eggs found situation

[lmd]

for a few days I was missing two of 19 ducks - a motley mis of runners, calls, and a few cambells in the past. I eventually found one sitting on 7 eggs in a hidden area of their pen. Made sure she had more bedding, and saw that she came out to eat and drink. Found the second one a few days ago, setting on 17 eggs. Not a chance they could all be warm enough, and only wood around them and gravel underneath. This morning I goofed. A dog got in and grabbed the first setter I found. No luck. I brought in three eggs and one new little duckling. They are in a warm picnic hamper. If only the one hatches, can I put it with the mother in a dog crate for bonding and warmth?

Since I know nothing about the other setter - did she start earlier or later? I don`t know if her large number of eggs are likely to have survived. I have no incubater or brooder anyway. I usually have everything done by the ducks with no problems. Now I am helpless and stupid about this.

Anw then I had one of the eggs hatch in the heated/humid container. At least they can have a companion.

[Mary]

Your having better luck with setting ducks than I have had. None of my 10 want to set. I have set 6 eggs with one of my broody hens. She hatched four ducklings and is caring for them. I now have seven duck eggs under another hen. My experience with ducks is limited compared to many on this site. I'm guessing the two will work out well together. I gave one of my four to a friend to be a companion to her ducking of about the same age (about 2 weeks old). Mine was wilder than her's and she has had a lot of problems with the one I gave her running away and hiding several times. It didn't want to stay with the tamer ducking. I suggested she put them both in a deep box and put a partition they could see each other through, chicken wire, plexiglass or some such. Don't know if she was able to catch it the last time it got out.

I hope you are able to hatch more. Sure sorry about the dog getting the mother.

[lmd]

One more hatched late last night. I don`t think they are eating or drinking, because in the small space they keep running on the little containers. I even made some ""soup"" from the feed and put it in the lid of a small container. The three do keep together. Two eggs are still sitting there keeping warm. Good luck to them.

[Patrick]

Try reading Holderread's Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks. It covers all of the bascis which you seem to need, plus so much more.

[Gercarson]

Try reading Holderread's Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks. It covers all of the bascis which you seem to need, plus so much more.

If Holderread's have a good book on basics you're lucky. Yep, a little bitterness on my part because of the duds they sold me. So, sour grapes on my part but they deserve it.

[Patrick]

I hear you, loud and clear, but you need to learn to seperate the man's knowledge and writing ability from his business practices. Many people fail to do that, and are the worse off for it. Most blindly worship him simply because of his reputation, which hasn't lived up to the hype in at least the last 10 or 12 years, or because he's devoutly religious, as if that's really the final word today on what makes a good person. The bottom line is that his book is one of the most thorough and factual livestock care manuals ever written, and I've read hundreds.

[Oregon Swedes]

I'll back Patrick up on this one. The Storey's book is excellent. It's not just compared to books about ducks. Any livestock would be very lucky to have a book that good and thorough.