Do Male Ducks Sit On The Eggs Along With Female?

Around 50 percent of duck species are seasonally monogamous. A male and female of these species would stay together for one year. During this time, they lay eggs and maintain a nest. But do male ducks sit on the eggs?

Yes, a male duck might sit on the eggs. However, he doesn’t do it to hatch or care for the eggs. Instead, the intention is purely territorial. He is just trying to ensure other ducks don’t get the nest or the female.

A pair of ducks building a nest and hatching eggs might look like a lovely little waterfowl family. But do the eggs hold any real value to the male?

You will be surprised that things are much different than they might seem.

Read more about ducks behavior:

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Do Male Ducks Have the Ability to Sit (Incubate) on Eggs?

Male ducks cannot incubate eggs like female ducks do. Sometimes, a male duck might sit on the eggs in a nest. However, their intention is not to incubate the eggs. Instead, it is something different.

To incubate eggs, ducks need a special brooding patch. It’s an area of bare skin ducks have on their body’s underside.

The patch transfers heat from the parent bird’s body to the egg, providing them with the necessary warmth and humidity for hatching.

This is something only female ducks develop. They do so by plucking their breast feathers and roasting their raw skin in the sun.

Male ducks have no such behavior and thus no brooding patch. As a result, they do not have any ability to incubate eggs.

Why Would a Male Duck Sit on Eggs?

It’s not in the nature of male ducks to care for eggs. So, if you find one sitting in a nest, don’t assume he’s trying to be a dad. Instead, he might be imitating a female duck’s behavior or simply seeking some warmth.

Parroting Behavior

In most cases, male ducks are indifferent to the eggs in a nest. Generally, these birds will move away from a nest once they are done mating.

However, ducks are community-bound creatures and tend to mirror the behavior of other members. So, if a male duck (Drake) bonds with a female one, he would parrot its behavior.

Thus, it might sit on the eggs in the nest. Here the drake is merely imitating the female’s behavior and not trying to hatch eggs.

For Warmth and Guarding

Sometimes a male duck might be sitting on the eggs just because he likes how warm the nest is. They also have protective tendencies. So, the Drake might sit to guard the nest from other predators while the female is away.

In all cases, it is highly unlikely that a Drake sits in the nest to exclusively care for or hatch the eggs. Instead, they generally tend to ignore the eggs or even destroy them.

How Long Do Male Ducks Typically Sit on Eggs Before They Hatch?

Male ducks briefly sit on eggs for warmth or to assert territory, not for incubation or parental care.

Female ducks rarely leave their eggs during the incubation period. They would sit on them for most hours of the day.

How Long Do Male Ducks Typically Sit on Eggs Before They Hatch

However, she needs food and drinks too. For that, the female sometimes has no choice but to leave the nest for a few minutes. If the female has a bonded male, he might sit on the eggs during this time.

Here the male isn’t exclusively protecting the eggs. Instead, he is territorial and ensures no one else gets a hold of the unattended nest.

The overprotective mother duck will try to return to her nest as soon as possible and go back to incubating them. Therefore, the male wouldn’t sit alone on the eggs for more than a few minutes.

Does the Presence of a Male Duck Help Increase the Hatch Rate of Eggs?

A male duck’s presence has no established relation with the hatch rate. If he chooses to hang around after mating, it is mainly because he’s bonded to the female. In other words, he cares about her but not the eggs.

However, the presence of the male duck can indirectly influence the hatch rate. A bonded drake guards the nest. He chases away other ducks and predators who might harass the female.

Does the Presence of a Male Duck Help Increase the Hatch Rate of Eggs

So, the male duck’s territorial behavior shields the eggs from predators. It also provides the female duck the comfort and protection to incubate the eggs properly. In this way, a drake’s presence can increase the hatch rate.

Although, that might not always be the case. As mentioned, the male drake has no attachment to the eggs. And as part of territorial behavior, they are even known to destroy them.

From this angle, an aggressive male duck’s presence can lower the hatch rate.

Final Takeaway

Understanding why do male ducks sit on the eggs can be valuable knowledge to a poultry farmer. You now know that the duck is not nurturing the eggs. There’s even the possibility that he might destroy them.

So, be alert when you find a male duck exhibiting this behavior.

That’s all there was to this discussion. Hope you found your answers. Don’t hesitate to share the knowledge with the rest of the internet. And stay connected with us through Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest for more content like this.

References

https://artisanfarmers.org/do-male-ducks-sit-on-eggs/.
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/mallard/breeding/.
https://www.ducks.org/conservation/waterfowl-research-science/understanding-waterfowl-duck-nesting-ecology.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/world-s-poultry-science-journal/article/abs/fertility-and-hatchability-in-duck-eggs/1F2842413BDDB0F43B60F760BA9C3941
https://www.ducks.org/conservation/waterfowl-research-science/life-in-the-egg