The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: gingercloverbramble on June 02, 2010, 03:07:03 pm
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We have about 30 hens and 6 ducks which all roam around totally free together (although they do their own thing and keep themselves to themselves!) and sleep in a big hen house together at night.
I have 3 broody hens at the moment. I have just received 6 hen eggs in the post today from ebay and am going to pop them under one of my broody ladies.
My ducks are laying every day and I have a few of their eggs sitting there and am pretty sure they will have been fertilised by our (randy!!) drakes.
My question is, do you think I could stick these duck eggs under one of the broody hens? None of my ducks are interested in sitting on the eggs and we could actually do with some more ducks.
I was just wondering that if they hatched and were going around the same area as all the other hens and ducks....would they all start breeding and would that just be "weird"...???
Advice needed please!! ???
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Pick a reliable broody, as she has got to sit another week longer than hens eggs.
Move her out into another run to incubate.
From day 23 onwards mist the eggs once a day with water to soften the shell...Well actually it lifts the humidity and the carbon dioxide in the egg combines with the water vapor and chemically reacts on the calcium in the shell to weaken it for the chick to cut through easier.
There needs to be a drinker that will take 5ltrs as the ducklings when they hatch waste alot.
Don't mix the ducklings with the rest of your poultry untill they are fully feathered up and stronger.
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And don't put both hen and duck eggs under the same broody as she may leave the unhatched eggs in favour of teaching the new chick babies all about life. ::)