Pirate ducklings with chicken mama!

[Knighstar679]

I can see better in real life than it shows in the photos. I’m still pretty excited to see development! I think I will look again in another week.

I am a candling junky. I LOVE watching the eggs develop. I can’t help but candle regularly. Just like I snuggle my ducklings daily.

 

[casportpony]

Congrats, the eggs look really good, I am so happy for you!

 

[Kiki]

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Photo 4 & 5 are the same egg. All have started developing. I’m concerned about the egg in the third photo. It really was not like the others. There didn’t seem to be a central spot that the veins come from and it seemed to move different as I turned it in my hand.

 

[Duck_life]

good luck!!!

 

[CrazyCrttr75]

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It’s officially official, tonight I swapped the infertile chicken eggs under my extremely large and broody Delaware hen for 5 somewhat carefully selected fertile duck eggs from my flock. With any luck in 28 days there will be pirate ducklings taking over the chicken coop. Dela happily and carefully tucked each egg underneath her, wiggled her butt, and settled down on top of them. Follow along for photos and fun as we wait for the littles to make an appearance. This will be my first journey hatching anything.

Here is a photo of my big macks, the suppliers of the eggs.

I am just starting to experience this myself for the first time. Only it's my duck Annabelle that is wanting to be a momma and has started sitting. So I gave her a couple extra eggs for a total of 4. We'll see how she does. I'm late to the party but I'm excited for you! Good luck!

 

[PirateGirl]

I am just starting to experience this myself for the first time. Only it's my duck Annabelle that is wanting to be a momma and has started sitting. So I gave her a couple extra eggs for a total of 4. We'll see how she does. I'm late to the party but I'm excited for you! Good luck!

Yay! Post some pictures of your broody mama and share some candling pics when the time comes!

 

[CrazyCrttr75]

Yay! Post some pictures of your broody mama and share some candling pics when the time comes!

I will. This is my girl Annabelle. At first she tried in the chicken's nest boxes.

The chickens didn't care for that too much. Not to mention that when the chicken in the top box jumped down after she was done laying, Annabelle didn't like how close she got to her and let her know it. She reached out and grabbed feathers, nipping at the poor chicken. Chickens squawking, feathers flying. So we tweaked the area that we have penned off for the ducks to where they can't get in the chicken area anymore. So she decided this was a good place for a nest. The door that she is behind was the original entryway into their coop and the front was a covered porch where we keep their food and water. But we enclosed the porch with a door that flips up to lock them in and let's down to let them out in the morns. So that inner door is just for decoration, other than making her feel safe behind it.

 

[PirateGirl]

I will. This is my girl Annabelle. At first she tried in the chicken's nest boxes.
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The chickens didn't care for that too much. Not to mention that when the chicken in the top box jumped down after she was done laying, Annabelle didn't like how close she got to her and let her know it. She reached out and grabbed feathers, nipping at the poor chicken. Chickens squawking, feathers flying. So we tweaked the area that we have penned off for the ducks to where they can't get in the chicken area anymore. So she decided this was a good place for a nest. The door that she is behind was the original entryway into their coop and the front was a covered porch where we keep their food and water. But we enclosed the porch with a door that flips up to lock them in and let's down to let them out in the morns. So that inner door is just for decoration, other than making her feel safe behind it.
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How many eggs does she have total? Chicken eggs or duck eggs?

 

[CrazyCrttr75]

How many eggs does she have total? Chicken eggs or duck eggs?

She has 4 duck eggs. Unless my other female has laid an egg in the nest again today. I need to check lol. I have a trio of ducks. I have Annabelle, which I think is a Khaki Campbell or a Golden Layer or maybe a mix, heck, IDK. And I have a Rouen pair, Xena and Noah.

 

[PirateGirl]

Day 10 Update:

Planning for the littles.

So to those of you who have hatched with a broody, do you usually leave her with the flock or separate her?

If it makes a difference, currently my ducks and chickens are separate. The broody chicken is sitting on duck eggs in the chicken coop. There are 3 other chicken hens in there, all a few years old, no roosters, no adult ducks in this coop/run.

I don't really want to remove her, but was thinking about installing some sort of temporary partition when it gets closer to hatch. I will need to dig in my recycling and make a new secondary feeder/waterer that ducklings can use since they won't be tall enough to use the rubber livestock bowls in the run.

Would you remove her and set her up in a dog kennel? Would you build a partition? Would you just let her do her thing and protect them and not worry about? Would you wait and see how the other chicken hens act or is this too risky?