etc.

I am not doing this again, i hope we have some ducks in my little brood of 9 and we will sell extras, i can't keep more drakes.. i am still waffling on Junior but he's turning out so pretty... it's hard though i don't have the room..

My final thoughts on the process? NOT for the faint of heart, it brings joy but also sadness so if your in this basically for pets it's not so cut n dry, so you really have to belt yourself in lol

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well this is pretty much the final update of my broody's..

Lilly booted out the remaining 4 eggs, started with two.. then followed by a day later another and then finally the last one... after that i moved her and the 9 babies(what a task!) to the pen for daytime forage and basically ability to properly run around. They are all doing fantastic, foraging, running.. flapping the little wings.. again cute quotient is on overload.

Lilac absolutely freaked out when we moved Lilly and the brood, if anyone has any doubts about the noises a 'scovie girl can make.. get her in a situation like this and you'll find out they are so far from mute it's hysterical. Once as she found they were in the pen she calmed down, watched for awhile then went off foraging.. we took the last egg, she clearly had no intent on continuing with it and i doubt it was live anyhow.



Dusty(Junior's mom) is still attempting a bit of a broody moment but hasn't gone full hog, i am removing her eggs though.. we are done.. We have tons of pics so i'll try and update with some. So my first go rounds with breeding have been a true roller coaster ride, resulting in the end a total of 10 ducklings but that is with 4 ducks trying, so i don't think we did all that good, we had a lot of nest stealing, deaths... total failures etc.

I am not doing this again, i hope we have some ducks in my little brood of 9 and we will sell extras, i can't keep more drakes.. i am still waffling on Junior but he's turning out so pretty... it's hard though i don't have the room..

My final thoughts on the process? NOT for the faint of heart, it brings joy but also sadness so if your in this basically for pets it's not so cut n dry, so you really have to belt yourself in lol

Congrats on the total and that all are doing great. We have had the grand children and also lost internet for 3 days end of last week so I have been pretty much isolated from all the happenings going on here. Looking forward to pics. I know how you feel about this broody business, When we first started with ducks back in 2004 the very next year we had our first broody which went without much ado she sat she hatched we sold all but a few of the 10. Then it was 2007 we let a couple of the girls brood plus one of my girls brooded a goose egg, that really went pretty good. Not much out of the ordinary happened. Then it was this spring when I really wanted to have some ducklings and of course the girls were wanting to brood so here we go starting with 8 eggs under Emmie, she hatched 4 and lost one after 2 days sold 2 kept one [drake] Then Ruthie started she had 5 eggs only 1 hatched {duck] next was Alice, of course i couldn't turn her down since for all of her almost 8 years I haven't let her brood, so off she goes sitting on 5 eggs, only 1 hatched [?] Now my youngest Faith is brooding, she is now down to 2 eggs both growing so we'll see, I have 3 girls trying real hard to brood but I am having to be a meanie and go in every morning and confiscate their eggs bodily remove them from their nest and evict them from the duck house for the day. Makes me feel terrible but 2 are young and can have a go at it next year the other is Emmie my first broody of this spring so it's not like she hasn't had the experience. Will we do this again, probably maybe not for a couple years though with fertility down because of some of or ducks and drakes being up in age we may just wait for a couple of years. It gets harder for me to disappoint them though when they are so persistant about it. lol Losing them is very hard and having to sell some is very hard. and I am not in this for money but just for the enjoyment of having ducks I love them. Gotta know your limit.

Any one looking to have some wonderful entertainment from watching mama ducks and her brood and have the space I say go for it and enjoy.

 

[LydiaB]

My brood went unbroody after 3 days. So I will have to wait until next year for ducklings from my own birds. I prefer the other breeds over KC anyways.