Will my duck get broody?

[Ducktown]

In incubator 23 days and 12 days under them. The eggs in the bator are already shaking and moving when I turn them or turn on the light.

The eggs from an incubator are never warm as those in their nest. It looks like they might hatched sooner. Last time it took around 30 days for a chick to hatch in that incubator.

I didn't check their eggs enough to see how far developed they are, but they are completely dark already. Perhaps I'll check again tomorrow with a stronger light when/if the ducks leave their nest.

 

[Miss Lydia]

They sure look content. With that big a difference in days to hatch I am not sure if one or 2 would continue to sit for the others to hatch or not. I know if it was only one duck sitting she'd get up after around day 3 of most of the eggs hatching and leave the others. Best just leave things as they are. Not sure how many members have had 3 females sitting on one nest before so this should be very interesting when hatch day comes. You'll really have to watch out for the ducklings in case those girls decide to fight over them and they get trampled in the process. Hopefully it won't happen you just never know. Only other suggestion would be to take one of the broodies and put the bator eggs under her in separate area but she most likely wouldn't stay. Hopefully someone else will come along with better advise.

 

[Ducktown]

Regarding fighting for the ducklings... It could happen. Here's why.
They have split their eggs. Unevenly if I may say. Two of them have like 6 to 8 eggs, and one has 2.
When they leave the nest in the morning, the first one that returns usually takes the best position with most eggs, then the last one sits on the remaining two or sometimes decides to stand over one of the ducks and sits right beside her into her 'comfort zone'. I guess that happens if the two steal her two eggs while she is gone. I hope none of the viable eggs get neglected due to such egg snatching. I'll see how it goes, but I've only seen two viable eggs under the hen that is in the nest almost the whole time. She just goes out to take a huge dump and eat as much feed as possible.

It is interesting how different their personalities are. I am amazed! The one that was tame and started eating from my hand remained completely tame and won't even hiss at me. Another one that was scared of me the most started to accept my treats, even from my hand. She would not hiss (she did at first) at me but rather open her bill and make funny quacking noise as if it was talking to me. If I stay there for a while she stops and starts if I talk to them. Quite funny.
The third one is the one that got broody first. She is completely dedicated and will hardly leave her eggs. She does hiss at me, but only if I get really close, come near them with my hands or if one of my dogs starts exploring the duck house.

If I manage to incubate the three ducklings, I'll introduce them to their mothers as soon as something hatches in their nest. Hopefully they will bond instantly. If not, I'll just go step by step and make them bond first.

 

[Ducktown]

I removed all the fertilized eggs now. The last two that seemed quite developed both stated rotting from inside and one's shell started to crack. Smell was awful and I threw them out. Now they only have their non fertilized eggs.

Regarding the eggs in the incubator. one has healthy large air sack, the other two have way too small air pocket inside. I have no idea how such difference can happen in the same incubator under identical conditions.
The one with large air sack might have starting with internal pip. I try not to bother them too much because they are on days 26 (+ a few days in the duck house while hens were not fully broody yet) but when I light up the air sack, there seem to be a bump.
All three eggs are moving, the healthy looking one is on steroids, it actually almost jumps out of the hole that holds it in position .

PS: air sack on the two eggs is somewhere around what it should be between day 15 and 20. Do they stand a chance if they start hatching? Air humidity in the bator was 40% to 50%. They just don't seem to lose enough water. I guess I should wash the eggs before i start incubating them next time.

 

[Miss Lydia]

@WVduckchick help with bator eggs

 

[WVduckchick]

On day 26, there isn't much you can do for the air cells at this point. Hopefully the duckling isn't too large to hatch without help. Did you see much clear area close to the air cell, or are they really full of duckling?

Instead of washing eggs next time, I'd suggest rotating positions when you turn the eggs.

 

[Ducktown]

I will move them around the incubator. It can easily be the unequal airflow in the incubator.

It doesn't seem there is any space under the air cell, it seems completely dark. It could be, that they are lagging a day or even two behind, because they were left outside and who knows for how long hens sat on them, possibly not even all of them. As I monitored development, the smaller one did seem to be a bit faster and it started moving sooner.

I will keep an eye on them. They are still moving and none had externally pipped during the night.

 

[Ducktown]

I'm now certain that one of the ducklings internally pipped and is breathing the air from the cell (the egg with largest air cell). I upped humidity from 45% to 85%+ if it starts breaking the shell during the night. All three are still moving, but now the eggs are not moving so much, only the ducklings inside. They are getting ready.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Ducktown]

External pip! Two decent sized cracks already. This one seems to be faster than ducklings last year.

Other two eggs still moving.

 

[Jpat]

Congrats