Setting mama duck past day 29 - what to do?

[lilyduck]

Hiyya duck experts -

I always turn to you for the best advice when I'm totally stumped, and now I have another problem!

I've been letting one of my welsh harlequins sit on her eggs, she's been very dedicated and almost never leaves the nest. But, today is day 30 and I don't see any babies. However, she won't even stand up to let me see the eggs.

Is it possible that there are babies under there and I just can't see them? Or when they hatch would they be running around the pen? Should I let her keep sitting for another few days or is all possibility of a hatch gone by day 30?

Thanks for the advice!

 

[chickensducks&agoose]

I'd give her another 5 days... if no babies by then, take her off and candle the eggs... or sneak one out while she's sleeping and candle it...

 

[Borncountry419]

Usually you can hear the babies making noise, but maybe they're shy. Lol. I've found hens to sit especially tight for the first day after the babies have hatched. Maybe spy on her. Hide so she can't see you, and you should hear her "talking" to the ducklings, whether they are hatched or started to pip.

 

[mestaske]

I would just get some leather gloves on and a long sleve jacket and peek under there if you are worried. That is what I would do.

 

[lilyduck]

Thanks for the replies everyone! So I got my courage up and took the eggs out and candled them today, using the metzer farms candling guide, it looks like two of them are Day 25 (but I didn't see any movement) and the other two look like Day 11 or so, and I saw bright red vessels and the little babies were moving.

I remembered that one of my other welsh harlequins had been limping about two weeks ago, so I put her in the pen with the setting duck for two days so that the boys wouldn't bother her. Each morning, there was an egg on the floor and not the nest, so I assumed that I had gotten the injured duck's eggs out, but I guess not.

So, now I've got a mama setting on eggs in very different stages. What do I do if the two more mature eggs hatch? Will mama keep setting until the other two hatch?

Looks like I've still got lots to learn!

 

[Borncountry419]

A mom does "plans" the hatch so all the ducklings hatch at once. So chances are pretty good that a day or two after they hatch, she'll up and leave with her two babies. Although I have heard of ducks that would rather set than raise babies, so she could end up being one of those birds. Lol. I'd say let her hatch those two, but put the rest in an incubator (Tsc or fleet farm sells them for 45$).