Will my duck get broody?

[Ducktown]

On day 10 since I got them eggs, two of them became broody. They are sitting on their eggs and rarely leave the duck house. They expanded the nest and they both seem to be sitting in the same nest. I hope the eggs are still ok.

Before she was fully broody, one of the hens laid on eggs during the night so they might start a few days earlier. Temperature in the duck house during the day was around 25 to 28c. Do you think that eggs could still be ok?

I have no chance of candeling the eggs, hens became protective and they leave the nest one by one, so there's a guard at all time.

Third hen is alone now and she started accepting people way more than she used to. She was the most imprinted of all three ducks, so at least she stopped calling the other two if someone else is around.

 

[Miss Lydia]

She is much more susceptible to predation being alone most of the time with your other 2 brooding.

 

[Ducktown]

She doesn't even go that far when she's alone. She would just start quacking around the house and when I come out, she runs towards her favorite foraging place, checking if I'm still behind her. She takes me for a walk.

I got them a bunch of earthworms, superworms and feed. They didn't want to touch anything when inside their house, but in the evening, they left it and ate a lot.

Anyone with experience about how long eggs stay viable? Like I mentioned, they were occasionally sat on during 10 days and the daily temperatures were around 25 to 28°C. Night temps around 10°C, but I think they might have been sitting on the eggs during the night. Now they are constantly sitting, except for like an hour or so in the evening when they ran out, ate and hit the pond.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I had to go and look up what your temps where in F. I think you have a good chance at some ducklings since you didn't have any low temps. You can always go in an candle toss treats outside get the girls out close the door and sneak a peek.

That is sweet your Runner takes you for a walk.

 

[Ducktown]

 

[Miss Lydia]

3 sitting now?

 

[Ducktown]

All 3. They dug out a gigantic nest and I have no idea how they share the eggs. I sure hope they are still viable!
They also stopped pooping inside. They go out and create a enormous smelly pool of duck crap.

 

[Miss Lydia]

How sweet and yep they a broody!! lol

 

[Ducktown]

Ok, an update.

It is day 12 (I think) since I saw them sitting on their eggs full time. When I opened their house, they all went out searching for food, so I was able to quickly candle the eggs using my mobile phone LED light. I'm not sure I took a peek into all the eggs, but I tried to check as many as possible.

I removed 3 eggs from their nest when I realized they are not going to sit on them from the beginning as I waited for them to go broody. Those 3 eggs are already jumping around in my cheap-ass incubator (day 23). I am hesitant about giving them eggs into their nest at this point, because they will hatch way before the other remaining viable fertilized eggs. Will they stop caring for them if the first ducks hatch? Will one stop and other two resume? What would a duck guru do?

So, the candling result was - I found 2 eggs that were dark and with nice and large enough air sac. Could'n see much using my phone's light, but it seems there were some blood veins on the bottom so I expect these 2 eggs to be alive and developing.
I found one egg that was cracked and seemed to have died in the process - it's interior became soft and watery, by turning it, its content mixed like it was water. Another one was developed even further but was also dead. I tossed both.

 

[Miss Lydia]

So 2 eggs look like they will hatch under the mamas? and 3 in the bator? How much difference in hatch days?