[mentalmilly]

I have 3 ducks and 1 drake ( muscovy ) and intend to let them sit on eggs this summer.  Not done this before so don`t really know what l am doing.  Do you have to provide nesting areas for ducks? , Can you gather some eggs and hope they will go broody and sit on them and do they do their own thing with the eggs,  eg. get off for a poo and feeding when they need too, or do you have to drag them off for this and feeding like hens?  Is it best to separate them when they are sitting or can they be in the same hut as another sitting duck?  Can you keep the drake with the ducks while they are sitting?  Would like this to go well so any advice would be great please.

[fbb]

Hello,
We just let ours get on with it.
The duck house has 4 laying boxes in it and if we don't take the eggs away they lay a clutch of up to 15 eggs. They then line the nest with down and sit. We don't lift them off as they seem to go to feed and drink of their own accord. When they hatch we scoop them up and take them and mum to a nursery run . The drake then seems to become interested again and by 4- 5 weeks all are reunited in the main duck house.
They are good mothers, and it is easy to get over run with them, so last year i reduced the number of eggs set to half a dozen each.
 
 

[mentalmilly]

Thanks fbb  this helps a lot.  Do the nesting boxes need to be enclosed all round like chicken nest boxes?  Are they happy to all be broody together?  Do not want them fighting over the ducklings when they hatch. Or is it best if they are sectioned off from each other?

[MAK]

we do the same as ffb but just let them choose where to make their nest in any of the hutches we have dotted about within a fenced area. Our drake can be a pain with ducklings but they soon learn to avoid him. We feed am and pm using the same feed as we give our chicken layers. They grow quick and we take the young drakes before there are issues with the old boy. Basically they will sort themselves out with little to no intervention from us.  OH - do cover any ponds or pools you have when the ducklings hatch as we had 2 drown last year.  We have a shallow plastic pond and make steps in and out with large bricks. The ducklings can cope with that and we keep the water shallow.

[goosepimple]

Ignore them and let them get on with it, they've got it sorted and know what they're doing.  The drake does bother them when they come off their nest for a break but that's drakes, they will come off for about 20mins when they feel like it, sometimes twice a day if they're fed up.  Just make sure there is food out for them so that when they do come off they can have some.  Don't hassle them and don't keep an eye on them or inspect them etc and don't get too edgy when you think they should have had their ducklings by now - it will all happen.  Relax, Muscovies are chilled.  Ours do appreciate some wet brown bread - a whole slice to themselves if I spot them on their break - they do like to guzzle then.  They usually hear when I'm putting the food out and come off for their breaks then. 
 
Just watch you don't have herons or otters - we do have to put our ducklings and mums in a coop for the first few weeks or the herons pick off the young.  Don't expect all the ducklings to survive.  Our ducklings don't eat much for the first 3 days then they LOVE brown bread mashed up in milk or water, gives them a good start.  We never feed duck crumbs just milky bread which they love for the rest of their lives. 
 
Sometimes when they come off for a break the other ducks can get a bit annoyed with them because they act a bit strange and bickering can break out.  And sometimes when they have ducklings they can be a bit over-protective but they all sort it out and it's not usually a problem. Its not like scrapping hens that want to kill the others offspring. They don't move around with their ducklings much for the first week or so, they usually stay safe.  Good mums and great ducks, enjoy 

[mentalmilly]

Thanks everyone, its nice to have some advice.