I have 4 wonderful Muscovy hens I got from a member, they are a year old so pretty young. In the spring all 4 sat on nests wonderfully however once the ducklings started to hatch they didn't look after them, I found one dead and one almost dead. So I took all the eggs and put them in the bator. I figured it was because it was their first time and they didn't know what they were doing.
So they were all sitting again, they seem to love sitting on eggs. I went in the coop this morning and there was a duckling laying in the middle of the floor almost dead and very cold. Stuck it in my bra and headed to the house to plug in the bator, put the duckling in my bra under a heat light. Went back out to finish chores then checked the duck coop again and there was another duckling in the middle of the coop shivering. So I took 20 eggs to put in the bator and left a few for the hens, thinking maybe there is just too many for them... Oh both ducklings have survived and are doing great.
Why aren't they looking after the ducklings? After the eggs hatch in the bator should I put the babies back with the hens? I just don't know why they aren't looking after them and I don't know what to do.
So they were all sitting again, they seem to love sitting on eggs. I went in the coop this morning and there was a duckling laying in the middle of the floor almost dead and very cold. Stuck it in my bra and headed to the house to plug in the bator, put the duckling in my bra under a heat light. Went back out to finish chores then checked the duck coop again and there was another duckling in the middle of the coop shivering. So I took 20 eggs to put in the bator and left a few for the hens, thinking maybe there is just too many for them... Oh both ducklings have survived and are doing great.
Why aren't they looking after the ducklings? After the eggs hatch in the bator should I put the babies back with the hens? I just don't know why they aren't looking after them and I don't know what to do.