Its now the 21st-since the ninth one duck has started molting and the other has been laying everyother day-there are now 12 eggs in the nest. My question is when will someone start sitting on these eggs? How many does it take till someone wants to sit? The rouen seemed interested untill she started molting-will my khaki sit on them or what. How long do i wait before its obvious noone wants these eggs and is it too late to stick them under my hen?
Sorry i have so many questions but this is all new. Thanks for any advise. Mina

Mina; I have very limited experience with the huge, deep keeled, show quality Rouen ducks. Is that what yours is? Or do you have a commercial strain of Rouen, like a Pekin, only colored like a Mallard? If the former, I understand from breeders that they make very unsatisfactory brood hens. The latter do a little better, but some are unreliable. I will suppose from your description that the Khaki is a Campbell. That being the case, they are bred to be egg production machines, like commercial Leghorns have been. If they set, and most won't, they must be watched closely to catch them if they abandon the nest. Khaki Campbells have been known to lay over 300 eggs a year. If yours sets, she probably will lay many more eggs before she does. You are probably wise to place your eggs under a chicken hen if you have one setting. Remember to mist the nest occasionaly to limit weight loss from the eggs. Or just eat the eggs you have now and see how many your Khaki will lay. Either way, Best of luck. Randy Henry (JaRaCo)