what will happen ?

[pejmo3]

Good Morning every one. Have a question, What will happen if and when my baby ducks hatch if a chicken is the brooder?

 

[SmallFarmUSA]

You mean like this? ^ They'll be completely fine. The only thing is, if the chicken isn't very people friendly, she'll teach the ducks to be scared of people too.

 

[pejmo3]

thank you, was worried the chickens would harm the baby duckling

 

[Miss Lydia]

thank you, was worried the chickens would harm the baby duckling

Are you talking about a chicken is hatching the ducklings? if not I would not put ducklings in with an adult chicken or even week old chicks chicks peck hard and can seriously injure newly hatched ducklings.

@pejmo3 please explain.

 

[pejmo3]

So should I remove the eggs the hen is sitting on?

 

[NanaKat]

My husband talks about as a boy giving a big banty hen wild mallard duck eggs to hatch. She raised the 4 ducklings, but panicked each time the ducklings would go swimming in their water pan. When they would freerange Mama hen would call them to bugs and grass seed. She continued her mothering until they were bigger than the hen and he took the ducks to a big pond with other mallards. They had six hens and a rooster then.

 

[TLWR]

If your hen is sitting on the eggs, she will be fine hatching a batch of ducklings. She won't treat them any differently than she would a batch of chicks.

 

[Miss Lydia]

So should I remove the eggs the hen is sitting on?

If the hen is sitting on duck eggs don't take them from her but once hatch starts you need to move her and duckling/ unhatched eggs to a safe place so the rest of the flock can't mess with them.

 

[pejmo3]

thanks to all the replies I guess I need to find her a quite place sense some should start hatching this coming week. I just worry because this is my first time hatching eggs. I want to get a incubator for future use, due to the fact my hen won't move off the nest unless I make her. Then she stands up after a few min and shakes herself and runs for food and water then it's back to the eggs. I have my ducks and chickens in seperate pens due to my drake always chasing the hens trying to get frisky with them. Do you think it would be okay to put her in with the ducks?

 

[SmallFarmUSA]

Beware of moving the nest, she may not continue to sit on it. And don't put her in with the ducks - those drakes can cause a lot of damage.
Most of all, relax. The hen is the mother and is supposed to do all the worrying, and from the sounds of it she's doing a great job. I always prefer a broody bird to an incubator, personally.