Paddlehands
In the Brooder
Out of 16 Eggs, 2 Ducklings Hatched – Can Anyone Help ID the Mixes?
Hey everyone! Just wanted to share our duck hatching story and ask for some help identifying our new little ones.
We had 2 nests and 16 eggs total, and ended up with 2 ducklings.
Having read about ducklings sometimes struggling to hatch, I decided to gently assist two of them:
Today I checked again—only one egg was left, and when I cautiously pipped it, I found a duckling inside that hadn’t made it. No signs of movement. I wish I’d acted sooner on that one too.
The flock has been very protective of the mother and ducklings—staying close and watchful. But when I put down some chick starter food, the magpie suddenly went after one of the ducklings, pecking at it repeatedly. Strange, since she’d been fine for two days prior.
The nest was brooded by our Swedish Blue hen, and I had added two Khaki Campbell eggs to her clutch. The father is a Cayuga drake, so the possible mixes are:
Is there any way to visually tell if the ducklings are Swedish mixes or Khaki mixes?
Happy to share pictures if that helps with ID!
Also open to advice on:
Thanks in advance!
Hey everyone! Just wanted to share our duck hatching story and ask for some help identifying our new little ones.
We had 2 nests and 16 eggs total, and ended up with 2 ducklings.
- The first nest was double brooded (two ducks sitting on it), but sadly none of those eggs hatched.
- The second nest had 4 eggs last Friday:
- One had pipped
- One had a crack
- Two were warm and heavier, but no visible signs of progress
Having read about ducklings sometimes struggling to hatch, I decided to gently assist two of them:
- The pipped one still had an intact membrane, so I carefully pierced it and widened the hole a little.
- The cracked one got the same treatment—just helped open it up a bit, no pulling or full assistance.
Today I checked again—only one egg was left, and when I cautiously pipped it, I found a duckling inside that hadn’t made it. No signs of movement. I wish I’d acted sooner on that one too.
Flock Behavior:
The flock has been very protective of the mother and ducklings—staying close and watchful. But when I put down some chick starter food, the magpie suddenly went after one of the ducklings, pecking at it repeatedly. Strange, since she’d been fine for two days prior.
Parent Info:
The nest was brooded by our Swedish Blue hen, and I had added two Khaki Campbell eggs to her clutch. The father is a Cayuga drake, so the possible mixes are:
- Swedish x Cayuga
- Khaki x Cayuga
Is there any way to visually tell if the ducklings are Swedish mixes or Khaki mixes?
Happy to share pictures if that helps with ID!
Also open to advice on:
- Handling flock aggression (especially from the magpie)
- Tips for raising these two little ones safely
Thanks in advance!
my guess is it's a black babe in the back and the one in the front is blue
