Old fashioned Broody Thread for Ducks

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you lf, I hope your little duckling will be accepted too, maybe having it where everyone can see it till big enough to be with everyone will help with acceptance. What about your geese would they take on the duckling? my gander has been wonderful with the ducklings this year. He's such a softee. I bet mama was happy to get a bath.

 

[stonykill]

Thanks stony, I took the other 2 eggs out from under Alice and candled them both were growing so I slipped the 2 eggs out from under Faith and gave her Alices last 2 eggs since they are way behind the duckling that just hatched. Then I candled Faiths eggs, nothing. Not that we need alot of ducklings but something isn't right here. Just hope this newest one will be okay after a day of rest. boy does it deserve it.

this is telling me you re getting a sign to keep a newborn drake

 

[Miss Lydia]

this is telling me you re getting a sign to keep a newborn drake

don't tell my other 2 drakes though.

 

[Going Quackers]

Miss Lydia, congrats on the baby! nothing good happening on my end, no new babies.. found another dead yesterday, seems to it never made it out of the egg..

i think all my birds are a bust. I'll give it a couple extra days but i think these have all died, why? is an absolute mystery, at least Junior is doing well... because i would say not only is he the beginning but the end of the ducks.

 

[Iain Utah]

I hope you can find the right spot for your duckling that has lost it mama so to speak. does it still have the chick with it.? Well this past thurs went to check on my broody duck and her egg and when i listened i could here tapping, oh my got so excited because i really didn't have much hope for this lil duckling, then on Friday morn a teeny tiny pip, could hear it peeping and no progress yesterday at all. So this morning I made a tiny little slit in the membrane and chipped a tiny piece of shell away, put it back under mama and went to church, then checked on it again when i got home still no progress so this time I got some warm water in a spray bottle and armed with oxine spray and warm water spray and tweezers went back out to see if i could do anything to help, so first off I spray a little warm water into the opening and the ducklings opened its mouth and had a little water, then i began the tedious job of removing some more membrane and shell, I did this one more time this afternoon until I saw a tiny bit of blood, so back under momma it is again. I think it can make it's way out now if it's not too exhausted from the last 3 days of trying. It still had a pretty good peep going for it. I think now it's up to the duckling, I am sorry if maybe i did the wrong thing but I really don't think it could get out, it was stuck. so it now has a chance, the hole is about the size of a half dollar so please pray that it will be able to fully hatch now and it will be okay. Thank you all, I have never done anything like this before and hopefully won't have to again but this little on deserved a chance.

Thank you, I spent a rather sleepless night over tha little duckling, wondering if i should have just left it alone, did I do too much, well went out this morning at firt light and it is struggling like the dickens to get free almost there now. It will get the rest of the way out on it's own. Thank God it's still living. Most of ya'll can relate to just what i have been going through I feel as though I hatched it LOL.

Duckling is hatched completely.. Looks great too. Mama was very happy to tuck it back under her..

I was going to ask you on the other thread for an update, then I saw this thread and checked. Looks like you did an awesome job assisting!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Miss Lydia, congrats on the baby! nothing good happening on my end, no new babies.. found another dead yesterday, seems to it never made it out of the egg..

i think all my birds are a bust. I'll give it a couple extra days but i think these have all died, why? is an absolute mystery, at least Junior is doing well... because i would say not only is he the beginning but the end of the ducks.

You mean hatching ducks right? your not getting rid of your ducks? I sure understand how frustrating the hatching process is, I candled my newest brooder this morning and neither was fertile, I gave her the new mama ducks last 2 eggs they were both fertile. and way behind the duckling that just hatched. So sorry you found another one dead. Maybe your off on days like i was, I had Alice day 35 last Thurs. and didn't get this lil duckling till today even though it tried for 4 days to hatch. I am think about humidity now, since this one was shrink wrapped in the egg. If i was you I would candle again you never know. go take a few at a time bring them inside and candle, mark them so you know the ones you have already done. I candled this morning and could see the veins and movement a first for me. I am sorry so sorry this has been so discouraging but JR. is gorgeous and you saw where ian said he is blue pied right.

 

[chooniecat]

Tried to look up the info on here-and of course computer is difficult-so question....do welsh harlequin brood for 28 days as I have heard and should I ASSUME count starts when duck disappears OVERNIGHT to sit on nest? plus the fact it has been hot during the day you would think any older eggs would have just fizzled out. Wild ducks probably get this done earlier in cooler weather but....Plus there are TWO welsh hens doing sit duty now it seems.

 

[larkflying]

My Welshies are all brooding late it seems -- two of the ones I thought weren't broody are now making nests . .. I'd be more excited, but my drake has been gone for about 3 weeks now, so I'm thinking the eggs aren't fertile. Sigh. I still have two ducks sitting tight though -- hoping for a couple more babies - girls if I'm lucky. My immature drakes are from a completely different hatchery, so this year I don't have to worry about inbreeding at all.

Mine went longer than 27 days, but it was cool and rainy here. I think it could depend on the weather. I've heard that having an incubator cooler than normal or forgetting to close the lid for a few hours can delay the incubator hatch, so I'm assuming it is the same for the momma ducks.

I started counting when the duck was on the nest all day as well as the night. If the nights are cool they sleep on the eggs to make sure they don't freeze. When they stay on the nest during the day, that is a sign that they are brooding, and are done with laying.

 

[Going Quackers]

You mean hatching ducks right? your not getting rid of your ducks? I sure understand how frustrating the hatching process is, I candled my newest brooder this morning and neither was fertile, I gave her the new mama ducks last 2 eggs they were both fertile. and way behind the duckling that just hatched. So sorry you found another one dead. Maybe your off on days like i was, I had Alice day 35 last Thurs. and didn't get this lil duckling till today even though it tried for 4 days to hatch. I am think about humidity now, since this one was shrink wrapped in the egg. If i was you I would candle again you never know. go take a few at a time bring them inside and candle, mark them so you know the ones you have already done. I candled this morning and could see the veins and movement a first for me. I am sorry so sorry this has been so discouraging but JR. is gorgeous and you saw where ian said he is blue pied right.

Yeah, sorry i meant hatching.. not getting rid of the 'scovies though mind you don;t know how I am gonna fix this... now i have a 4-4 ratio?

I will have to check the eggs again, they girls are set tight and pretty cranky, we're in a massive heat wave right now, high humidity and such..

I had not seen Ian's post on JR colour, blue pied? nice.. at least he's pretty would have been a prettier duck though

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yeah, sorry i meant hatching.. not getting rid of the 'scovies though mind you don;t know how I am gonna fix this... now i have a 4-4 ratio?

I will have to check the eggs again, they girls are set tight and pretty cranky, we're in a massive heat wave right now, high humidity and such..

I had not seen Ian's post on JR colour, blue pied? nice.. at least he's pretty would have been a prettier duck though

I know what you mean, I said Lord you helped me help this lil duckling out of it's shell, can you also let it be a girl. LOL I think it is so neat how colors from way back somewhere appear in our ducklings. I am so looking forward to seeing what this duckling looks like in the light, {she} is deff different than the other 2. I am happy to hear your not throwing in towel in on ducks period.