buying ducklings for a broody 'scovy? - Suggestions.

[animalz11]

Hi, I just read a story online where a lady bought a duckling for a desperate duck who put every once of energy into eggs that were never going to hatch. When the duck saw this new duckling in her nest, she got really excited and took to it immediately.

Anyways, I have 2 beautiful muscovy ducks, one of which has gone extreamly broody, when I feed them, I make a seperate dish for her because the only time she gets up from her nest is in the afternoon, and when she see's the other young ducks (which are at the bottom of the pecking order), she turns into a real b*tch (Pardon the French), chases them around with her head down and wings slightly spread apart then latches on the them with her beak (usually on the back of their neck) while they are running to get away.

When she goes near the other muscovy (who lays eggs in the same nest and lets the broody duck sit on them), she isn't threatening at all, they acts like best buddies. Could this be because she is sitting on the other duck's eggs?

The muscovies are 9 months old this Monday (the other ducks are 2 & 1/2 months, 2 boys and 1 girl I think) and have been laying for 2-3 months. When they first started laying, their eggs were the size of chicken eggs, now, they are almost double the size, and have developed into a consitent shape, whereas when the first few eggs arrived, they came skinny, fat, oval, you name it.

So... I was wondering if I could buy a duckling or 2 from the produce store, put them in her nest in the afternoon and replace 2 of the eggs with shells, tricking her into thinking 2 of the eggs have hatched? I'm hopeing, that if I do this and I take the rest of her eggs away, she will come out of broodyness and care for the ducklings and not be so mean to the other duck.

All comments would be welcome

p.s. the broody muscovy is Daffyn (Daff-een), the other layer muscovy is Daffy, the 3 ducklings who get picked on are 2 Khaki Campbells, 1 male (Pop) and 1 female (Crackles) I'm guessing as only 1 of the 2 is starting to get a curly feather at the back, and 1 Pekin, the other male as he is certainly getting a curly feather, Pepper.
I plan to sepperate the males from the females when they get to 5 months. I have a big enough run.
Sorry for the long post.

Thank you,

 

[Going Quackers]

I can only say that would not work with my girls, while i do have some real broody ladies, i don't know how well they would take to not their babies.

I have been pleasantly surprised how two of my girls have taken to some almost 2mth old's that i purchased as 2wk olds, i was a little worried since the one has raised a brood the other killed all of her's.

but i waited till they were older before letting them loose with the flock.. i own a lot of birds here and many are drakes.

I really think this will fall into a 'depends on the duck' and definitely be prepared to become duck mama, if it fails.

 

[animalz11]

This is the first time my ducks have been broody and I'm not quite used to their b*tchyness towards the other ducks. Origionally, only 1 duck was broody, Daffyn, the other duck, Daffy laid next to her and Daffyn moved Daffy's eggs under herself. Now, Daffy has started her own nest of 3 eggs and is acting the same as Daffyn, being very mean to the other ducks and sitting on her nest most of the time. Daffyn has 4 of her own eggs and 3 of Daffy's.

I've read on how to break their broodyness by sepperating the ducks from the nest and preventing them from nesting, but I don't quite want to do this to my girls, it seems a bit mean. :/

Also tagging along on this post, my aunty has 6 ducks, I just came back from her place and figured out which are males and which are females, and she has 5 males (curly/sticking up back feather)... only 1 female (same age, flat tail and smaller size). They want ducklings some day but I'm trying to tell them that it isn't safe. If she does have ducklings, they will be killed by other non-dad males. They have a good pecking order at the moment with the largest Pekin being in charge. But this 1 female isn't laying. I'm scared for her safety. I know that in the wild, male ducks will group together, but what will happen once they realise there is a female? Gulp. So once she gets houded (an understatement) by all the males fighting to jump on her and well... (I'll leave the rest to your imagination), but once she does have ducklings if the eggs survive by the chickens, but the ducklings wont last long anyways.
If things get bad I'll offer to take this female, but, the kids have names her and grown very attatched. What to do? (Her name is Cambell, and yes, first name Khiaki)

 

[Going Quackers]

This is the first time my ducks have been broody and I'm not quite used to their b*tchyness towards the other ducks. Origionally, only 1 duck was broody, Daffyn, the other duck, Daffy laid next to her and Daffyn moved Daffy's eggs under herself. Now, Daffy has started her own nest of 3 eggs and is acting the same as Daffyn, being very mean to the other ducks and sitting on her nest most of the time. Daffyn has 4 of her own eggs and 3 of Daffy's.

