Old fashioned Broody Thread for Ducks

[PotatoWaffles]

@PotatoWaffles
 here are a few things we learned this year by watching our first broody Muscovy duck:
She didn't commit right away.  It was at least week, if not more, before she sat continually.  Once she did though, she was a real trooper and saw it through till the end.  Because we couldn't watch her non-stop I can only guess what her schedule was really like be we did see her come off the nest once or twice per day.  She'd eat, she'd get a swim / bath, forage a bit and then go back and resume her duty.  Every time she left the nest she'd cover all of them with straw and feathers from the top edges of her nest.  There were a few times I was worried that she'd given up but eventually she'd disappear back onto the nest.  If your duck was able to get back to build the nest, she'll be able to make it out for a swim and food.  Any harm in making it a bit easier for her?  It looks fairly safe and secure, but that's a guess on my part.  At the end of it, she hatched five healthy baby Muscovies and we successfully hatched one in the incubator.  They must know the secret handshake... we need the decoder ring I think.

Thanks for the info! I sure hope she does better than our incubator attempts. Our success ratio is atrocious.

I thought about taking the bricks out for easier access, but it actually protects her from the feisty young roos in the pen. They know she's back there and gather around the small opening and watch her her, but they can't get back there like she can. I am pretty sure she's committed. I fit my hand through the chain link and pulled out the egg she kicked out. She didn't scare or startle, just flinched a little and hissed at me lol.

 

[Ren2014]

Thanks for the info! I sure hope she does better than our incubator attempts. Our success ratio is atrocious.

I thought about taking the bricks out for easier access, but it actually protects her from the feisty young roos in the pen. They know she's back there and gather around the small opening and watch her her, but they can't get back there like she can. I am pretty sure she's committed. I fit my hand through the chain link and pulled out the egg she kicked out. She didn't scare or startle, just flinched a little and hissed at me lol.

x2 on the success ratio with the incubator. I'm leaving it all up to my girls from now on when it comes to Muscovy eggs.

 

[tmorgan46]

On a similar note - what is the prevailing strategy once the little buggers hatch? We've been collecting them up and putting them in a brooder. Now that warm weather is on the horizon, are you all letting Momma ducks be momma ducks? Or is intervention still the going method? Curious minds want to know!!!

 

[PotatoWaffles]

I wou

On a similar note - what is the prevailing strategy once the little buggers hatch?  We've been collecting them up and putting them in a brooder.  Now that warm weather is on the horizon, are you all letting Momma ducks be momma ducks? Or is intervention still the going method?  Curious minds want to know!!!  

I would like to let the mama be a mama, but our situation is kind of unique and complicated. We are moving next month and not exactly sure when yet. It's just across the street, but we will need to move all the fencing. I am hoping the eggs will hacth before we move, and we can just move mamas (two mallards are sharing one nest now) and babies in the hospital pen until we move. If not, I really don't know what we will do

 

[tmorgan46]

I wou
I would like to let the mama be a mama, but our situation is kind of unique and complicated. We are moving next month and not exactly sure when yet. It's just across the street, but we will need to move all the fencing. I am hoping the eggs will hacth before we move, and we can just move mamas (two mallards are sharing one nest now) and babies in the hospital pen until we move. If not, I really don't know what we will do

That's what I told the spousal unit last night. I think we need to back off a bit and let mother nature do her thing. So with that being said, I guess it's time to hit the books to find out what type of accommodations I need to make for new mommas and their new babies.

 

[PotatoWaffles]

That's what I told the spousal unit last night.  I think we need to back off a bit and let mother nature do her thing.  So with that being said, I guess it's time to hit the books to find out what type of accommodations I need to make for new mommas and their new babies.  

If we weren't moving, our plan would be to keep them in the garage in our hospital pen. There is a hole in the garage that leads oUT into the big pen, so we would put up a small separation fence from the other ducks. But now that we are moving, I don't know what we will do lol. Of all the times for my first broody ducks...

