should I take eggs from nesting teal

[wilwingswaterfowl]

This is my first year with Green wing and Cinnamon teal. The Cinnamon only laid 3 eggs and 2 bad ones. She didn't sit them and they died at day 18 in the incubator it is her first year though. My first Green wing to laid 24 eggs but all over the place. Sometimes 2 or 3 in a nest and some would get kicked out of the nest not necessarily by her. She never sat so I incubated them. Then my other one started a nest and is sitting great but I think I should take the eggs just before they hatch and finish them. It would be easier to feed them the right food and keep other ducks away until they are old enough. Any thoughts if I should do this?

 

[sylviethecochin]

I think that seems a bit cruel to the mother Teal, honestly. I mean, they're your ducks, and you should manage them as is best for you, but she'll have been setting for all that time and never have seen ducklings.

It would be easier to feed them the right food

If your setup allows for it, you might consider creep feeders. You provide food for the ducklings, but put it in a feeder where the adult ducks can't get. Mine's an old grain box with a hole cut out of the side. It holds feeders that contain high-protein feed for the ducklings, chicks, and bantams.

keep other ducks away until they are old enough.

I don't understand. Are your ducks particularly aggressive to new additions? While I only raise Mallard derivatives and Muscovys, I've never seen any indication that ducklings have to be kept separate from the flock. The mothers keep them safe, and the other ducks ignore them.

The only time I've ever seen a duck attack ducklings, they'd just lost their mother and were trying to adopt her as their new mother. She had her own ducklings and didn't appreciate the invaders.

Welcome to BYC.

 

[wilwingswaterfowl]

I'm not sure how aggressive they will be my Cinnamon can be aggressive I even have some videos of him fighting a Green wing. My other chicks were hatched over 3.5 weeks different in time and even the ones a week older had to be separated for bullying. I also like hand raising and keeping the ducklings indoors for safety. The enclosure is fairly protected but peeping chicks at night might attract unwanted predators the adults are locked up in a coop at night.

 

[wilwingswaterfowl]

Well she only hatched 3 out of 7 eggs not a very good success it's her firs year though. In hind sight I should have taken them because 2 of them had a hole big enough to see the duckling head and died. I saved a couple birds that did that in my incubator. I'll have 11 Green wings to sell this fall. Here is a video of proud mommy although not happy with me.

 

[wilwingswaterfowl]

The ducklings are flying now. As soon as I know what sex they are I can start selling them.