Question for those of you that use your broody Chicken to hatch duck e

[PlumTuckered]

Do your ducklings end up shrink wrapped every time?
This was my first time using a broody chicken to sit on duck eggs...2 hens are on 14 eggs. Eggs are due to hatch next sunday. Tonight one of the hen's was acting stressed, I checked in her nest and there was one of the eggs pipped (bill through the membrane) and half of the shell off but the baby was shrinkwrapped. That membrane was bone dry and tight. I wrapped the egg in a hot wet paper towel, put hot water in the incubator and cranked it up. A little while ago the baby successfully hatched out of the membrane.

I realize that a broody duck will get wet and that keeps the eggs moist however a chicken is not going to get wet so how do you all deal with that, or is it not normally a problem? I'd love to hear your experiences.

Michelle

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

I am curious to know the same thing.

My two silver appleyards hid a nest over by a wood pile in a very unsecure area. I was afraid to move them because I thought they would give up on sitting on their shared nest of 16 eggs. Last week at 3 wks something got one of the ducks. Found the eggs the next morning cool.

I moved the single duck to a pen but she refused to sit, so I put 13 eggs under a broody hen. Four days later that silly hen went to another nest box. Eggs cooled again but I put them back under her hoping their still viable.

YAHOO!! Tonight, I just candled them and 12 of the 13 have movement AND 3 have pipped into the air sack. I too am concerned about the lack of moisture and wonder if I should mist them under the chicken. She's so nice about me reaching my hand under her. I could lift her up and spray.

My other problem is, I'm not sure if the broody hen is the one from last year that ate her babies right after pip/zip and/or hatch.

Read here where I pulled the two remaining eggs after pip and hatched them out in my sports bra:https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=387189

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Ok - as I wait to hear what other folks do, I went out and put a warm damp cloth under the broody hen and put the duck eggs on top of that.

What a sweet hen, the buff orpington is. She just let me take the eggs out, slip the damp cloth under and put the eggs back under her. I can see I'm going to have to call off work tomorrow to stay home to help any hatch if need be. I will then pull them and put in my stock tank brooder in my sunroom.

This is my first time to brood ducks and wasn't expecting to. I'd much rather have the moms do the raising.

 

[PlumTuckered]

I agree, BO Hens are such wonderful Gals! I have 11 Mallard eggs under one of my BO Hens. The egg that hatched here in the house last night was under my Cuckoo Maran-Buff Minorca Mix Hen and she's crazy! She wouldn't stay on the baby once it started to hatch...she's got 3 more Mallard eggs under her so I'm keeping a close eye. I'm hatching some of my Mallard's eggs out for a friend, I also have a 2 yr old Pekin sitting on a nest of 15 Mallard eggs..should be fun to see how many we end up with.

Good luck with your hatching, keep us posted!

Michelle

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Two eggs pipped to the shell. I went and read up on SundownSilkies.com that call ducks need help. These eggs were hatched by two silver appleyard banty ducks that could have been mated with one silver appleyard or two call ducks.

I don't have an incubator so I have them in my bra with a warm damp paper towel to keep the humidity up. I opened the shell at the pip so they can breathe.

The membrane is soft and white on one. I pulled a little too much on the other and caused a little blood. I will leave that one be to not cause any more blood.

They are both chirping softly and working their beaks off and on with short breaks. Do you think they are still obsorbing yolk or would they have completed that by now since they have been pipped into the air sack 18-24 hrs?

 

[PlumTuckered]

Hmm I can't say for sure but from what I've read I think they may be near done absorbing the yolk. I've had plenty of babies come out of the shell with it all absorbed and plenty with different amounts still left to be dissolved. Makes me think it depends on each individual baby.

I just went and checked on my Maran hen and another egg has a pip in it so I'll be out there steadily watching just in case.

Michelle

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

The reason I pulled the eggs is last year one of the broody buff orpingtons ate her chicks just after zipping or hatching and I don't know if she is the one. I have three buffs. I would go out and see one had pipped and or was zipping and then go back out and that chicks was GONE.

That happended to two of the four eggs before I pulled the last two after they pipped and hatched them out in my bra.

 

[PlumTuckered]

I just went out to check on the maran hen. another egg was pipped and she was pecking it...I grabbed both eggs and put them in the bator. The egg she was pecking at has some blood on it. so now I have 2 mallard babies hatched, one zipping and an internal pip on the 4th.

Michelle

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Holly cow!! Do you think she was pecking at it because it was peeping?

The two peeped ones this morning are all fluffy and dry - both dark colors. The other two I brought later this morning that had pipped were not ready to be helped. Both yellow one that had not obsorbed it's yolk died. The other has obsorbed most of it but is really weak.

Four other eggs pipped under the hen. I took the towel off from under the hen and moistened it again.

 

[PlumTuckered]

I'm so sorry you lost one :-(

I have no idea why she was pecking at the egg..this was her first time going broody (she's a year old), I took her out of the nest, grabbed up those last two eggs and brought them in to the incubator. She had something to eat, a dust bath and got on the roost in the hen house..guess she decided motherhood isn't for her

Michelle