The Duck Thread

[caesargirl]

Alright. Well she isn't even sitting on them yet. I just noticed that she has been taking a couple extra minutes in the morning to come out of the house.  Part of me hopes that she goes broody just because I think it would be good for her to have the experience of being a mom. I'm thinking though that she might not sit at all because she doesn't seem to care when I go over to the nest her and her sister start quacking but they don't do anything. My drake however saw me over where the house is and ran across the yard and started circling me.   

Lol! Wait to see if she starts sitting. Once she does (maybe) , when she gets up to bathroom or eat, then remove the blue dot eggs. Leave only the amount you want to hatch. My ducks couldn't care less if I count eggs before they start sitting, once they do start incubating, they get all sorts of snotty!!

 

[caesargirl]

And drakes get all full of nonsense when it's broody season! Or at least that's the only time they have an excuse!

 

[Lamaremybabies]

Lol! Wait to see if she starts sitting. Once she does (maybe) , when she gets up to bathroom or eat, then remove the blue dot eggs. Leave only the amount you want to hatch. My ducks couldn't care less if I count eggs before they start sitting, once they do start incubating, they get all sorts of snotty!!

Ok. But do you know how long I should wait before just collecting them in case she chooses not to sit? Like give it a week and then remove them? Haha I can imagine so.

And drakes get all full of nonsense when it's broody season! Or at least that's the only time they have an excuse!

Haha tell me about it. He is usually so nice and loves to be cuddled but ever since it started getting warm he turned into a snot.

 

[caesargirl]

Ok. But do you know how long I should wait before just collecting them in case she chooses not to sit? Like give it a week and then remove them? Haha I can imagine so.


Haha tell me about it. He is usually so nice and loves to be cuddled but ever since it started getting warm he turned into a snot.

Since she has that many, a week would be right. It's kind of a guesstimate
Spring time.... Male hormones...yup, snots!!!

 

[jtn42248]

Hey,

So I have a question about my pekin girl. I noticed when I let my three pekins out in the morning the past couple days that she has been taking a lot longer than usual to come out of the house. So I thought maybe she's still laying her egg(s) but today I actually looked to see what she was doing because the whole time she's as quiet as a mouse. So I poked my head in to find that she is making a wall around the area where they lay and she was sitting on her eggs but then she came out and each time she doesn't go back in all day. Is she just doing some instinctive thing I've never seen them do before? Or is she going/gone broody?

Sounds like she may actually be building a clutch. She will do this for several days until she has enough eggs to satisfy her and then she will just stay on the nest. She may get off a few times a day for food and water but usually they sit until the hatching begins.

 

[NathanZee]

@Lamaremybabies , my buff hen did this last week, except that she went in pretty often to sit on them. Because I didn't want her to go broody yet, I didn't give her any eggs and she gave up, but I know that if she would have had eggs she would have become broody. I hope your hen starts to sit!

 

[Amiga]

Hi,

After a lot of research I'm planning to get my first ducks (Welsh Harlequin, Cayuga, Indian Runners). I have an 10 foot by 15 foot area on my patio which I am planning to turn into a duck pen but they would be allowed to free range in my garden when I'm at home. How many ducks would I be able to keep in this sort of space?

The square footage per duck is adjusted based on how long they'll be in an area. Since they need to be confined to the patio pen when you are not there, and since there may be days you need to be away from them for several hours, I would go with Storey's Guide suggesting 25 square feet per duck, so a half a dozen ducks should have plenty of room in that area.

They'll need food, drinking water, playing water, shade, and so forth, so you might want to sketch a layout. Also they'll need shelter from inclement weather. I have learned that some times of the year, I may leave while the sun is shining, but an hour later, there are 50 mile an hour winds and hail forecast in a sudden storm.

 

[caesargirl]

Button brooding in her volcano nest!!
This is brooding, in spring, in Maine!!

 

[Lamaremybabies]

Since she has that many, a week would be right. It's kind of a guesstimate
Spring time.... Male hormones...yup, snots!!!

Ok! I'll give her until next Saturday and if she doesn't sit by then, then I'll take the eggs away.

 

[Lamaremybabies]

Sounds like she may actually be building a clutch. She will do this for several days until she has enough eggs to satisfy her and then she will just stay on the nest. She may get off a few times a day for food and water but usually they sit until the hatching begins.

Ok. Sounds good. Thanks