Roxanne Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Would it be possible for my hens (who often get broody) to incubate duck eggs? My parents have a lake in the grounds of their flats and so the ducklings would be destined for their pond once old enough to be released. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom123 Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 yep, the hens will rear whatever comes out within reason Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxanne Posted March 8, 2009 Author Share Posted March 8, 2009 Thanks Tom! Is the incubation time the same for ducks? I would love to rear my own chicks but could not cope with the males!! Not too good at disposing of my own pets!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom123 Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 (edited) the incubation time is 28 days Tom Edited March 10, 2009 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 the incubation time is 20-21 days Tom 21 days for hen eggs! - for ducks the icubation time is 28 days. Would you release all the hatchlings back to the pond? - if you only release the drakes back you would be upsetting the natural balance of the pond. Hens will hatch duck eggs if they are good broodies - if they are half-hearted about it in the first place then they may give up after the 21 days have elapsed that they think is normal. The ducks will need water after a few days, you have to make sure that they have waterproofed their feathers as the hen won't be able to do that for them like a mother duck would and once the ducklings take to their water the hen will be very unhappy......because chicks don't do that! Buy or borrow a good book on hatching and also take a look at the Practical Poultry forums to see what others have done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxanne Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 Hi Lesley I would be releasing all the ducklings onto the lake - hatching them for that purpose only. I have ordered the book on the Omlet website re. ducks as I only have experience with hens. My broodies normally go the full 21 days. I will be purchasing the eggs on line. Does the counting start from the day the eggs are laid or when the hen starts to sit? Once hatched, do I have to keep them separate from the hens? Another question... ducks are obviously flight birds - are there any breeds that do not fly, or do you have to clip their wings to induce them to stay? Many thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom123 Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 the incubation time is 20-21 days Tom 21 days for hen eggs! - for ducks the icubation time is 28 days. Would you release all the hatchlings back to the pond? - if you only release the drakes back you would be upsetting the natural balance of the pond. Hens will hatch duck eggs if they are good broodies - if they are half-hearted about it in the first place then they may give up after the 21 days have elapsed that they think is normal. The ducks will need water after a few days, you have to make sure that they have waterproofed their feathers as the hen won't be able to do that for them like a mother duck would and once the ducklings take to their water the hen will be very unhappy......because chicks don't do that! Buy or borrow a good book on hatching and also take a look at the Practical Poultry forums to see what others have done. I know thats what I meant Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Hi LesleyI would be releasing all the ducklings onto the lake - hatching them for that purpose only. I have ordered the book on the Omlet website re. ducks as I only have experience with hens. My broodies normally go the full 21 days. I will be purchasing the eggs on line. Does the counting start from the day the eggs are laid or when the hen starts to sit? Once hatched, do I have to keep them separate from the hens? Another question... ducks are obviously flight birds - are there any breeds that do not fly, or do you have to clip their wings to induce them to stay? Many thanks. The counting starts from the day the hen stops collecting eggs into her nest. If she starts doing this then that will be the time to buy your eggs, remove the hen eggs and shut her in with the duck eggs until she is sitting tight - you can then work out the 28 days from then. It will be best to keep the hen and her hatchlings separate from the other hens until they are quite well grown. There are some breeds which don't fly as much as others and you can clip, or pinion, their wings.....it should explain more in the book. Would you need to check with anyone that it will be OK to release more ducks onto the pond? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxanne Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 The pond for release is actually a lake with inlet and outlet, approx 100 x 50 metres with 2 duck houses in the centre. The residents recently purchased 3 pairs of ducks from a garden centre (more like a rescue than a purchase), costing almost £200 and by the next morning only 1 pair were left. As there were no feathers or detrius in the grounds, we can only assume 2 pairs flew off, rather than being attacked by a fox. The guy that sold them the ducks said they were flightless!! They have a pair of resident mandarin ducks and the new pair of aylesburys who seem quite happy, and they also get a pair of canada geese who come every year, but are not encouraged to breed. I said I would look into hatching some eggs for them to defray the loss they have just experienced. They would be happy to take on rescue ducks if any came their way. The ducks are fed regularly as well as having a well stocked lake to swim in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Oh! - that sounds like a good idea! Read about pinioning when you get your book - it involves removing the flight feathers at an early age. We've never done it as ours are in a large run. Some people just clip the wings in the same way you clip hens wings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Hi Aylesburys are too heavy to fly ..the other one that would be good is Khaki Campbells(they are slightly bigger than a mallard duck..u shouldnt need to clip their wings ) But agree u must waterproof ducklings just because they are ducks they will drown if they are not waterproofed. Good luck indie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
