So, if i take a few eggs out will she keep laying in the nest?

[Nikkumz]

I want to take a few eggs out of the nest and get her to lay more so she can hatch a bigger clutch, i will just slip the on si take out, back in when she decides to start sitting on them. She now has 7 of her own and 3 chicken eggs in there that i put in to convince her to lay. Is this a bad idea? How many ducklings can they take care of? And should i just leave her alone and let her decide how many?

This a little over a year old mallard duck.
Thanks in advance!

 

[maybejoey]

I would just let her decide how many she can hatch.

 

[learycow]

It depends on her size. I have a muscovy hen, she is quite large, and she can barely fit her 17 ducklings under her. It doesn't matter much right now because the weather is still warm, but depending on where you are located, it might be cooler by the time your hen hatches her eggs. If she can't fit all the babies under her, she won't be able to keep them all warm and you might loose some.
You might also want to keep in mind that chicken eggs hatch at 21 days while most ducks hatch at 28 days (muscovies are 35 days). It might not be a good idea to put chicken eggs under her with her eggs. They will hatch before the duck eggs and she might abandon the rest once the chicken eggs hatch.

 

[Nikkumz]

Oh the chicken eggs arent fertile...lol i should have mentioned that! And she is a mallard so 28 days for her...That was just to entice her a bit! Thanks guys!