Hen Accidentally Hatches Ducklings and Learns They're Nothing Like Chicks
Motherhood always comes with surprises, but this hen got more than she bargained for when the eggs she carefully incubated hatched into a mix of ducklings and chicks. While she seemed happy to welcome all of her babies, it quickly became clear that the ducklings were very different from the chicks she was used to raising.
A recent rainstorm left the new mom completely confused when her ducklings couldn't wait to run outside and splash in the puddles instead of ducking (pun totally intended) for cover from the weather. Meanwhile, the chicks seemed much more interested in staying dry. Be sure to watch until the end for some adorable duckling zoomies, too!
@wannabefarmin Watching her adopted ducklings experience their first puddle like a proud mama #chicken#duck#farmlife#adoption#adorable
original sound - Chrissy
Chrissy shared in the caption, "Watching her adopted ducklings experience their first puddle like a proud mama!" Viewer @hvmorri got more than 35,000 likes when they joked, "She was thinking that they get this from their daddy's side..."
@Skadoodle spoke for all of us when they said, "If you make an 8-hour audio of rain and these guys, I'll listen to it." @Tara added, "Yup, same! This is super calming."
Related: Farmer Gives Hen a Peacock Egg and the Outcome Tugs at the Heartstrings
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Can a Chicken Really Raise Ducklings?
Commenter @NotTheWriter shared, "I love how chickens will be like, an egg's an egg and a baby's a baby and I want a baby, so hand it over." It's true; hens will pretty much sit on anything and aren't picky about what hatches.
Broody hens are known for their strong maternal instincts and will often incubate and care for eggs that aren't even their own...sometimes even stealing eggs from others. As The Chicken Chick explains, some breeds are especially known for their broody tendencies. Silkies, Cochins, and Australorps are among the most likely to go broody, jokingly referring to them as the "perpetual contenders for the Broody Mother of the Year Award."
Whether it's chicks, ducklings, or even a peacock, mama hens will raise any babies like they're her own, even if she has to put up with some of their unusual quirks.
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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 7:01 AM.