First Duck incubation w/Nurture Right 360. Come along for the journey! I'll do pictures!

[Everlastinghoop]

Hello! Been a while since I have posted or lurked here.
Our beloved Pekin drake (Cinnamon) got nabbed the night before last by what we think was a great horned owl. We think its the only predator it could be that left the clues that it did that it could possible be.
Anyways our female (Maple) as been fertilized everyday by Cinnamon until yesterday, and she has been laying and this is their first year (they are 7-8 months old).
Anyways, we are setting four or five eggs starting tomorrow with her egg I get in the morning.
I have set our own chicken eggs in the past but never ducks! I'll have questions!!!! I will do everything I can to ensure we have continuity of our beloved Cinnamon's lineage.
I love backyard chickens and ducks forum. It's the best.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm very sorry about Cinnamon did you forget to put them up for the night?

I hope you get some precious ducklings

 

[Everlastinghoop]

I'm very sorry about Cinnamon did you forget to put them up for the night?

I hope you get some precious ducklings

We didn't forget .we had a pretty good enclosure.....but we will be putting them in every night now. We have fort knocks for our hens....and will for our ducks now.

 

[Everlastinghoop]

About to start guys!! Got our fourth egg this am and going to also set one More the fridge too...just for added good measure ...I always add "one more" much to my husband's chargin.lol. ...pRyers she is actually fertile and these work out! They were youngish ducks and I am assume ng he got his mark when he did his dances with her!

 

[Everlastinghoop]

Hard to beleive a great horned owl could do what you described maybe a raccoon they can open just about anything that is why we have to make sure what kind of locks and bolts we use to keep out birds safe in their houses. i am not disputing what you aresaying just having a hard time thinking of an owl being able to work a rachet strap off and get the duck.

I am very sorry, I hope you get some ducklings from these eggs.

Yeah. Agree! We didn't think it was an owl either!! Until we spent all day investigating.....believe me ...it was not a raccoon. No evidence of one at all ...it was crazy!! It was like a vampire came and got our ducks..and I know that is what they say about Owls..that they leave No TRACE ...except the feathers....and that not how a raccoon deals with it's kill....this was a bird...and no other bird at night could do what this one did to its prey...
the ratchet (and elastic) popped off of the dome shaped house..it really wasn't that secure....but we didnt realize that grat horned owls can go to great lengths to taunt and draw out their prey and even get into poultry houses. Look it up! It's crazy; they do get into chicken houses! I did t know!!! Our chicken hosue is fort knocks....and we are not worried at all....the ducks were a new addition last year and we didn't realize an old was around .. I thought if the bird can't see the duck they won't know it's there....stupid us. Nope.
Fool me once...
...so Maple could have squeezed her way out of her door that isn't secured super well... if she was panicked enough with the Owl sitting on her house ect...idk and if the Great horned owl was patient enough to spend all night terrifying her, which I think it did, then we also see how it could have been slipped off of the dome shaped home...it was not a raccoon! Crazy but no way. No marks no tracks no fur....and it didn't carry her Over a fence without leaving a trace of itself ... The owl definitely did the same thing twice and Knew it had another duck to get after getting the first ...But raccoons don't do what it did. It was creepy at first honestly ...they are crazy predators. We will be ready next time.
Oh and from the first duck nab we found two days later out ducks wing longer feathers under one of our paper trees (they are VERY TALL TREES) and some regurgitated pieces of duck bones...and there is a nest at the top of it...it is too high to see inside..but that is how we also knew it had a nest nearby...AND IS probably very happy to have food for it's babies... good and bad at the same time...we felt terrible..and we are on high alert.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yeah. Agree! We didn't think it was an owl either!! Until we spent all day investigating.....believe me ...it was not a raccoon. No evidence of one at all ...it was crazy!! It was like a vampire came and got our ducks..and I know that is what they say about Owls..that they leave No TRACE ...except the feathers....and that not how a raccoon deals with it's kill....this was a bird...and no other bird at night could do what this one did to its prey...
the ratchet (and elastic) popped off of the dome shaped house..it really wasn't that secure....but we didnt realize that grat horned owls can go to great lengths to taunt and draw out their prey and even get into poultry houses. Look it up! It's crazy; they do get into chicken houses! I did t know!!! Our chicken hosue is fort knocks....and we are not worried at all....the ducks were a new addition last year and we didn't realize an old was around .. I thought if the bird can't see the duck they won't know it's there....stupid us. Nope.
Fool me once...
...so Maple could have squeezed her way out of her door that isn't secured super well... if she was panicked enough with the Owl sitting on her house ect...idk and if the Great horned owl was patient enough to spend all night terrifying her, which I think it did, then we also see how it could have been slipped off of the dome shaped home...it was not a raccoon! Crazy but no way. No marks no tracks no fur....and it didn't carry her Over a fence without leaving a trace of itself ... The owl definitely did the same thing twice and Knew it had another duck to get after getting the first ...But raccoons don't do what it did. It was creepy at first honestly ...they are crazy predators. We will be ready next time.
Oh and from the first duck nab we found two days later out ducks wing longer feathers under one of our paper trees (they are VERY TALL TREES) and some regurgitated pieces of duck bones...and there is a nest at the top of it...it is too high to see inside..but that is how we also knew it had a nest nearby...AND IS probably very happy to have food for it's babies... good and bad at the same time...we felt terrible..and we are on high alert.

