When do ducks go broody?

[Donnigan]

I don't think I've ever heard of a broody duck!

When do ducks go broody?
What do they act like?
Will they go off and lay their eggs under a bush or will they sit in the floor of the hen/duck house?
What does a mother duck act like?

Thanks! Also do ducks molt?

 

[Welshies]

I don't think I've ever heard of a broody duck!

When do ducks go broody?
What do they act like?
Will they go off and lay their eggs under a bush or will they sit in the floor of the hen/duck house?
What does a mother duck act like?

Thanks! Also do ducks molt?

Okay- how do you think wild ducks survive? Lol.
-Whenever they are allowed to lay a clutch of 10-20 (up to 30 for Muscovy) eggs that are fertile, usually in spring-late summer. When the nest is lined with feathers they should go broody then.
-They act just like broody chickens, what else would they do? Haha. They really only get off once a day to eat and drink and bathe, and sit the rest of the time.
-If given a nesting box, they may be in the coop, if not many ducks brood outside, in which case you need to protect them and give them adequate necessities.
-Mother ducks are like any other mother. Protective and watchful.
-Yes, all ducks molt, just like any other bird. At 8-10 weeks they have their first molt, growing in juvenile garb, and at 10-16 weeks they have their eclipse molt, acquiring their adult feathers- the breeding plumage. Then once or twice a year they will molt and replace old feathers with new. All laying ducks stop laying while they molt.
The best broody duck and mother duck is a Muscovy duck. Check out their thread for more.

 

[Donnigan]

Okay- how do you think wild ducks survive? Lol.
-Whenever they are allowed to lay a clutch of 10-20 (up to 30 for Muscovy) eggs that are fertile, usually in spring-late summer. When the nest is lined with feathers they should go broody then.
-They act just like broody chickens, what else would they do? Haha. They really only get off once a day to eat and drink and bathe, and sit the rest of the time.
-If given a nesting box, they may be in the coop, if not many ducks brood outside, in which case you need to protect them and give them adequate necessities.
-Mother ducks are like any other mother. Protective and watchful.
-Yes, all ducks molt, just like any other bird. At 8-10 weeks they have their first molt, growing in juvenile garb, and at 10-16 weeks they have their eclipse molt, acquiring their adult feathers- the breeding plumage. Then once or twice a year they will molt and replace old feathers with new. All laying ducks stop laying while they molt.
The best broody duck and mother duck is a Muscovy duck. Check out their thread for more.

Lol! I knew they had to go broody but i looked it up and couldn't find anything on broody ducks!lol
My ducks have been( for some unknown reason) stuffing themselves in a tiny rabbit cage sitting in the henhouse floor to lay their eggs. So should i just leave the eggs in the cage or move them to the other hen house so the mother can be alone? Does she need a lot of hay? Will the chickens bother the eggs? Will the ducks line the nest with feathers or do i have to?( i assume they will). I know absolutely nothing about ducks! Lol! By the way i have 2 11 month old female pekin ducks and one separated male.

 

[lomine]

Just want to add that ducks don't need a large clutch of eggs or fertile eggs to go broody. All of mine have gone broody and I only have hens. One went broody with two golf balls and three eggs. And boy are they ornery little stinkers when they are broody.

If your drake is separated it means the eggs aren't fertile. If your duck is broody you can choose to let her sit on the eggs or you can try to break her of her broodiness. Personally, I didn't let mine brood. It is hard on their bodies and I didn't see the point since the eggs would never hatch.

 

[Ducky Boy]

is it possible to get ur duck broody?

 

[Sierra G]

Mine are lazy and just leave their eggs in the geeses' nests.

While they do hatch eggs on rare occasions domestic ducks aren't really "broody" in the sense that hens are. Broody chickens are defensive jerks even when they don't have eggs. If you give a duck a nest of eggs she might decide to sit on them, but she's not going to let her inner biiatch out until she actually has eggs. And even if she decides to take the eggs, she doesn't always put in the full 28 days.