Duck breeding, HELP!!?

1. Eggs from a Pekin should take about 4 weeks to hatch.

2. How many she has is up to her ... they will generally lay an egg every day or so until they have "enough" and then they will stop laying and start setting on them. Most ducks will set on anywhere from 4-9 eggs or so.

3. Ducklings can be sold very soon after hatching, since they do not nurse from the mother. The person buying them will have to provide them with a warm brooder though. If you want to wait for them to be completely independent, they need to have their adult feathers in, which will take around 2 months.

The first thing I would say is that different breeds of ducks vary in their willingness to set on eggs and hatch them. Some are wonderful mothers and regularly raise as many as 60 offspring a year (like Muscovies, which are not true ducks), and others can barely be bothered to lay their eggs in their coop but will drop them anywhere, and virtually never set on them (like many Indian Runners). Still, there are always exceptions within a breed. Pekins unfortunately are not known for being good mothers, but there are many exceptions. You may have one that wants to raise ducklings. However, the majority of them are hatched in an incubator.

Your drake MAY also be a little small, but without seeing your particular ducks it's hard to know. He might manage to breed with her just fine. If the drake is not mature yet, you will have to wait for that.

You MIGHT be able to encourage your hen to set on eggs by providing her with a pile of straw in a corner of her coop and placing a couple of dummy eggs there. She should feel secure there and not be disturbed too much. It's a good idea to have a wading pool for them to swim in if you don't have a pond. It is easier for ducks to breed in water, and the duck hen will often moisten her body while setting on the eggs in order to provide enough humidity for a good hatch. You should ensure that the coop is well protected from predators (don't overlook smaller predators such as snakes and rats when you are hatching eggs and raising babies).

Spring is not the only time, but it is the best time for most waterfowl to be induced to breed. I raise mallard-derived ducks (most domestic ducks are mallard-derived breeds), muscovy ducks, and geese and right now about 70% of my females are either setting on nests or driving themselves crazy trying to choose a perfect spot. I expect almost all the rest to join them within a month. I live in central Texas so if you live further north, it will be later.

If you let the mother duck raise the ducklings, you don't need to do much extra except provide them with a crumble they can eat when small, and keep them safe from predators. Any water should be easy for the ducklings to exit because they can tire and drown, or get too chilled. I hope that helps!

at the same time as they are finished grown the male could have a feather in his tail which will curl up slighty... The breed I surely don't have any clue there geese, A duck is a duck is a duck to me :-) sturdy success and that i wish you are able to figure it out quickly!