The Broody Duck Thread for 2014

[ringaring]

Thanks for the 'Mom' info. I'll be looking around for Mom material during the next few days based on what I read here. I figure I get plenty of eggs from my Runners so to get a couple of ducks who don't lay much but are reportedly good Moms would be worthwhile. I'd love a Muscovy but placing 2 large ducks in with my little Runners seems risky. I'm thinking Cayuga, Mallard, Call or Welsh Harlequin might be better. More research for now.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks for the 'Mom' info. I'll be looking around for Mom material during the next few days based on what I read here. I figure I get plenty of eggs from my Runners so to get a couple of ducks who don't lay much but are reportedly good Moms would be worthwhile. I'd love a Muscovy but placing 2 large ducks in with my little Runners seems risky. I'm thinking Cayuga, Mallard, Call or Welsh Harlequin might be better. More research for now.

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.

 

[121zues]

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!

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[holm25]

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.

Thanks for the 'Mom' info. I'll be looking around for Mom material during the next few days based on what I read here. I figure I get plenty of eggs from my Runners so to get a couple of ducks who don't lay much but are reportedly good Moms would be worthwhile. I'd love a Muscovy but placing 2 large ducks in with my little Runners seems risky. I'm thinking Cayuga, Mallard, Call or Welsh Harlequin might be better. More research for now.

Our cayuga don't brood worth a hoot neither do our australorps .

 

[Miss Lydia]

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.

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!

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Aren't they sweet, and persistent, keep us updated.

 

[holm25]

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.

OH I see what you mean.

 

[ringaring]

What is considered 'good maternal' behaviors in ducks? I have 1 Mom who is usually close to her babies (4 weeks old). 2 Moms are co-jointly are raising three 2.5 week old ducklings; tried to seperate one of the Moms a couple of times & she went nuts: biting all the other females, running around like a banshee, yelling at the grow-out area gate until I let her back in & then she calmed down. Yet these 2 Moms seem oblivious to the ducklings under their feet & seem to compete with them for food & greens - which they have plenty of. My last Mom has 4 ducklings, stepped on a 5th and killed it, occasionally pokes at the ones left (1 week old) & also seems unaware she is walking on ducklings sometimes. Now I have the last Mom-to-be on 14 eggs & I am considering removing all but the 1st group that hatches & allowing them to grow in a grow-out pen without Mom. I haven't seen anything I would consider protect behaviour in any of the Moms. I want to keep ducklings from Moms who show strong maternal instincts but 1st I need to see some. I wish there was a book on 'duck behaviour' like the books on dog behaviour - so much easier to understand!

 

[Miss Lydia]

What is considered 'good maternal' behaviors in ducks? I have 1 Mom who is usually close to her babies (4 weeks old). 2 Moms are co-jointly are raising three 2.5 week old ducklings; tried to seperate one of the Moms a couple of times & she went nuts: biting all the other females, running around like a banshee, yelling at the grow-out area gate until I let her back in & then she calmed down. Yet these 2 Moms seem oblivious to the ducklings under their feet & seem to compete with them for food & greens - which they have plenty of. My last Mom has 4 ducklings, stepped on a 5th and killed it, occasionally pokes at the ones left (1 week old) & also seems unaware she is walking on ducklings sometimes. Now I have the last Mom-to-be on 14 eggs & I am considering removing all but the 1st group that hatches & allowing them to grow in a grow-out pen without Mom. I haven't seen anything I would consider protect behaviour in any of the Moms. I want to keep ducklings from Moms who show strong maternal instincts but 1st I need to see some. I wish there was a book on 'duck behaviour' like the books on dog behaviour - so much easier to understand!

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.

 

[holm25]

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.

We have Storey's guide to raising chickens and that is great so if the other books are like that I strongly recommend them .

 

[smonkeySK]

What is considered 'good maternal' behaviors in ducks? I have 1 Mom who is usually close to her babies (4 weeks old). 2 Moms are co-jointly are raising three 2.5 week old ducklings; tried to seperate one of the Moms a couple of times & she went nuts: biting all the other females, running around like a banshee, yelling at the grow-out area gate until I let her back in & then she calmed down. Yet these 2 Moms seem oblivious to the ducklings under their feet & seem to compete with them for food & greens - which they have plenty of. My last Mom has 4 ducklings, stepped on a 5th and killed it, occasionally pokes at the ones left (1 week old) & also seems unaware she is walking on ducklings sometimes. Now I have the last Mom-to-be on 14 eggs & I am considering removing all but the 1st group that hatches & allowing them to grow in a grow-out pen without Mom.  I haven't seen anything I would consider protect behaviour in any of the Moms. I want to keep ducklings from Moms who show strong maternal instincts but 1st I need to see some. I wish there was a book on 'duck behaviour' like the books on dog behaviour - so much easier to understand!

If you want good maternal instincts you'll be looking for a chicken hen not a duck hen!
Ducks are far more relaxed about their young; one of mine gets very aggressive when she has babies - she's not bothered about me handling her young (she left them asleep on my hand for an hour on day 1 while she went foraging..), she's only bothered about me touching anything she thinks is food!
As long as they're not constantly standing on or attacking their babies - then you have a "good" duck mum