Well I tried all Fall to get one of my two silky hens to go broody as my call ducks were laying. I had a nest of golf balls and figured one day one would decide to claim the nest. It took all Fall and now we are into Winter before one of the hens decided those golf balls were hers. My call ducks had quit laying only about a week before this hen decided it was time to sit. Some of my other ducks have been laying, so I snatched up a couple freshly laid eggs and placed them under her and took away the golf balls. That was one week ago today, I candled the eggs today and 2 of the three are good - the one that wasn't did have a blood ring, so it had started. This past week we have been in the deep freeze with temps down to minus 15 and some daytime temps not even reaching 0. I happened across a couple freshly laid chicken eggs today, so I placed them under her as well. So she has two duck eggs and two chicken eggs due to hatch three weeks from today.
The shed she is in is not insulated but does have lots of straw. I have to keep the waterer on a heated base or else it would freeze up. This is really just a test to see if this chicken can hatch these eggs out in the middle of winter here in North Dakota. I really was surprised today that the eggs were actually developing. If she does make it to within a couple days of hatching, I think I will try to move her inside as I am sure the baby chicks and ducklings would not last long once they hatch.
The shed she is in is not insulated but does have lots of straw. I have to keep the waterer on a heated base or else it would freeze up. This is really just a test to see if this chicken can hatch these eggs out in the middle of winter here in North Dakota. I really was surprised today that the eggs were actually developing. If she does make it to within a couple days of hatching, I think I will try to move her inside as I am sure the baby chicks and ducklings would not last long once they hatch.
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