Mother duck

[Annaafranqueza]

My duck has been broody and this morning i found her first egg half hatched and dead. Now i went to check her again and another had pipped and part of the duckling was showing. Once she realized she started trying to eat at the egg. I got scared and took that one away and put it under one of my broody silkies whos hatched duck eggs before. Is that normal? Was she trying to help the duckling out or eat it?

i was considering sticking it back underneath her once the duckling fully hatched. Thoughts?

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

how old is she? i wouldn’t let her near the babies again until they are big enough to defend themselves

 

[nchls school]

My duck has been broody and this morning i found her first egg half hatched and dead. Now i went to check her again and another had pipped and part of the duckling was showing. Once she realized she started trying to eat at the egg. I got scared and took that one away and put it under one of my broody silkies whos hatched duck eggs before. Is that normal? Was she trying to help the duckling out or eat it?

i was considering sticking it back underneath her once the duckling fully hatched. Thoughts?

No, it is not normal behavior. What kind of duck? Some breeds are known not to be good parents. If there's room under the silkie I'd put all the eggs under her to hatch and not give them back. She probably saw the hatching egg as an intruder. She may have been trying to help, but that ends in the duckling's death. Whatever the case, I would not trust her with the ducklings.

 

[Annaafranqueza]

how old is she? i wouldn’t let her near the babies again until they are big enough to defend themselves

1 year and a few months

 

[Annaafranqueza]

No, it is not normal behavior. What kind of duck? Some breeds are known not to be good parents. If there's room under the silkie I'd put all the eggs under her to hatch and not give them back. She probably saw the hatching egg as an intruder. She may have been trying to help, but that ends in the duckling's death. Whatever the case, I would not trust her with the ducklings.

She is a mix of a ancona and blue swedish

 

[N Good]

She is a mix of a ancona and blue swedish

I realize this is a year later, but I'm curious how it ended. I have a broody duck hen (Silver Appleyard) who was sitting on 9 eggs. She ate two eggs, everything but the shell, about a week apart from each other. I'm wondering whether to leave her with the 7 eggs that are left or whether I should take them and put them in the incubator...

 

[nchls school]

I would put the eggs in the incubator after candling them to be sure of viability. At the same time I'd put dummy eggs under the duck so the ducklings could be returned to the hen after hatching. If you didn't see what happened, it is likely the eggs accidentally broke and the duck cleaned up the mess.

 

[Annaafranqueza]

I realize this is a year later, but I'm curious how it ended. I have a broody duck hen (Silver Appleyard) who was sitting on 9 eggs. She ate two eggs, everything but the shell, about a week apart from each other. I'm wondering whether to leave her with the 7 eggs that are left or whether I should take them and put them in the incubator...

I think it was a mostly bad batch and that she didn’t kill it, but had health complications. This year she and our other female hatched 17 babys and they both are being wonderful moms! They both had a few babys that didn’t hatch but majority did.

 

[nchls school]