The Pros and Cons of natural and artificial incubation of waterfowl   

By K.- J. & Ludger Brokemper

 

Or the never-ending old, and always new, problem of natural or artificial hatching of ornamental waterfowl in captivity.

 

First of all we want to mention, that the decision or choice is made by everyone for himself.

At first something personal: I am the senior Karl-Josef,  and have reared waterfowl for about forty years, latterly with my son Ludger generally with “ more or less” success.  Like many other friends we started with American Wood Ducks and Mandarin Ducks, it went on with Red Crested Pochards, Tufted Ducks and other European Ducks.  Later on other exotic and rare sorts followed.

 

Now back to the theme:

 

At the beginning we had a great flock of domesticated wild coloured mallards.  We always had few males (3-4) and lots of females (about 15).  The ducks had a great area and a dry house including lots of nests where the ducks laid and hatched well.

At the time we recognized that the ducks sat well, so we exchanged the mallard eggs for the well temperatured eggs of ornamental waterfowl.  For getting better control, we wrote down the date of changing and the hatching time on the nest cover.

When the eggs started to pip, we took them away and put them in an incubator.  Afterwards they were reared under Infrared lamp. This form of incubation is nearly the same as the natural hatching.

Of course we also had experience with other birds like domesticated Muscovy Ducks and small hens like “Silkies”, but they did not have the quality of the mallards.

 

Unfortunately after many successful years we had to give up the area of the mallards.  Now the question, how to incubate the right way is readdressed.  The experience taught us very quickly, that artificial hatching in a brooder from the first day of incubation on was not worth discussing.

 

Soon it became apparent, that the “mistakes” of artificial incubation are fundamentally made in the beginning, not later.

 

The logical result and consequences caused us to proceed thus:

The female now incubates the eggs for nearly ten days, and then the eggs come into an incubator.  In fact nobody says that anything will happen to the eggs later on.  In spite of the best temperature and air moisture, it always happens that the embryos died during incubation or, even more annoying, just before hatching.  At this point we hear the “so called” experts say “This cannot happen to me!” They may believe what they want.

 

Now some examples of our experiences over the past few years:

 

Barrow's Goldeneye Bucephela islandica:

Cavity-breeder, we let the female incubate and rear the young herself, with success.

 

Common Merganser Mergus merganser:

Several times incubating and rearing on their own, a cavity-breeder, the female takes the ducklings back to her cavity, like the Barrow's female does. Juvenile Mergansers have a very aggressive phase when they hit other ducks so intensely that they have to move on to other locations. Otherwise it will automatically result in casualties.

 

 

 

It shows that the natural breeding of cavity nesters is not as problematic as of ducks incubating on the ground (see the danger of vermin).

 

 

Indian Grey Teal Anas gracilis:

Incubating in cavities, in 2004 six eggs, all fertile, perfect nest, out of sight perfect incubation by the female, resulting in four eggs started to go off just before hatching, two ducklings emerged.  So what’s the reason??

South Georgian Pintail Anas g. georgica:

 

Photo: Incubating female in a reed-bundle

 

First brood six eggs, two are fertile, first few days the female incubated, and later the two eggs went bad in the incubator. Second brood: five eggs, four fertile under the female completely incubated, they hatched without problems. We took the new ducklings away and reared them under Infrared lights because the mother did not call to the ducklings intensively enough.

 

Maccoa duck Oxyura maccoa:

Always the same nest (only built up with new reed) on a manmade island and water. First brood at 6th of May , three eggs, one of these is fertile and incubated by the female for about two weeks, afterwards it  went off in the incubator.

Second brood starting at 4th of June , five eggs, all fertile, all eggs hatched  very well and raised perfectly by the female.

Photo: Maccoa-female with ducklings

 

After about 3-4 weeks the female suddenly got interested in the male again (females normally are very aggressive towards the males whilst rearing the ducklings). Another brood came, four eggs after the 1st of august. All eggs were fertile and the ducklings were raised very well by the female until they were fully feathered.

This fact was not common for us, because the female has three broods, two of which she raised the ducklings herself and also a new experience, all juveniles have been females.

 

 

Photo: Maccoa Family

Blue Ross’ Goose Anser Rossii:

 

Photo: Female incubating

 

Two year old pair, beginning with the brood at 21st of May, five eggs on a “Split-Island”, all incubated by the female herself ( always recommended for geese), all goslings came out very well. Then problems were with the gander, he pecked the goslings away.

The female with the goslings had to be separated, what a pity for the gander. Later on the rearing was alright and after four weeks the family was complete again.

 

Photo: Blue Ross’ Goose with fresh goslings

 

Cape Shoveller Anas Smithii:

Naturally ground-breeder, after first time collecting the eggs in April, late in the year at the 1st of September the second brood followed with seven eggs.  The nest was hidden very well under a big reed bundle.  The female was very shy, so that a regular observation was not really recommended.  Six eggs were fertile and the ducklings, although it was very late in the year, were reared perfectly by the mother.

 

Common Eider Somateria mollissima:

The female made a nest behind a low palisade wood with four eggs, two of them were fertile.  For about 10 days the female hatched the eggs herself, and then we collected the eggs and took them in the incubator. Although the eggs are well incubated one embryo died whilst in the incubator.  After collecting the eggs the female was so “offended” and even “ill”, that she needed intensive care otherwise the she would have died.

 

Here we have to mention that the eiders are the most sensible sorts of all.  Observe their behaviour when you have to resettle eiders from one place to another.

 

Photo: Common Eider incubating

 

 

Conclusion:

 

A number of experiences were noted.  So the pros and cons of the alternative sorts of incubation and rearing should be presented:

 

Pro artificial breeding:

 

Cons:

 

 

 

Pro natural incubation/breeding:

 

Cons:

 

 

 

Photo: Maccoa Male with the characteristic white eye-ring