Can ducks hatch in winter months...will they survive

[Carolinebigsky]

I have 2 ducks...one male Blue Swedish and one female Ancona... We made them an 'apartment' that has a small duck house within a large dog kennel, and a baby pool. The pool keeps freezing so I have a water bucket that is plugged in so the water does not freeze.

We now have 4 eggs. She is laying them in what appears to be a nest inside the duck house. Will these eggs hatch and if they do, can they survive outside?

We live in OK and the weather is crazy, and changes quickly (21 degrees today and 60 degrees next week)...

Please help...need advise on what to do. Thanks

 

[chickens really]

Possible as long as the eggs do not freeze...

I have breeding Ducks and eggs daily.....I first tried under my Broody Chickens but the one Hen was kicking out her eggs...I put them in my incubator and I have Ducklings going to hatch on the 17th........

Not sure on your success? It might work if she will start setting and hatch the eggs?......


Cheers!

 

[Duck Drover]

Our early hatches are never as good as when the weather warms up so I assume it is because the eggs get too cold on the ground. Sometimes the hens hide the eggs so well that they don't get collected right away and that effects hatchability as well. We tend to collect the first eggs of the season for eating and start incubating once we are doing a daily egg hunt. Our ducks free range so they find great hiding places and end up hatching their own ducklings as well.

We have had a problem with crows getting eggs and ducklings but as we have more tree and shrub growth for protection and more cross fences to discourage the crows from coming into areas where they could be trapped, we have seen less crows hanging out to hunt our eggs and baby birds. We have more fly eating wild birds in our yard too so the crows hunt them (so do the Coopers Hawks) but the ducklings are better protected until we can move them to the brooder or keep them with the hen in a safe covered pen.

 

[Terri E]

I don't know the answer to your question. I'm concerned myself. Found a total of 11 duck eggs. She made a deep enough hole, as deep as a mixing bowl. Since the temp went as low as 18 degrees. I'm not sure if they froze. I've occasionally look out for the ducks to see of any stress concerning temp. Not once have I seen her near the nest. So, even though this temp dropped last night, gathered them and not sure what to do. Would like to incubate them but even then I have only one with 6 chicken eggs in there. My incubator is the model 4250 gotten from tractor supply. Had it for a year now, only used it twice. And now again. So, if leaving the eggs out in the duck house is ok, then I'm in trouble. If it is not, then, I hope I gathered them in time.