 

[cari1975]

Hi everyone. I have a duck story and wanted to see if I could round up some theories from the group.

Last Spring we bought some ducklings. 3 Rouens, 2 Pekins, and 2 Khaki Campbells. One of the Khaki's didn't make it longer than a few weeks. Well, the rest all grew up and we ended up with 3 boys and 3 girls. We have a coop for them as well as 4 acres and a small pond. They were free to come and go and would always come in the coop at night. Beginning this Spring they started coming home less and less. They are in the yard and hanging around all day, they come for food and water- but generally come and go as they please. They are happy ducks. They also started pairing up this Spring. The group split off into two. The male and female Rouens in one group. And then the Pekin pair and the female Rouen with the male Khaki in the second group. The male Rouen is unliked by the other males. He likes to cross boundaries and mate with the other group's girls.

Now onto my question. In the past couple of weeks the female Pekin and the other female Rouen have not been coming around with their mates. First it was the Pekin, then the Rouen. I'm hoping they aren't coming around because they are brooding somewhere. But wanted to ask if that seems logical? Would their male companions leave them to nest or would they stand around to protect? Watching them waddle around, nap and eat- their male companions seem to keep a pretty close eye on them. Is it likely they're broody? Or more likely they are just gone?

We have a broody hen also. We have been putting what we assume to be fertilized duck eggs under her (we don't have a rooster). This is what made us think/hope the ducks were possibly also broody.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Ren2014]

Hi everyone. I have a duck story and wanted to see if I could round up some theories from the group.

Last Spring we bought some ducklings. 3 Rouens, 2 Pekins, and 2 Khaki Campbells. One of the Khaki's didn't make it longer than a few weeks. Well, the rest all grew up and we ended up with 3 boys and 3 girls. We have a coop for them as well as 4 acres and a small pond. They were free to come and go and would always come in the coop at night. Beginning this Spring they started coming home less and less. They are in the yard and hanging around all day, they come for food and water- but generally come and go as they please. They are happy ducks. They also started pairing up this Spring. The group split off into two. The male and female Rouens in one group. And then the Pekin pair and the female Rouen with the male Khaki in the second group. The male Rouen is unliked by the other males. He likes to cross boundaries and mate with the other group's girls.

Now onto my question. In the past couple of weeks the female Pekin and the other female Rouen have not been coming around with their mates. First it was the Pekin, then the Rouen. I'm hoping they aren't coming around because they are brooding somewhere. But wanted to ask if that seems logical? Would their male companions leave them to nest or would they stand around to protect? Watching them waddle around, nap and eat- their male companions seem to keep a pretty close eye on them. Is it likely they're broody? Or more likely they are just gone?

We have a broody hen also. We have been putting what we assume to be fertilized duck eggs under her (we don't have a rooster). This is what made us think/hope the ducks were possibly also broody.

Thanks for sharing!

Gosh, I hope they are OK. They could be sitting on eggs somewhere

As for the male, he's not in it for incubating and hatching babies so yes, they would leave the broody. I sure hope your girls show up. Keep us posted.

 

[susan251]

A question for the group. I have a welsh harliquin duck who has been sitting diligently, and this afternoon two ducklings hatched. Yay!

However, she tossed the first duckling out of the nest, and when the second one was hatching she got off the nest and started quacking at it in alarm. She had the whole flock worked up.

I took both away and put them in my brooder, where they seem to be doing fine, and she went right back to incubating the rest of her eggs.

My concern is that she will regect the rest of the ducklings that hatch, and i wont be there to rescue them. Anyone have any suggestions on how to make her ducklings less frightening to her?

This her first year, so maybe she'll work it out?

 

[susan251]

Update, she attacked the third hatchling yesterday evening and made the poor thing bleed, so last night i cobbled together an incubator and stole her remaining eggs. Two more hatched over night, so i feel justified. All ducklings are doing fine. And i am learning how to incubate ....