arcyjae
Hatching
- Mar 15, 2015
- 1
- 0
- 7
Woah, surprise this morning... One of our ducks has been sitting on a nest, and this morning I discovered that the eggs are fertile and developing! It looks like they are somewhere between 6-8 days along. We only have one male duck, and we thought he hadn't quite figured it out yet, but apparently he has. We've never hatched eggs before, so I would love some help.
Mama duck leaves the nest in the morning when I let the flock out of their barn. She covered the eggs up slightly with down and wood shavings. I've just put food and water nearby, so hopefully she won't have to leave as much. I had read, though, that when birds go broody, they go kind of dormant, and won't eat or drink much until the eggs hatch. She definitely is enjoying getting out and stretching her wings in the morning. Will the eggs suffer from her being away for a bit? She left them for less than a half an hour this morning.
We don't have an incubator, and I'd like to let her raise the ducklings herself. I've heard, though, of mama ducks abandoning the nest before they hatch. She's a cayuga, which Metzer Farms describes as "fair" mothers.
I'm also wondering if repeated candling (with a very bright flashlight) does damage to the eggs. Should it be limited?
We originally purchased "female" ducks, so it was a surprise when we ended up with one male! We never expected to end up with hatchlings. I'm doing some research now, but would appreciate any words of wisdom!
Mama duck leaves the nest in the morning when I let the flock out of their barn. She covered the eggs up slightly with down and wood shavings. I've just put food and water nearby, so hopefully she won't have to leave as much. I had read, though, that when birds go broody, they go kind of dormant, and won't eat or drink much until the eggs hatch. She definitely is enjoying getting out and stretching her wings in the morning. Will the eggs suffer from her being away for a bit? She left them for less than a half an hour this morning.
We don't have an incubator, and I'd like to let her raise the ducklings herself. I've heard, though, of mama ducks abandoning the nest before they hatch. She's a cayuga, which Metzer Farms describes as "fair" mothers.
I'm also wondering if repeated candling (with a very bright flashlight) does damage to the eggs. Should it be limited?
We originally purchased "female" ducks, so it was a surprise when we ended up with one male! We never expected to end up with hatchlings. I'm doing some research now, but would appreciate any words of wisdom!
