Rouen Duck thread

[Debs Flock]

Hi! I know I am just jumping in here but I wanted to ask a specific breed question and can't seem to find an answer. I have a rouen and khaki female. Both started laying eggs in March. I had to move their house and nest box. After the move (about 1.5 weeks ago) one of the hens made a nest in the box instead of using the pine shavings I had in there she went and made a mud and straw nest with built up sides. I continued collecting eggs everyday. Today the eggs were really warm like she was on usually they are just laid and left alone. We left them in the nest hoping one of the girls will go broody. So here is my question, will either of these breeds go broody or are they just layers? The ducks show zero interest (literally none) in the ducklings and goslings I have in the brooder coop. Is it wishful thinking that one of the girls could go broody? Thanks in advance!!

I think it just depends on the nature of the duck. Some naturally go broody and others are a lot less likely. I've heard Rouens don't typically feel very motherly. I'm not familiar with KCs. Let's tag some resident experts.

@Miss Lydia
@Kaessa
@Amiga
@WVduckchick

 

[rvecellio]

@rvecellio
 - this is a good pic of Rouens. 

@gifters
 - really is a lovely photo!  do you know at what age the far right one started getting the green on his head?

definetly 100% not rouens 

they are the snowy pattern if they were rouens they would have they grey  wild type pattern or blue wild type or pastel wild type pattern but the blue and pastel are harder to come by and also do not look like what u have 

u have welsh harlequins most likely from the snowey patterns 

Thanks guys. The guy at tractor supply started this confusion due to the fact he couldn't give me the actual breed and stated that he thought they were Rouens. And the ducks in the picture are beautiful.

 

[Celtlore]

Wow! Great looking bunch!! Thanks for sharing. Do you know which/how many are drakes?

Well, today I would say that both Rouens are hens (ducks) and any bodies guess on the Swedish. I thought for sure I had a pair or Rouens by there quacks, but unless the males develop their head color much later than getting their teal feathers on the wings, they are both hens. I am new to ducks, so still learning.

 

[PoultryCrazed]

Read, read & read some more. That's the only general tip I can give.

Also, if you're planning these 6 only in the flock, the gender ratio may not work. I believe each drake can easily keep 3-4 ducks busy and over mate existing if not enough females.

Yes you make a good point, I plan that if it becomes a problem I will butcher one . Thanks for the feedback

 

[Tsumo]

I have a question. I had 4 rouens 1 male 3 females. I had to rehome my male as he was very mean. He attacked me and debit me quite a few times. So I just have my 3 girls and 1 duckling that that I incubated (only 1 survived out of 5 eggs. ) Any way the duckling was put out with the other babies in the yard and my girls became EXTREMELY curious of it. And all of a sudden I go in my coop and I have a broody duck!!! She's mean and hisses and beats you with her wings if you get too close. And she hoards eggs!!! I'm only letting her have 1 egg as the 3 eggs that hatched 2 were deformed severely and died. My question is how long are the eggs fertile for after the male is removed and no breeding has taken place? I removed my male about a week to a week and a half before this all happened. I don't want her sitting on an egg that has no chance of hatching. If it's not fertile I will give her some chicken eggs to sit on. Never had a broody duck before! Lol

 

[gifters]

Green heads coming in nicely

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

 

[Pekin1999]

ave a friend who I gave my pekin away too and my friend managed to legally obtain two Canada geese. Right now the geese are about a month old and I am curious how they will interact with my pekin and the rest of his flock for that matter. Will they all get along? The reason I felt this applied to the Rouen duck thread is that his oldest duck in the flock is a Rouen.

 

[Amiga]

Hi! I know I am just jumping in here but I wanted to ask a specific breed question and can't seem to find an answer. I have a rouen and khaki female. Both started laying eggs in March. I had to move their house and nest box. After the move (about 1.5 weeks ago) one of the hens made a nest in the box instead of using the pine shavings I had in there she went and made a mud and straw nest with built up sides. I continued collecting eggs everyday. Today the eggs were really warm like she was on usually they are just laid and left alone. We left them in the nest hoping one of the girls will go broody. So here is my question, will either of these breeds go broody or are they just layers? The ducks show zero interest (literally none) in the ducklings and goslings I have in the brooder coop. Is it wishful thinking that one of the girls could go broody? Thanks in advance!!

I have seen here and in my own flock that while some breeds have a reputation for either being broody or not, it is entirely up to the duck. I have two Runners and a Buff who go broody pretty regularly. One Runner has gone broody every summer of her life. Sepp Holzer in Austria has let his broody Runners hatch ducklings for several generations now and most of his ducks are good moms.

 

[Pekin1999]

I have a friend who I gave my pekin away too and my friend managed to legally obtain two Canada geese. Right now the geese are about a month old and I am curious how they will interact with my pekin and the rest of his flock for that matter. Will they all get along? The reason I felt this applied to the Rouen duck thread is that his oldest duck in the flock is a Rouen. (Sorry I typed it wrong at first)

 

[Pekin1999]

. Here are the legally obtained goslings at about a week old!