A few years ago, I started my flock with two ducks and 6 chickens. The ducks were already laying eggs everywhere. One of my little bantam hens was very broody. She would sit on golf balls, rocks or anything round she could fit on. None of the chickens were laying yet. Unfortunately predators found my ducks soon thereafter. I got the bright idea to stick a few of those duck eggs under that hen. Well bless her heart, she faithfully sat there and incubated those eggs and wouldn't you know it, I had 3 little ducklings following that mama bantam everywhere she went. When they were about 2 weeks old, mama bantam took them to close to the pond and they discovered water. All 3 immediately jumped in and started swimming in circles. Mama bantam frantically ran back and forth clucking desperately to her babies. They just kept swimming. She decided to jump in to rescue her babies. She went under but managed to find the edge of the pond and pull herself out. She almost drowned but it didn't stop her from jumping in over and over trying to reach her babies now slowly swimming around calling to her. I finally took pity on her and ran back to the house and got the pool skimmer. I returned to the pond and swept the babies up and pulled her out. She gave those babies an earful all the way back to the hen house. Of course the next day, they headed right back to the pond. She never did learn to swim but she sat in the grass beside the pond and kept an eye on her babies even after they were 3 times the size of her.