Wow I had no idea they were like that. We have them around too, thankfully only my game camera has picked up a screech owl and it was at night after everyone was locked up.

 

[p4PaDuck]

Yeah. Agree! We didn't think it was an owl either!! Until we spent all day investigating.....believe me ...it was not a raccoon. No evidence of one at all ...it was crazy!! It was like a vampire came and got our ducks..and I know that is what they say about Owls..that they leave No TRACE ...except the feathers....and that not how a raccoon deals with it's kill....this was a bird...and no other bird at night could do what this one did to its prey...
the ratchet (and elastic) popped off of the dome shaped house..it really wasn't that secure....but we didnt realize that grat horned owls can go to great lengths to taunt and draw out their prey and even get into poultry houses. Look it up! It's crazy; they do get into chicken houses! I did t know!!! Our chicken hosue is fort knocks....and we are not worried at all....the ducks were a new addition last year and we didn't realize an old was around .. I thought if the bird can't see the duck they won't know it's there....stupid us. Nope.
Fool me once...
...so Maple could have squeezed her way out of her door that isn't secured super well... if she was panicked enough with the Owl sitting on her house ect...idk and if the Great horned owl was patient enough to spend all night terrifying her, which I think it did, then we also see how it could have been slipped off of the dome shaped home...it was not a raccoon! Crazy but no way. No marks no tracks no fur....and it didn't carry her Over a fence without leaving a trace of itself ... The owl definitely did the same thing twice and Knew it had another duck to get after getting the first ...But raccoons don't do what it did. It was creepy at first honestly ...they are crazy predators. We will be ready next time.
Oh and from the first duck nab we found two days later out ducks wing longer feathers under one of our paper trees (they are VERY TALL TREES) and some regurgitated pieces of duck bones...and there is a nest at the top of it...it is too high to see inside..but that is how we also knew it had a nest nearby...AND IS probably very happy to have food for it's babies... good and bad at the same time...we felt terrible..and we are on high alert.

It's a learning experience for sure. Having animals is a learning curve for all of us even if we have YEARS of experience. There is always more to learn. But now you know for next time!

 

[p4PaDuck]

How old was your drake?
Also I'm sorry for your loss.
I will be following this thread because I bought three ducklings from TSC and am hoping I have a khaki Campbell drake so I can have sex-linked ducklings! Also I'm in the market for a small cheapish incubator. Maybe a 12 egg. Anyways, I would appreciate advice for incubating duck eggs specifically.

 

[p4PaDuck]

Oh! Well, I am not the best advisor for setting duck eggs expert since this is my first time setting Ducklings to-be! Fingers crossed! And come along for the journey with me....I'm sure there will be somethings to be gleaned from this month's journey tht will help you!

Nice! I'm really hoping you can hatch them out! First time experience is the most educational, if you take the time to go over what you did right and wrong! Definitely following this thread.

 

[Everlastinghoop]

Welp ! I couldn't help myself and I canceled today, just one,while my boys were outside playing (I am a homeschooler) ....and it's alive!! Yay!
And I posted a other thread today about staggered hatches...for ducks ..I went ahead and did it. I put in our Maples Last egg that we rescued from her body yesterday ...she was taken too! (plus I added another one for good measure) five days behind these eggies here....so we will see!!