TWINS!!! Hatch pics on page 4 - GRAPHIC - They didn't make it.

[brandywine]

If I were you, I'd be doing something to reduce the drake population on your place. (Begins with Peking and ends with l'orange ...)

Mallard males are notorious rapists and sexual harassers. Your remaining ducks are in peril of never a moment's peace.

 

[ruth]

I've been watching for that but have never seen them even attempt to mate a female and have not seen them fighting or challenging one another. Believe me, I'm keeping a close eye on them. I'm out there all day. I did call my brother the other day and asked him if he would come and help "process" some of the extra male ducks and roos so their time is limited.

When I started raising so many chickens and ducks it was with the idea that we would use them for meat as well as eggs. Just haven't been able to bring myself to do it yet. I keep saying as soon as the roos start fighting or as soon as the ducks start overly mating but so far, everyone is behaving beautifully - maybe they heard me.

 

[cjeanean]

I hope it works out! We had a chicken lay her first three eggs as HUGE double yolkers.....two of them were completely separate yolks, and one was a joined yolk. Each yolk was fertilized with the telltale bullseye, so they would have done something if incubated. I just don't know if they would have hatched. Make sure you give us a play by play, and even if it doesn't work out you should post the results (provided the yolks are fertilized in the first place) especially how long they developed for and what they ended up being when u cracked the egg open w/pics....of course, you won't have to do that cause it WILL work and you'll be the first BYCer to hatch twin anythings that live! LOL!!! Good luck, I'm so curious! Post candling pics once the veining shows up!

 

[deerman]

Quote:
Please take pics.

I hatch a double yolk years ago. first chick pip and open the shell, 2nd. chicks yolk was on the outside. Both died before they dried off.

 

[hcammack]

two tiny tufted rumpless chicks just imagine

 

[Mrs MIA]

Oh boy... now I need to go scour the duck-yard.

We have 5 mo old mallards, but didn't expect eggs until next year. We got lucky... we were given 9 ducklings, and wound up with 3 males and 6 females... what are the odds of that?!?

 

[ruth]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

Oh boy... now I need to go scour the duck-yard.

We have 5 mo old mallards, but didn't expect eggs until next year. We got lucky... we were given 9 ducklings, and wound up with 3 males and 6 females... what are the odds of that?!?

Yeah, I couldn't believe it when I pulled the four white eggs out of that nest. I had gone looking for the missing 4 month old female Mallard and when I found her sort of flattened under the low-lying sofa I thought she was hurt. But then I saw the nest so I left her alone. A couple of days later while she was off the nest I went in to see what was in it. Still wasn't expecting to find 16 eggs. I thought the little Araucana had finally started laying her eggs in the chicken coop nest boxes instead of on floor of duck yard. But the nest under the sofa, and the new nest in corner are definitely duck nests - they are holes dug out and with a high ring/border around it of hay/straw/dirt. I'm even more surprised that they seem to be fertile because I haven't seen any male activity and as was posted earlier, I've been waiting and watching because I know I have way too many males.

So go look around, especially if you start seeing the females disappear for awhile. I'm still wondering if there is anything to the fact that my other female disappeared - maybe she too took off to find a place to build a nest? It would be way too cool if she returns with a bunch of babies. The Mallards fly well and stay in the 4' picket fenced duck yard of their own accord. But they are starting to fly in and out. Which is what I wanted them to do. I've tried to raise them as "wild" as possible with the idea of protecting them till grown and then they would fly over fence where there is a nice pond, pasture, and woods and they will stick around and lay eggs and hatch and raise their own babies. The duck yard will still always be there, I'll have to keep the Roeuns contained, but if the Mallards want to come and go, that is the general idea. Our dogs all guard the chickens and ducks and the chickens free range and the dogs and cats are used to hanging out with them and don't bother them so the ducks will be protected.​

 

[ruth]

Speckledhen was kind enough to send me a link to her "Twins" experience. Here it is for any who want to see how things turned out. I think she did a great job. Got two viable, non-deformed chicks to hatch - one big/one small. Sadly they didn't make it but they got all the way there so I am encouraged.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=21464

 

[ruth]

Tonight's candling is not showing any signs of fertility in either yolk even though I can see it in every one of the other eggs. But my good little mag lite disappeared during the hurricane when everyone here was using every flashlight and the one I'm trying to use to candle has a dim light due to low battery so it is hard to see. I'm still hoping it will show something in a day or two.

 

[klf73]

Good luck

Krista