[mwncigirl]

  Hi, anyone have any experience of putting duck eggs (indian runner) under a broody hen? (Bantam, Pekin cross). What would we do once they'd hatched? Put them under a light I guess? Sorry if I seem stoopid, up all night with the baby and can't think straight!!    

[roddycm]

I have hatches ducklings and goslings under hens and bantams with huge success... Then let the hen rear the brood. For me it works better as it's less work for me! The ducklings are happy to follow the hen around, and she will be happy to although when the ducklings start swimming mother hen can get a bit preoccupied haha!

[HesterF]

Yep, should be fine - just let her do all the work. Just check she can turn them properly (I imagine she'll be fine but I know they struggle with goose eggs - mine are big hens so I'm not sure about bantams). I've only had it backfire because I had a broody last year who hatched a single duckling. To this day he thinks he's a chicken. It became a problem when he was trying to mate with the hens and I was a bit worried because his anatomy is clearly different. He now happily goes in with the ducks at night but hangs out with a solitary cockerel by day (both are kept away from hens!).

H

[mowhaugh]

One of my firends does this too, and the hen rears them, but their poor wee faces when 'their' babies start swimming, they are horrified!

[Womble]

We did this a few years ago.  Mummy hen was utterly traumatised when her babies started swimming, and was frankly never the same again. Also the drakes all had something Freudian going on, and only ever fancied hens.
 
Of course a hen can run faster than an amorous runner duck, but we did used to sing the Benny Hill music when it happened  .
 
So yes, go for it, but you have been warned!! 

[HesterF]

Also the drakes all had something Freudian going on, and only ever fancied hens.

Ah, that's really interesting. I put mine down to him being a singleton but maybe there's more to it than that. I was going to try again this year but as yet have had no broodies (which has the upside they're all still laying) and have 6 ducklings so far with another 12 due soon so that might be it for the season (but they are sooo cute when tiny!).

[Womble]

Well, you know that men always marry their mothers. It just turns out that ducks aren't any different! 

[roddycm]

I have to say that my drakes have all been well adjusted duck lovers haha no trying to mate hens.... Although a Muscovy in orgy mode will try to mate anything regardless of who his mother was!! They seem to go blind when in a mating frenzy! Thankfully this doesn't happen very often... Usually when the girls start to go broody and the numbers become mismatched ie suddenly not enough girls to go around... No one has ever been harmed though, just ruffled feathers and concussion haha! My calls and runners don't suffer the same problem!