Mean broody duck!

[DaniellyB]

Hey all! I have 7 muscovy ducks (6 female and one male) and 2 mallards (both males). 3 of the females are sharing one nest with 12 eggs and they seem to be doing just fine sharing, though I am a little nervous once they hatch. 2 of my other females just started becoming broody on their own nests... BUT... one of them is being so very mean to the female who is not broody (only one who is not broody). Picture is broody mama attacking not broody mama. She has also been doing this to my mallards. Only when she is off the nest. There is plenty of space, food, water and shelter for them all so I have no idea what to do... I really do not want to go out and see an injured duck any advice? Is this normal? Should I be concerned about the shared nest? There are spots for all to have their own nest but they chose to share one giant one in the corner of the coop.

Sorry for all the questions!! Just do not want to mess up

 

[Crazy Maizie]

This is normal for muscovies. The only choice you really have is to break broodies because this is all hormonal. If that's not an option, just keeping an eye out for any blood drawn - not a little though because that is bound to happen too. But, if it is excessive, you might have to separate the one getting picked on.

 

[Miss Lydia]

You ought to see my one Muscovy go after my rooster. It's a good thing he is faster. This is very typical of broody Muscovy as @Crazy Maizie says. I have had to separate my broody from the rest of the flock because of her attitude. Even now I don't even have a broody but my oldest Muscovy will go after another in the evening when the time to go to bed so I am having to separate her with my drake and put up a partition so she doesn't jump on my one Muscovy female. They are very temperamental. And another thing having that many females on a nest can cause trampled ducklings especially if the females want to fight over who owns the ducklings.

 

[DaniellyB]

This is normal for muscovies. The only choice you really have is to break broodies because this is all hormonal. If that's not an option, just keeping an eye out for any blood drawn - not a little though because that is bound to happen too. But, if it is excessive, you might have to separate the one getting picked on.

will do, thank you!

 

[DaniellyB]

You ought to see my one Muscovy go after my rooster. It's a good thing he is faster. This is very typical of broody Muscovy as @Crazy Maizie says. I have had to separate my broody from the rest of the flock because of her attitude. Even now I don't even have a broody but my oldest Muscovy will go after another in the evening when the time to go to bed so I am having to separate her with my drake and put up a partition so she doesn't jump on my one Muscovy female. They are very temperamental. And another thing having that many females on a nest can cause trampled ducklings especially if the females want to fight over who owns the ducklings.

There is one who seems to be the dominant of the females. Should I just let her have them or separate them all with their own ducklings? There was only about 12 eggs last time I checked (right after they booted 7 from the nest). I cant imagine all 12 will hatch though.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'll tell you how I have had to deal with my Broody Muscovy they do not like to have company these girls don't once they go broody I make them their own space using left over lattice or anything else I might have laying around. That way she has her own space and she can come out anytime she wants but no one would dare go in. She is still inside the coop. I had 3 Muscoivy go broody at one time [I've never done that again]. Each one had their own space to brood and hatch once hatched then They had their own ducklings with them and I would let them bring them outside but boy did that get complicated. If the ducklings would see another mama with her duckling well the ducklings would join them and then one mama wouldn't have her ducklings so then I'd have to walk them all back inside and separate the ducklings so each mama had their own again. that went fine until about 2 weeks when mamas knew who their own duckling was and Since I had yellow ducklings and chocolate ducklings eventually I had to make sure the right color was with the right mama. lol let's just say now you know why I never let my Muscovy all brood at one time. At 3-4 weeks of age 2 of the mama decided they were done so The mama that was left took all the ducklings and cared for them until they were 6 weeks old. These ducklings were Runners and Buffs and to this day that Muscovy is still sleeping and hanging out with those ducks they are 5 yrs old and the mama is 9.
If you can separate the broodies up with their own eggs that may be better. You just never know how they will react until you try. In my coop, we had originally set up stalls because we had more than 1 Muscovy drake and they could not sleep in the same house unless inside a stall so it was nice to be able to use these stalls for broody mama and ducklings. Maybe someone else had be able to let their Muscovy share a nest and it turned out fine I haven't. @Crazy Maizie and I think @Quatie has Muscovy maybe they can chime in.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

My muscovy don't share nests. I think one is just too bossy. My current 2 muscovy girls really don't even get along. I usually break up nests and discourage broodiness.

 

[Quatie]

I haven't let mine stay broody and always break them. But I have definitely seen mine attack another one because we took her eggs away. I am a bit curious about our girls, because often when one starts going broody, another one keeps them company but is not sitting on a nest.

But I have also seen them tussle when we start introducing new ducklings to the flock. It seems like they are fighting over who gets to raise the ducklings on the other side of the fence.

 

[Miss Lydia]

It seems like they are fighting over who gets to raise the ducklings on the other side of the fence.

Or it's a good reason to get in some good tussling. i think they enjoy it.
Mine don't get to hatch any longer either. But oh do they still love to go broody. Not sure this coming year though since 2 are 10 yrs old and 1 is 9 yrs. My 13yr old finally gave up going broody about 3 yrs ago.

 

[Quatie]

Or it's a good reason to get in some good tussling. i think they enjoy it.
Mine don't get to hatch any longer either. But oh do they still love to go broody. Not sure this coming year though since 2 are 10 yrs old and 1 is 9 yrs. My 13yr old finally gave up going broody about 3 yrs ago.

Yeah they definitely like a good tussle. They love riling up all my other ducks.