Question about Mallards...I'm still a newbie

[Tinydinomomma]

I have a pair of mallards that I hatched in an incubator last year. They hatched around July 7. Male and Female. She hatched off 9 of the 18 eggs she laid in mid April this year. 7 survived and are doing well in the pen with the male and female. She made another nest in the same spot, laid 11 eggs. I do not know when she actually started setting, I thought it was around 6/22. But between noon on 7/11 and 10am on 7/12 she actually had 5 eggs to hatch. They 5 babies are doing well. I removed them from the pen with the big ducks and they are in the brooder. The female is still setting on the remaining 5 eggs. Is there a chance that the remaining eggs will hatch? Will she decide when she's sat long enough on the remaining eggs with no result and abandon the nest? She's faithful with her sitting! Any advise or suggestions is appreciated.

 

[Miss Lydia]

You should candle the remaining eggs. She may be like my Muscovy and sit forever if I don't remove non hatchable eggs so she'll get up which usually still takes a few days after the eggs are removed.

 

[gtaus]

I raised ducks many years ago, but always bought them day old at the farm stores. Congratulations to you on raising your own. I suspect you should just leave the hen sitting on her eggs alone until she abandons the nest. Normally, it takes 21 days to hatch eggs. But if she gives up on the remaining eggs, she probably knows best. Not all eggs are expected to hatch. That's just nature.

Here is an article on Duck Breeding concerning abandoned duck eggs that may be helpful. Good luck.

Here is a screenshot of the beginning of that article in the link...

 

[Tinydinomomma]

You should candle the remaining eggs. She may be like my Muscovy and sit forever if I don't remove non hatchable eggs so she'll get up which usually still takes a few days after the eggs are removed.

I thought about that, but I was concerned if I ran her off her nest to candle the eggs, if they were still viable, would she return to the nest to finish setting?

 

[Tinydinomomma]

I raised ducks many years ago, but always bought them day old at the farm stores. Congratulations to you on raising your own. I suspect you should just leave the hen sitting on her eggs alone until she abandons the nest. Normally, it takes 21 days to hatch eggs. But if she gives up on the remaining eggs, she probably knows best. Not all eggs are expected to hatch. That's just nature.

Here is an article on Duck Breeding concerning abandoned duck eggs that may be helpful. Good luck.

Here is a screenshot of the beginning of that article in the link...

View attachment 3894881

Thank you. I will give it a read!