Caring For A Broody Duck
Allowing a duck to sit on eggs and attempt to hatch them can be a fun and educational experience for you. Going “broody” is the term used to describe letting a chicken, duck, or any other type of poultry set on eggs.
How to Make A Duck Go Broody
Instead of simply giving a female duck some eggs in the hopes that she will make a nest for them and sit on it, you’ll want to make sure she’s broody first. In reality, we cannot make a duck, chicken or any other bird go broody and want to sit on eggs. But there are a few things we need to know and things we can do to encourage her to do so.
First, make sure it’s the right time of the year. Longer day length signals to most birds that it’s time to have babies. Early spring to mid-summer is the best time. Then, give her a few secluded nesting spots that are away from the rest of the flock but still secure from predators.
The Broody Trigger
Once the duck is laying eggs in a chosen spot, don’t lock her away from the rest of the flock just yet. By leaving the eggs in the nest, and not collecting them for several days, you can help trigger her to go broody. The sight of a nest full of eggs is another trigger for encouraging broodiness. When she’s broody, she won’t leave the nest and may “hiss” at you when you look in to check on her. Once you are certain she is broody and stays in her chosen spot all the time, you can then secure the spot from the rest of the flock and predators if needed.
If you want your broody duck to hatch purchased eggs, simply swap out your eggs for hers in the nest.
A broody duck will only get off the nest once per day to get a quick bite to eat and take a speedy bath. She does still need to have access to a daily bathing spot. Broody ducks are more likely to get external parasites if they are not allowed to swim. Ducks are usually attentive, persistent mothers and require little more from us than to have a secure spot and be left alone with food and a wading spot.
In my experience, having a broody duck is much easier than having a broody chicken. Ducks are usually great mothers and are quite dedicated to their nest and subsequent hatchlings when given a chance. Leave us a comment below and let us know about your experience with having a broody duck.
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I have a female mallard (ordered from a hatchery) and I’ve tried so hard to get her to go broody, I’ve left the eggs in a nest box where she’s laying, I made sure it’s dark, left nesting materials, and she’s created a nest but no down over the eggs which would imply broodiness. There are 12 in the nest now and depending on when this comment is answered there will be more. She’s a small duck but she keeps laying eggs there but won’t sit. How much longer will it take for her to want to sit on them?
Also is there any way I could speed up the process? It’s probably been close to 2 weeks worth of eggs and no sitting. I don’t want them to go bad before she even starts
Hello CMD. Thank you for reading our blog! There’s really no way to “force” a duck (or any bird) to go broody. The lengthening days and seeing a nest full of eggs are what usually triggers the instinct, but domestic animals can be tricky, and not all of them will go broody. It sounds like you’ve given her everything possible to allow her to go broody, except for more time. Wait her out and see what happens, only time will tell now.
Thank you for the response, I appreciate it, and I’ll try to be more patient. One thing I realized is that my other hen (blue runner) is laying in the same nest box, everyday. Could this be a reason my Mallard won’t go broody, since some are not her eggs?
CMPd, not likely that 2 ducks laying in the same nest would prevent a duck from going broody.
I have one that will sit on the nest 1/2 the day then about 2pm get off for 5-6 hours. And usually only has one egg under her. And then I have another that sits on a nest for a few hours in the morning and while there she chases all the rest away. Are either one broody?
Hi Shari. From what you describe, it doesn’t sound like either of them are broody.
Hi Marie!
It’s my first season with ducks. I have two females and two males in the same pen – all have access to a bathtub of water 24/7 and a little pond from dawn to dusk. I have one brooding duck in a little crate with straw. I would love to have goslings and want to keep her brooding, but I’m wondering if I should collect any of the eggs when she gets up? The other female isn’t brooding, but they lay in the same place.
Should I try collecting some of the eggs? I’m afraid there’ll be a big rotting stashing of eggs there if I don’t…?
Gina, thank you for reading our blog! It’s truly exciting to consider the possibility of having babies. If you’re uncertain about which eggs are old and developing, it’s best not to collect them randomly. In my opinion, a good approach would be to candle the eggs and mark the ones that show signs of development. This way, you can easily identify the new ones and collect them. Good luck!
Also, my ducks don’t like the feed that I have access to at the stores here. The only thing they seem to like is mealworms which is quite pricey. Could you please recommend some duck feeds?
Gina, when it comes to feeding your ducks, there are numerous options in additional to conventional duck feed. If your ducks have access to a free-range area, they will likely find insects, snails, and other natural treats on their own. In addition, you can supplement their diet with cooked eggs or occasional small portions of cooked meats. Ducks also have a fondness for fruits, vegetables, and greens like dandelions and basil. Mine love corn! Including grains like rice, oats, and barley can be beneficial as well, with cooked grains being easier for them to digest. I hope you find what works best for you and your flock!
I marked on the calendar when I thought my Cayuga hen went broody. But it has been 31 days and no eggs have hatched. (On the 30th day I noticed she had strewn the eggs all about and went to eat and bathe. So I gathered them & candled with a flashlight. Most were infertile, two were rotten. One was a partial developed duck. I returned 9 to her nest area that lookrd as though they were viable, although I saw no movement.) She came back to the nest area and rebuilt the nest materials and has been faithfully sirting. Can she tell if the ducklings have died? I thought I would wait another week in case my esrimate of her brooding start was incorrect.
