Raising heritage fowl off the grid challenges us on how to increase the flock. Not enough power for a typical incubator. Difficulties providing consistent heat for babies when they hatch or come from mail order. We have been experimenting in using the old fashioned way…..a broody hen. Simple so you say…let the mama do it. Well there are some points to consider.
You are at the whim of nature. This plays out in several ways. The sex of your hatch is up in the air. Not just pullets (females), guaranteed a few or most will be roosters. Are the eggs fertile and will they take? Candling is an art to figure out. The learning curve is accelerated by the first rotten egg you experience. Will the broody hen be a good mama or will she abandon the nest for some reason. And with ducks, all domesticated ones except the muscovy came from the mallards, and have had the broody instinct bred out. 
Fortunately for us we were able to convince the sort of broody duck hen to sit for 28 days on her nest. So now we have 4 ducklings. They escaped the black snake by the savvy mother getting them out of the nest when they were less then 1 day old. She did abandon the 4 other eggs. One was actually hatching, so some quick thinking, a hot water bottle, and wool sweater sleeve allowed the duckling to survive. All are doing well and growing so fast. Still don’t know if they are hens or drakes, that will take awhile to figure out. And the black snake…it got away. Let’s just hope it’s pulling double duty on the voles and mice!
About rae jean hawk holler
I loved raising my ducks, chickens and turkeys- So many never become broody and it can be very frustrating. Out of the three- I love my turkeys the most though. They get broody easier- and while they take longer to come to maturity they produce a lot more meat per bird- and their eggs are wonderful as well.
yes it can be frustrating. i had to enclose the duck for several days until she finally decided to commit to sitting. she had collected a ridiculous amount of eggs that got buried, and then discarded. the chickens decided to get broody later then last year. there is one sitting now. so much for spring chicks..make way for the late summer ones. your turkey’s sound wonderful…what breed are you raising? have you tried putting golf balls in the nest box to trick the hens?
I raise heritage breed turkeys- this time we did Bronze turkeys. I just adore them- they follow us around the farm, and they love it when I sing to them. They will lay down and turn their heads to the side to listen. I can bend down and pet them- and carry one or two around. November is going to be so hard on me.
birds are fascinating aren’t they? the final process is always hard to think about for me. after i begin, it becomes easier. good luck, it is a humbling experience.
So why ducks? Don’t chickens do the same (eggs, meat, bug eaters, baby snake eaters?)
ducks eat slugs, snails and a few other things chickens don’t. they don’t rip up the garden as much either. these ducks are way more consistent in laying also. one a day since last dec when they matured. aggie the farm dog was suppose to herd them, but she did not read that part of her contract. they are very very messy though. i like both birds.
I have enjoyed reading about your ducks Rae Jean AND your bossy English Shepherd, Aggie! We used to have Magpie ducks here on our small farm and boy do I ever miss them. They too, are a heritage breed and endangered. They are also black and white and look much like your Ancona breed duck. I wonder if they are one and the same?! Our Magpies would become broody VERY easily, often hatching out their eggs, which are blue, btw ;^)
One year, I slipped some of my chicken’s fertile eggs under my Magpie hen and together with her own duck eggs, she and another Magpie hen that shared the nesting with her, hatched ALL of them out, even the chicks! They cared for them just as their own but surely became confused when the chicks didn’t take to the pond like the ducklings did! LOL
Sometimes the eggs are more of a bluish-green. They lay LOTS of eggs and I found them wonderful for baking with.
I have four English Shepherds now and there is absolutely NO way that I could run this farm without them keeping the coyote out, vermin and coons away! I also have an extensive herb garden and the goats LOVE my Comfrey so if not for my working dogs, my herbs would all be gone! I won’t enter the buck’s in rut pen without one of my ES watching my back. They don’t hesitate to keep me safe.
I also raise Royal Palm turkeys but have not gotten to a spot with them where I could use for Thanksgiving dinner, sadly. They are a slow growing breed and I am hoping for some turkey poults one day.
Give Aggie a big hug from us here at Vine Hill Farm in OH! Blessings~
Sometimes you can get broody hen to hatch a batch of ducklings for you. My little hens would sit on anything when I put it in their nest including giant plastic Easter eggs. If you have a hen that has a habit of going over the top broody then maybe you could try having her hatch some ducklings for you.