Will winter duck nest (right now) hatch given these conditions

[Bubblesduck]

My call duck female laid about 13 eggs and started sitting on nov 15 or so- her nest is in a box which is inside a medium chicken coop - once it got real cold a few days ago I put a small electric space heater in the coop to at least raise the ambient temp a little bit - seems to raise the temp 10 or 15 degrees in the coop - mother duck has been on the nest religiously and has packed every bit of wood chips around her -tonight I brought the entire nest box in the house where it will stay until any hatching ..too cold 23degrew in Nj. How many do think will hatch? A few were really under her in the middle and all were developing when candled. I’ve never experienced a cold weather nest before. I had taken one egg back in nov and put in the incubator- I just put that egg into the nest so at least one is likely to hatch after the hens efforts (I wouldn’t want her to be disappointed after 28 days)

 

[Canadian Wind]

If she's sitting tight, then I don't see any issue. What I would be more worried about is the cold and the babies or are you intending to keep them all inside for the duration of winter?

I've read other threads where a chicken incubated, hatched, and raised her brood without issue outside in the winter, the chicks just stayed under Mom more than during warmer weather.

Also, I'd like to warn against using a space heater in a coop. That's just asking for a fire! Sounds like she was doing fine sitting the eggs without it.

 

[Bubblesduck]

If she's sitting tight, then I don't see any issue. What I would be more worried about is the cold and the babies or are you intending to keep them all inside for the duration of winter?

I've read other threads where a chicken incubated, hatched, and raised her brood without issue outside in the winter, the chicks just stayed under Mom more than during warmer weather.

Also, I'd like to warn against using a space heater in a coop. That's just asking for a fire! Sounds like she was doing fine sitting the eggs without it.

I have a heated porch area where I let winter ducklings live if they hatch.

Understood - im
Actually an electrician, so I use a small 7” electric blower heater that I mounted safely to the wall- I put that in when the temp dropped into the 20s because i could sense mama duck needed a little help

Hopefully will see ducklings soon

 

[gimmie birdies]

My worry is when mom duck wants to get off eggs for a swim.

 

[Bubblesduck]

My worry is when mom duck wants to get off eggs for a swim.

Oh, I am prepared for that - having hatched many ducklings in the middle of winter - I have a mini habitat on the porch…small plastic molded pond with ramp…duck paradise

 

[Bubblesduck]

My worry is when mom duck wants to get off eggs for a swim.

Oh, the hen? Right, she comes of the nest each day - since she was hatched and raised, she knows to quack for her food which we deliver to the nest box (scrambled eggs) and for her bath - we fill the sink and let her wash - then after grooming she goes back in the box

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I brood outside in my barn even in cooler temperatures with a brooder plate. My brooder is a 10x10’ room so there is ample space to choose from heat and non-heated areas. Contrary to popular belief ducklings and chicks do not need to be kept warm 24/7. They only need a warm place to go to heat back up if they get cold. The temperature under a broody duck is around 100F whether she is brooding eggs or keeping ducklings warm. If she can successfully hatch eggs she can successfully keep them warm when they need it even in cold temperatures. From my experience even in colder temperatures my ducklings and chicks spend the first couple of days under the brooder plate and then after that spend most of the day running around the brooder room even when it is cold. They pop back under the plate to warm up and then run out to play again.

 

[Bubblesduck]

I brood outside in my barn even in cooler temperatures with a brooder plate. My brooder is a 10x10’ room so there is ample space to choose from heat and non-heated areas. Contrary to popular belief ducklings and chicks do not need to be kept warm 24/7. They only need a warm place to go to heat back up if they get cold. The temperature under a broody duck is around 100F whether she is brooding eggs or keeping ducklings warm. If she can successfully hatch eggs she can successfully keep them warm when they need it even in cold temperatures. From my experience even in colder temperatures my ducklings and chicks spend the first couple of days under the brooder plate and then after that spend most of the day running around the brooder room even when it is cold. They pop back under the plate to warm up and then run out to play again.

Excellent- I agree, I’ve seen most of what you said, but I didn’t know it was that warm for the ducklings- I was only worried in this particular situation because it’s never been below 40deg when my hens were incubating in the past - that partially why I added the heater - I have a camera on the coop and the hen came off the nest for a full hour the other day at 0900…so if is 31 degree out I thought egg could cool down too much during that gap…

I’ll be really curious to see how many hatch (and I would prefer to put them back outside ) but I guess it depends on the weather. It hasn’t been this cold in central NJ for a long time..I think only a few in all last year

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I agree with @Canadian Wind. I don't think you had a problem initially. A possible problem created is bringing them indoors, you'll need to deal with reacclimating them to winter. You'll have to do that incrementally assuming NJ will get colder in the upcoming months.
I've had chicken hens hatch in November and December outdoors in buildings with huge open windows on both east and west walls. When the temperature was in the teens and occasionally below. The chicks hatched just fine but my main concern was whether they could come out from under the hen long enough to eat and drink. I set up infrared heat lamps above the food and water stations and let the hen take care of everything else.
Depending on the species of duck, most are even more precocial than chickens.