Hatching Ducks

blackstairsboy

Lads just wondering if anyone hear has hatched mallard eggs out under a bantam. I have a bantam broody and can get some wild mallard eggs and am tempted to stick maybe a half dozen under her and the same in the incubator let her adopt the incubator hatched ones after hatching. Also what age would I want to put the mallard on the pond at 6 weeks or so I suppose? No experience in releasing ducks so advice welcome.
I know a dozen mallard may not be worth the hassel but doing it more out of curiosity than anything else. Sure maybe a few might hang about the pond for the summer.

Spunk84

myself and terminator done it last year, term had them incubating in the back room of the house and when they hatched we put them in my garage in a wooden crate.I stuck in a older chicken/chick and it did well with them. When they were a bit older i just let them run around the back of the house, they never ventured far from the chicken and it taught them how to pick. We released them onto a private pond when they got their feathers and are still there.

TriggerPL

bantam will hatch them no prob ! normally around 8 weeks is when we release ours , just make sure your pond is secure from vermin as the duck have no where to go if mink gets in .

rabbit assassin

I have 3 bantams (all seperated) and last year tried to hatch out a few pheasant eggs and duck eggs. They all sat grand for about 2 weeks and werent disturbed at all and randomly after 2 weeks they just got off them. Tried with 3 different clutches and the same happened

Ended up using the 30 egg incubator I got a few years back. Alot more reliable :P

jaksnipe

i did,nt think you cud take wild eggs off a nest. maybe i,m wrong???

Eddie B

Brother in law tried it couple of years ago! Think ten out of twelve eggs hatched, all survived! The funny thing was, first day he let them out into the garden, the ducklings popped into a pool of water he had for his farmyard ducks, and the bantam went ballistic!!!:D

blackstairsboy

I plan to put the eggs under her this weekend so will keep ye updated on the progress.