I posted a while back for advice because I thought one of my chooks was egg bound but as it turns out she's gone broody. As she's a hybrid I didn't think it would last long so just kept taking her out a few times a day to drink and eat and she's absolutely fine but still broody.
So I went to my local poultry farm and got two fertile duck eggs, I guess they're just heinz 57 duck breeds and I popped them under her. It's been about a week since she's had her new eggs and she's glued to them until I lift her off them to eat and drink. From the research I've done I've just been turning the eggs when I lift her off and misting the eggs lightly with warm water.
My friend who has chooks hatches eggs with her silkies and they're great mums but I have no idea if my goldline will take to it when they hatch, hopefully mother nature will kick in.
If they are under a broody you don't need to turn them as she will do it, you don't need to do anything. Just lift her off for food at least once a day and make sure there is food and water available. I don't know about ducklings but chicks need a water source that they can't fall into, a saucer with pebbles in and water is great for the first couple of days. Most important is you need to post pics.
Sarah - slave to Cats Anthony, Elsa and Pippa, Chickens, Heidi, Fleur, Gabby and Marmite,R.I.P Cadbury
the above advice os great from saz when you have eggs under a broody she does all the hard work for you ,you don't need to turn or mist the eggs she is equipped to do everything ,in the last week of hatching she will sit tight don't lift her off for anything offer her food and water where she is ,she will eat when you offer it make sure she drinks aswell up her protein ie scrambled egg ,mealworm . disturbing her is not the best thing to do in the last week or so as she will be carefully controlling the humidty temperature and turning of the ggs and preparing them for hatching she may pluck her breast feathers out ,don't worry it is normal, she will be able to feel the eggs wriggling and the start of any pipping of the chicks and interrupting her at this crucial stage will decrease the chances of a healthy hatch .
hope this has been of some help good luck and cant wait to see the beautiful little ducks
[center]HELPING THE LITTLE BROWN GIRLS OF THIS WORLD FIND FOREVER HOMES Humble chicken maid to a happy little flock Frankii Whippers leading the way with Dorey,Prila(aka Mrs Brown),Ann-a-Lou Greta, Delphine my adorable silkie,my twin girls Lana and Boudica (aka The Jedward Twins ) ,Augustine Eizabeth(aka Pippy), Rheima, Marnie and Fleur aka little miss chatterbox[/center]
Still loving and missing Skinnie Minnie and Queenie xx
Marlene you taught me how to live and laugh again xx
Isabella my darling top hen ,you stole my heart xx
Porscha my sweet little girl ,you left so suddenly xx
Hi Chris, as already indicated by others before you really don't need to do much if the eggs are being incubated by a broody hen, she will turn the eggs as required, ensure humidity and temperature is right etc. I have had broody incubate eggs now for a few years and have never had to force them off the eggs, they will always come out themselves to feed/drink have a dust bath when they want and be back in 30 minutes to an hours time back on eggs.
I do provide easy access to water and food in the last day or two to ensure that she has enough sustenance in last days as she may not want to leave the eggs at all.
I would suggest to leave her to her own way of handling her broodiness and just keep an eye and only interfere if you think it is necessary, e.g. if you notice that she did not come out of the nest at all etc.
Normally I will lift the broody off the nest only if I want to wean her off being broody etc. good luck in any case, I am sure she will not see no different when ducklings hatch - to her they are her beautiful babies
My worry now is I took her off this morning and she's gone back into the nest box, when I checked to see how she was doing she was in the next nest box sitting on the eggs the other girls had layed I quickly lifted her off them and popped her on the duck eggs and hoping that they haven't died.
I candled them today and could see the veins, it's day 7 so fingers crossed when I candle them again in 3 days time I'll be able to see a difference in the growth. I don't know how long she was off them for so it's just a waiting game now
Hi again, eggs will survive at least 12 hours being off heat, thus will depend how long they remained off-heat for.
The problem is if a broody is disturbed too much then she may abandon eggs, in this case she has tried to move her nest and take owner ship of other eggs. Keep an eye as if the broody feels that she is being disturbed too much then she will most likely move again. Try not to lift her any more - leave her to nature; let nature take its course. Like I said if you are concerned then leave some water and feed near her etc, but try to avoid directly handling her, she probably does not like that. I would also recommend that if you need to candle eggs etc, then do at night so as to minimize impact on her.
In case she moves again then you may need to resort to switching the nest place to her new selected place - i.e. if she keeps on moving; but even then there is no guarantee she will see it through to due date.
I actually think my broody chook is bonkers and definitely getting naffed off with me when I open the nest box to collect the other eggs, today she has rolled her two duck eggs to the other nest box and then sat on them and I've just gone to check her water and she's back in the other nest box again with the two duck eggs :-0
I haven't lifted her for nearly two days now and have just popped a little water drinker in front of her, I haven't noticed she has been out for food either. She squawkes everytime I lift the nest box lid but I can't just leave all the eggs there other wise she'll be sitting on a big mound of them in a couple of days. I guess she keeps moving them because she's threatened by me.
Anyone else have experience with chooks moving their eggs?
My broody hen successfully hatched her baby ducks after 28 days She's been a fantastic mum so far and very protective of them.
I'm not too sure how to post photos on here so there's a link below of them having their first proper bath at two days old (other than sploshing about in the water bowl for the first day) you can hear mum in the background calling out to them and when I returned them I did get a peck from mum to say leave my babies alone She's easily befriended again though with a bit of corn They're four days old now and growing daily, they are so cute
Even better news is mum's not wanting to sit on anything (other than the ducklings to keep them warm) and is heading outside for the first time in over a month to scratch around which is nice to see. She was looking quite rough towards the end but is already looking better. I did leave her to come off the eggs on her own but after 48 hours of sitting tight I knew she wouldn't come off the eggs on her own so took her off for tens minutes every day so she could poo and have a stretch.
Oh they are so gorgeous! those little waggling feet! I could hear your hen bocking in the background, I bet she's confused! I remember when I was young, my mum let a hen hatch some abandoned duck eggs, she took them down the garden where they all leapt into the pond & the poor hen ran round & round squawking in panic!
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." --Immanuel Kant
), she will probably think she has two of the most
I quickly lifted her off them and popped her on the duck eggs and hoping that they haven't died.
They're four days old now and growing daily, they are so cute 
