Rubber duck 🦆

[Chloevr]

Hi all!
Our beautiful girl has laid 10 eggs, successfully sat on the for 28 days.
I candle them all yesterday and felt 8 out of the 10 were moving, chirping inside.
One was rotten and one never developed.

Two eggs have pipped and hatched out. The rest have yet to start pipping.

She leaves the nest to go drink water and eat then goes for a quick swim.
She about sprints to do all of this
Before they hatched she covered the eggs with leaves and feathers.

I’m worried that the duckling will get cold when she gets off the newly hatched eggs to go eat.

I want to move them all into the coop where they will be sheltered from the outside. Will she abandon the nest if I move been all in the coop?

 

[Jenbirdee]

It sounds like she knows what she’s doing and they will be OK- I wouldn’t move anything unless a duckling actually was dying. In that case, I probably still wouldn’t move the whole nest. I’ll just take the ones that were dying and put them under a heat lamp inside. In a Brooder .I do think she wouldn’t like it if you movethe nest and you’re right she might abandon it completely and then you’d have to put all the eggs in an incubator if you have one.
But let me ask you this are they in a safe place protected from predators?

 

[Miss Lydia]

It sounds like she knows what she’s doing and they will be OK- I wouldn’t move anything unless a duckling actually was dying. In that case, I probably still wouldn’t move the whole nest. I’ll just take the ones that were dying and put them under a heat lamp inside. In a Brooder .I do think she wouldn’t like it if you movethe nest and you’re right she might abandon it completely and then you’d have to put all the eggs in an incubator if you have one.
But let me ask you this are they in a safe place protected from predators?

No place outside is safe from predators unless they are inside a protected space. Predators can get to a nest of eggs and ducklings really fast.

 

[Jenbirdee]

No place outside is safe from predators unless they are inside a protected space. Predators can get to a nest of eggs and ducklings really fast.

That’s so true. I am hoping she’s inside a secure run? . If she’s out in the open then I would move the nest , absolutely. and then if she abandons it , have an incubator ready. Let us know how it goes @Chloevr your ducks are beautiful I hope it goes well!

 

[Chloevr]

That’s so true. I am hoping she’s inside a secure run? . If she’s out in the open then I would move the nest , absolutely. and then if she abandons it , have an incubator ready. Let us know how it goes @Chloevr your ducks are beautiful I hope it goes well!

We are luckly in a very safe town. George South Africa. She is outside the run in my garden. I am just worried about her older girls, hatched October last year under my sisters chicken. One of her babies from last year is double her size already and very dominant! I’ll leave them all in the run today incase they bother her.

Do you think the drake will be ok to leave outside with her?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I would be cautious of a drake some could care less others can harm. I usually keep my mama duck and duckling separate with fencing so everyone can see each other and integration goes better, that way the ducklings are safe until they are at least 2 weeks old. Others may have a different approach.
Be sure to post pictures of them all once hatch is done we love pictrures.

And Welcome to BYC!