I've read on how to break their broodyness by sepperating the ducks from the nest and preventing them from nesting, but I don't quite want to do this to my girls, it seems a bit mean. :/

Also tagging along on this post, my aunty has 6 ducks, I just came back from her place and figured out which are males and which are females, and she has 5 males (curly/sticking up back feather)... only 1 female (same age, flat tail and smaller size). They want ducklings some day but I'm trying to tell them that it isn't safe. If she does have ducklings, they will be killed by other non-dad males. They have a good pecking order at the moment with the largest Pekin being in charge. But this 1 female isn't laying. I'm scared for her safety. I know that in the wild, male ducks will group together, but what will happen once they realise there is a female? Gulp. So once she gets houded (an understatement) by all the males fighting to jump on her and well... (I'll leave the rest to your imagination), but once she does have ducklings if the eggs survive by the chickens, but the ducklings wont last long anyways.
If things get bad I'll offer to take this female, but, the kids have names her and grown very attatched. What to do? (Her name is Cambell, and yes, first name Khiaki)

Yes, they can get quite crabby... my last hatch of 9 wasn't actually raised by the duck who laid the eggs, my Lilly stole the nest in the last couple weeks of it's incubation however in the long run that was the right choice, as their real mother killed off some babies, i think it was more inexperience vs nastiness but nonetheless they all wouldn't have lived had Lilly not taken over.

I curb broody by removing eggs daily, i had a few try again to set up house and i halted it, too late in the season and i didn't want anymore birds.

Onto your aunt she has a BIG problem, no way will that ratio work.. it will likely end badly. Yes, you can have a flock of drakes which is what i am doing in the spring but you cannot leave a lone duck in with that many drakes, not only does it risk her life but the drakes will fight terribly in trying to gain her affections.

 

[suki'smom]

If you have drakes then can't she just hatch her own babies? How long has she been sitting on the nest? If she hasn't sat the full "term" then I doubt that she will accept ducklings that aren't hers.

 

[animalz11]

If you have drakes then can't she just hatch her own babies? How long has she been sitting on the nest? If she hasn't sat the full "term" then I doubt that she will accept ducklings that aren't hers.

I do have drakes but they are only 2 months old and have shown no interest in the ladies, also, when I manage to sneak a few eggs out, I candle them (not because anything is in them but just because I like doing it to see the egg light up), and there is no disk or veins, just egg, and they have been under her for a week or so.

I'm really looking forward to when the drakes become "interested". It will be so rewarding seeing little yellow fluff ball running around, but I need/want to buy some more runs because I don't want to let the ducklings run around like the other ducks do, because we have very brave eagles, magpies, crows and all those nasty birds.

Also, do I need to seperate the drakes if I don't want ducklings, or do I just collect the eggs daily and put them in the fridge straight away?

 

[Going Quackers]

Just collect the eggs daily, i have many drakes.. two are mature( i have 17 Muscovy total) Your drakes being only 2mths, you have some time but you have the potential there for the future.

 

[suki'smom]

I do have drakes but they are only 2 months old and have shown no interest in the ladies, also, when I manage to sneak a few eggs out, I candle them (not because anything is in them but just because I like doing it to see the egg light up), and there is no disk or veins, just egg, and they have been under her for a week or so.

I'm really looking forward to when the drakes become "interested". It will be so rewarding seeing little yellow fluff ball running around, but I need/want to buy some more runs because I don't want to let the ducklings run around like the other ducks do, because we have very brave eagles, magpies, crows and all those nasty birds.

Also, do I need to seperate the drakes if I don't want ducklings, or do I just collect the eggs daily and put them in the fridge straight away?

Oh I see. At as early as four days you would see some veins and a little heart if they were fertile.

I'd give her at least a couple more weeks and then put a duckling under her. Or you could get some fertile eggs and let her sit those. If you go that route though I would have an incubator handy just in case she called it quits.

If you are concerned with the ducklings being killed then perhaps you should try to break her broody, or even just leave her be until she figures it out, until you can get some pens set up.

Just my input

 

[animalz11]

I bought some fake eggs from the produce store, 6 of them, the split them and have 3 each now, but whenever one gets up to eat or swim, the other moves over her eggs, so I get 2 ducks in one nest, so cute. Also if one of the eggs is sticking out of a duck, the other will push it back in, that's what I call teamwork!

 

[Going Quackers]

I bought some fake eggs from the produce store, 6 of them, the split them and have 3 each now, but whenever one gets up to eat or swim, the other moves over her eggs, so I get 2 ducks in one nest, so cute. Also if one of the eggs is sticking out of a duck, the other will push it back in, that's what I call teamwork!

I don't think shared nest are that uncommon, it's happened here with poor results though.