Hey Gwen! If your Cayuga hen has been sitting on her eggs for 31 days without any hatching, it could mean that you misjudged the start of her brooding period or there might be some problems with the eggs. Just so you know, hens can’t really tell if the ducklings have died or not.
In this situation, it’s a good plan to give it another week and see if anything changes. You can also try candling the eggs again to check for any further development. Good luck, and I hope those ducklings hatch successfully!
Hi Lauren,
I have a Mallard sitting on 18 eggs. She’s in with 18 chickens & a Mallard drake. The last time she hatched one out, she tried killing it so I raised it in a brooder. Is it natural for that kind of behavior if she’s not isolated? I’m contemplating removing them & incubating them but I don’t want to unnecessarily. Also, could removing them cause her any harm. Any suggestions?
Hi Jenni!
It’s possible that she was stressed, which could explain her behavior towards her previous hatchling. Considering this previous incident, I would suggest removing the eggs from the Mallard and incubating them yourself. Alternatively, you could try separating the Mallard, similar to how you would isolate a broody chicken in a separate cage or run. Both options can create a safer environment for the ducklings. Just remember to minimize stress for the Mallard during the process; moving at night is typically the easiest time. Good luck with your Mallard and the eggs!
My duck hen had been broody over a month. I tried candling, but didn’t do it right. So I thought the eggs were dead and was going to order day old ducklings. My drake pulled her off the nest today and I had to hose him because he was mean. After I saw an egg on the ground way out of the duck house. I thought it was bad because the eggshell was broken. First time for me doing this. Put it in a plastic bag and then something told me I should look inside. There was a fully formed duckling. I thought it was dead, but then it opened it’s eyes. So unfortunately I got it out of it’s shell and it had the yolk sac on the outside. I tried putting it back in the nest but mama wouldn’t have any of it. So I fixed up a mini nest in a towel in a plastic box and put the heat lamp on it. 90 degrees. Put Vaseline on yolk sac and have left it be. It appears to be sleeping and will peep if I touch it. Does move. I’m hoping it’s still growing? The egg shell was so broken. I know I didn’t do the right thing. My question is what now?
Hi Debbie! It sounds like you did what you thought was best. Don’t beat yourself up about it, we all just do the best we can.
It is possible that the yolk will still absorb, make sure it stays a little moist so it doesn’t stick to anything and break open. If it does break open before it is absorbed you’ll want to treat the area like a wound and the duckling will need food and water right after instead of in a day or two. It’s still possible for him to live, I’m rooting for him for you!
We have 2 Peking ducks and 1 has made a nest and has 18 eggs in it. I tried candling but truly don’t know what I’m looking at. At what point do I remove the eggs? She only sits on them at night at this point but appears to still be laying. I do not know if our duck is a drake or not. I don’t want a rotten mess or a confused duck but I really don’t know what I’m doing.
Hi Amy, If your duck seems mostly off the nest (for more than 30 minutes to an hour at a time) it wouldn’t be sitting enough to incubate the eggs. It is possible that she’s still making a nest and adding to it and intends to sit on it once she is done laying. I would keep an eye on it. You can likely still safely remove the eggs if you would like to.
There are some great videos on candling that might help, too!
We have a couple on our YouTube Channel this one and this one at about 4:30 will show some candling
Good luck! Reach back out here or to info@meyerhatchery.com if you have any other questions!
Has anyone switched out duck eggs from an incubator around day 24-25 and placed them under a broody female duck who is sitting on other eggs? She has 9 under her now and I don’t want that many hatching. I have 3 in an incubator that are ready to hatch and I want her to bond with them.
I have a Pekin who has been faithfully sitting on eggs for two weeks. She has moved her nest and the eggs in her coop and is meticulous in her care. Until this morning. We have had lots of rain over night and the coop has about 2 inches of water in it. When I opened it this morning she ran out as usual but has been playing in the rain and puddles ever since, for about 2 hours now. I don’t know if the rain was just too tempting or she gave up because the coop is wet.
Gale, Your Pekin sounds like potentially a good mama. It’s possible she’ll go back to the eggs after some time away. If it doesn’t seem like she is going to, you could take the eggs and incubate them the last two weeks to hatch. Good luck! I hope she goes back!
Hi Lauren. My Pekin Duck has been laying eggs for a month now.. there are 16 eggs. She still wont sit on them. My hubby says we should not open then to walk outside ..we normally let them out for a hour or to to free range eat. And also there are 2 females and one male.
Hi Magda! If she’s not sitting on the eggs at all, she likely isn’t broody at this time. Both chickens and ducks can lay eggs without any intention of hatching them. If she’s sitting on the eggs occasionally but gets up frequently, that might still be okay, as some movement is normal. However, it could also mean she’s too young and not ready to go fully broody and raise a clutch. I recommend candling the eggs to check for any development.
Typically, allowing your flock to free-range won’t affect a broody hen or duck. A broody mama will usually stay on the nest regardless or only leave briefly (less than 30 minutes) before returning. I hope everything goes well, and you get some future ducklings!