I have an odd situation.
Our 2 muscovy sisters decided to both go broody at the same time, so are sitting on the same clutch at the same time. One of our bantam cochin hens that just started laying kept snuggling up to the muscovy ducks like SHE wanted a nest...so I put 3 of her eggs in the duck house not too far away, thinking the chicken may like to hatch some too.
Well, the chicken decided to leave the ducks to do their thing and the ducks stole the bantam chicken eggs. One of the duck sisters abandoned the nest to the other duck and decided to sit on the standard size chicken eggs. I candled and all of the duck eggs (5) and the bantam chicken eggs (now 6 because someone laid them on the ducks and the ducks tucked them away) are all growing. I tossed the standard sized chicken eggs cause they were blanks. so now the 2 ducks are cosititng again.
Fortunately day 21 for the bantam eggs should match day 35 for the duck eggs almost exactly and if not I have an incubator I'll keep warmed and ready.
My big question though...if they all hatch should I expect the ducks to parent the chicken babies along with the duck babies?
Our 2 muscovy sisters decided to both go broody at the same time, so are sitting on the same clutch at the same time. One of our bantam cochin hens that just started laying kept snuggling up to the muscovy ducks like SHE wanted a nest...so I put 3 of her eggs in the duck house not too far away, thinking the chicken may like to hatch some too.
Well, the chicken decided to leave the ducks to do their thing and the ducks stole the bantam chicken eggs. One of the duck sisters abandoned the nest to the other duck and decided to sit on the standard size chicken eggs. I candled and all of the duck eggs (5) and the bantam chicken eggs (now 6 because someone laid them on the ducks and the ducks tucked them away) are all growing. I tossed the standard sized chicken eggs cause they were blanks. so now the 2 ducks are cosititng again.
Fortunately day 21 for the bantam eggs should match day 35 for the duck eggs almost exactly and if not I have an incubator I'll keep warmed and ready.
My big question though...if they all hatch should I expect the ducks to parent the chicken babies along with the duck babies?
