Well you got a good report on the Cayugas, so that's a start, funny thing is there are good and bad in all breeds, I was so surprised how much different chickens are than ducks in their roles as mamas coming into chickens 5 yrs after I started with ducks, goodness chickens could win the mommy award hands down, or rather wings down. Seems ducks have a much more laid back approach to mothering than chickens do.
You should go with Mallard.
Our cayuga don't brood worth a hoot neither do our australorps .
That's what I mean by individual ducks not necessarily the breed. My BA's have never even gone broody, my best broody's are my bantams. great mamas too, I have some awesome broody Muscovy's but they aren't all that great in the mama department. Then again last years broody/mama was one of the best. You just never know.
Aren't they sweet, and persistent, keep us updated.I have a broody mallard that has been sitting on a nest of 11 full time since Sunday she's got at least 2 different eggs under her I know some are hers I'm not sure who the other culprit is. We weren't gonna let her hatch any I kept taking her eggs and tearing her nest up but she kept rebuilding so we decided she was that determined she could have them. Now I'm so excited I can't wait to see her little babies![/URL]
I'm not sure we're going to see what we want in these ducks, I have never seen one of my mamas actually defend one of it's ducklings, that's why I close mine in a large pen with house for the first 3 weeks of life. everyone can see each other and get use to the idea there are new flock members. I've had mama's actually walk off and forage and leave their ducklings behind. vunerable to other flock members, I learned the hard way to pen them up, In Storey's guide to raising ducks Dave H rec. they be penned for 2-4 weeks for their protection from predators and other flock members. And penned each night for 6-8 weeks to protect them from predators. of course most of us house our flocks at night no matter how old they are. As far as the one on 14 eggs, that's going to be alot of ducklings under foot, so again a risk for death or injury, but I'd at least give mom a chance at mothering, this one maybe the one your looking for. My Scovy's seem to grow tired of mothering around 3 weeks of age, and usually by week 4 the ducklings are on their own. nothing like my chickens who will stay sometimes 10-12 weeks with their chicks. be roosting with chicks their size trying to fit under their wings, such a hoot. I do strongly rec Storey's Book on Raising Ducks He goes into depth on different breeds which is nice also.
