Old fashioned Broody Thread for Ducks

[lilearthquake]

I see this is an old thread but have something to add and hope I can gain some knowledge. My 2 Pekins successfully hatched 6 ducklings on their own in the past 8 days (lost 2 hatchlings, 1 duckling but more are still pipping).

Moms seem growing tired of the staggered hatching. My ducks usually free range all day on a big lake and come home at dusk so the girls have given up a lot for these babies and are very cranky past 2 days. I do not have an incubator to put rest of clutch in so am hoping for the best. My pampered angel duck, Captain, is the one being the bad Mom so it's

This morning noticed a hen "picking" on a particular duckling. Didn't think much of it until I got home from work and same duck was biting same duckling's head and wings very hard. All the other duckling were running around her but she was singling out this one particular baby.

I took all babies away to their own hutch (staggered in age from 1 week to 2 days old) and they are getting along fine. But did I do the right thing? Virtually no literature on domestic pet ducks and their offspring anywhere that I can find anywhere so hoping for insight here.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I see this is an old thread but have something to add and hope I can gain some knowledge. My 2 Pekins successfully hatched 6 ducklings on their own in the past 8 days (lost 2 hatchlings, 1 duckling but more are still pipping).

Moms seem growing tired of the staggered hatching. My ducks usually free range all day on a big lake and come home at dusk so the girls have given up a lot for these babies and are very cranky past 2 days. I do not have an incubator to put rest of clutch in so am hoping for the best. My pampered angel duck, Captain, is the one being the bad Mom so it's

This morning noticed a hen "picking" on a particular duckling. Didn't think much of it until I got home from work and same duck was biting same duckling's head and wings very hard. All the other duckling were running around her but she was singling out this one particular baby.

I took all babies away to their own hutch (staggered in age from 1 week to 2 days old) and they are getting along fine. But did I do the right thing? Virtually no literature on domestic pet ducks and their offspring anywhere that I can find anywhere so hoping for insight here.

Yes you did, I had a mama duck try to kill one of her ducklings at hatch, It's not worth coming home to find a dead duckling. How many more eggs to hatch. How come hatch is so staggered?

 

[lilearthquake]

Thank you Miss Lydia, was hoping to hear from you. I thought they were just bad eggs but I noticed two more pipping now.

My theory: I brought home a new female Pekin from a chicken farm a few months ago. She went broody really fast. I think due to witnessing ducks & chickens hatch. Weeks thereafter, my hand-reared female went broody (by example). I've witnessed both female ducks stealing eggs from each others nest. So I think the first hatchings were from the new farm duck who started sitting earlier, but now they're all mixed up.

Still about 8 more to hatch.

 

[marawinter]

Hey-
I'm seeking insight on a similar topic. I have two adult ancona ducks, one drake and one mama. Two days ago, 4 ducklings hatched (!). I'm taking a very laissez-faire approach to the whole thing, which seems to be working well so far. I haven't separated the babies at all--drake, mama, and little ones are all together in one movable enclosure. Both the drake and female duck seem to be VERY protective of the babies and get nervous/defensive the second they spot me coming near. The only thing that makes me worry is that I've noticed the adult ducks, the drake especially, stomping/trampling on the newborns by accident from time-to-time when they move around the enclosure/yard.So far there haven't been any injuries that I can see, but I'm wondering if I should at least try to take the drake and put him in a separate enclosure, or is the stress of disturbing them more dangerous?

here's a picture of the babies on day 1:

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you Miss Lydia, was hoping to hear from you. I thought they were just bad eggs but I noticed two more pipping now.

My theory: I brought home a new female Pekin from a chicken farm a few months ago. She went broody really fast. I think due to witnessing ducks & chickens hatch. Weeks thereafter, my hand-reared female went broody (by example). I've witnessed both female ducks stealing eggs from each others nest. So I think the first hatchings were from the new farm duck who started sitting earlier, but now they're all mixed up.

Still about 8 more to hatch.

Well I hope she sticks it out till all have had a chance to hatch. Look forward to hearing how many hatch.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hey-
I'm seeking insight on a similar topic. I have two adult ancona ducks, one drake and one mama. Two days ago, 4 ducklings hatched (!). I'm taking a very laissez-faire approach to the whole thing, which seems to be working well so far. I haven't separated the babies at all--drake, mama, and little ones are all together in one movable enclosure. Both the drake and female duck seem to be VERY protective of the babies and get nervous/defensive the second they spot me coming near. The only thing that makes me worry is that I've noticed the adult ducks, the drake especially, stomping/trampling on the newborns by accident from time-to-time when they move around the enclosure/yard.So far there haven't been any injuries that I can see, but I'm wondering if I should at least try to take the drake and put him in a separate enclosure, or is the stress of disturbing them more dangerous?

here's a picture of the babies on day 1:

Do you want to take a chance of an injury? then leave them all together. I'd rather not have to face that and separate mine.

 

[kristinn]

Well I went and got some eggs today to put under my my broody muscovy duck who just started sitting on her eggs yesterday, I went home and put them in her nest.. but now, as I'm texting the lady I got the eggs from, she told me that her ducks had already been sitting on these eggs for about 3 weeks now! (Ughhh - she assumed I was going to put them in my incubator :/ )

I'm going back and forth on whether to just leave them and take away the ducklings as soon as they hatch and hope she will continue to sit on the rest of her eggs - or - go candle the eggs to find the ones I just put in there and try to incubate them (I'm not really fond of this idea though as last time i tried to incubate muscovy eggs I only got 2/12 to hatch) - or - leave them and watch closely for them to pip and put them in mh incubator then..

Does anyone have experience with this kind of situation??

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Oh that is tough. On the bright side, if your duck just started to sit, she's only got a week to go... But then her eggs have much longer. ...

I think I'd put one group into an incubator, if I had one.

Seems like someone was here with a split hatch similar to yours... I can't recall who it was tho, sorry. Maybe if you page backward to April or so? I personally have had not had great luck with staggered hatches. I hope yours works out.

 

[littlefrog]

One of my Rouens is just started on a nest. This time in the barn where I can protect her. Seems like I've had four or five ducks go broody so far this year, and every one wants to build her nest to be a racoon feeding station...

 

[kristinn]

Oh that is tough. On the bright side, if your duck just started to sit, she's only got a week to go... But then her eggs have much longer. ...

I think I'd put one group into an incubator, if I had one.

Seems like someone was here with a split hatch similar to yours... I can't recall who it was tho, sorry. Maybe if you page backward to April or so? I personally have had not had great luck with staggered hatches. I hope yours works out.

I think tonight im going to candle and mark the eggs i just put under her, then this weekend I'll take them out and stick them in the bator..