how many eggs...

[Anonymous]

... how many large (70g) fertile eggs could I put under a Pekin broody?

I know it's a silly time of year to try but I know my Daffodil and she is impossible to break from being broody. I've got some duck eggs because I heard they are more reliable later in the year.

 

[foxy]

Well I am presuming your pekin is a pekin hen not duck??

To be blunt..and this is just my opinion I would really perserve and break her. Broody hens are good for hatching ducks, however, pekins are rather small. Ducklings grow at an incredible rate and would overwhelm her by 2 weeks, notwithstanding the amazing amount of mess they create!

This time of year is really not a good time to hatch ducklings unless you are luckly enough to have an undercover and concreted area such as a barn/stable and are planning to take them away from mum early and rear separately.

Regarding fertility, yes ducks tend to on average have a high fertlity, that is not always the case however,and I would imagine fertility to be dropping off now, certainly all my drakes are moulting at the moment.. (still pretty keen on the ladies though!!! 07 )

A big welcome to the forum btw! 99 99

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that. I would definitely persevere with breaking her except that I am going on holiday and I can't expect the people looking after her to do something complicated. I am actively hoping that she will work out it is winter and abandon the eggs.

I'll play it by ear when it comes to rearing any that hatch - at a pinch they can go in the garage, we don't keep the car in it! She is a very good mum by the way. I picked on duck eggs because there is a chance she is a carrier of IB, and ducks can't get IB.

In past years I have tried setting her on ice cubes, dunking her in buckets of water, chasing her round the garden every half hour, spraying her with the hosepipe, keeping her out of the house all night for a week, hanging her in a wire basket from a tree for a week... Each year after about three weeks I give up and give her some eggs or day olds.