Mom duck gone from eggs for almost 2 days, what should we do?

[angeltet]

Hello.

My family has some wild mallard duck eggs in a bush in our backyard. She was pretty good at keeping up with sitting on her eggs, but since yesterday she has been gone.

She left behind about 7 eggs last time we counted, but she is still missing. We are concerned since the weather is getting colder, and it is supposed to snow soon.

What do we do from here? How long do mallard ducks usually leave their nest? Should we take matters into our own hands and see if they’re alive? Any advice counts.

 

[Sheepheart]

It’s possible she decided it was not a safe nesting location and abandoned the eggs.

How long had she been there?

I’m not to sure of the eggs will even be viable to finish hatching out after two days of not being sat on, especially if it’s getting colder.

 

[angeltet]

It’s possible she decided it was not a safe nesting location and abandoned the eggs.

How long had she been there?

I’m not to sure of the eggs will even be viable to finish hatching out after two days of not being sat on, especially if it’s getting colder.

First time we saw an egg in our backyard was around the 5th of April if I remember correctly? Almost about 2 weeks I’d say.

 

[Sheepheart]

First time we saw an egg in our backyard was around the 5th of April if I remember correctly? Almost about 2 weeks I’d say.

Gosh that’s pretty far along, roughly half way through? I know rule of thumb is to leave it be as the mother knows what she is doing.
But the probability of snow is concerning. I feel like she either abandoned the nest because she felt unsafe raising ducklings there or maybe because she decided it was getting to cold to hatch eggs.

if you are considering hatching these eggs yourself make sure you can legally do so where you are, I know some states and even county’s have laws about raising wild born animals. Heck some places your not even aloud to have wild breeds even if they are from domestic stock.

 

[angeltet]

Gosh that’s pretty far along, roughly half way through? I know rule of thumb is to leave it be as the mother knows what she is doing.
But the probability of snow is concerning. I feel like she either abandoned the nest because she felt unsafe raising ducklings there or maybe because she decided it was getting to cold to hatch eggs.

if you are considering hatching these eggs yourself make sure you can legally do so where you are, I know some states and even county’s have laws about raising wild born animals. Heck some places your not even aloud to have wild breeds even if they are from domestic stock.

Yeah, it’s unfortunate the state we live in has such bipolar weather. We really were excited to see little ducks once they hatched.

For the state I live in, it’s illegal to tamper with eggs or own ducks. Would it be okay to call a wildlife center and see if they could possibly incubate the eggs? We might wait until the very end of the day to see if she comes back, but this is quite unfortunate to hear.

 

[Sheepheart]

Yeah, it’s unfortunate the state we live in has such bipolar weather. We really were excited to see little ducks once they hatched.

For the state I live in, it’s illegal to tamper with eggs or own ducks. Would it be okay to call a wildlife center and see if they could possibly incubate the eggs? We might wait until the very end of the day to see if she comes back, but this is quite unfortunate to hear.

I would call now and notify them, if they think the eggs should be collected and incubated I would ask if they would be okay waiting until tonight in case the duck returns. But my guess is that they will tell you to not tamper with them and keep your distance and keep children and pets away. They might tell you if she hasn’t returned in so long and the eggs are still there to call them again and they will discard them for you.

 

[angeltet]

I would call now and notify them, if they think the eggs should be collected and incubated I would ask if they would be okay waiting until tonight in case the duck returns. But my guess is that they will tell you to not tamper with them and keep your distance and keep children and pets away. They might tell you if she hasn’t returned in so long and the eggs are still there to call them again and they will discard them for you.

Sounds good to me, thank you for the information and reassurance. I appreciate it
Here’s to hoping she comes back soon!

 

[Stepnout]

Stay away from the nest! Wild ducks lay as much as 12 eggs maybe more. She may have not started incubating them yet. Is there any down in the nest? When she is ready to incubate she will pull down out of her breast and cover the eggs when she leaves to feed and drink. If she ALREADY was incubating the eggs you will see the eggs covered/insulated with the down. If she was incubating the eggs and has left she may have met up with trouble.
My advice is stay away from a wild nest. If you disturb the hen too many times she might abandon the nest as others posted.

 

[Sheepheart]

Sounds good to me, thank you for the information and reassurance. I appreciate it
Here’s to hoping she comes back soon!

Of course! Hopefully she returns.

 

[angeltet]

Stay away from the nest! Wild ducks lay as much as 12 eggs maybe more. She may have not started incubating them yet. Is there any down in the nest? When she is ready to incubate she will pull down out of her breast and cover the eggs when she leaves to feed and drink. If she ALREADY was incubating the eggs you will see the eggs covered/insulated with the down. If she was incubating the eggs and has left she may have met up with trouble.
My advice is stay away from a wild nest. If you disturb the hen too many times she might abandon the nest as others posted.

We did notice she had some fluff from herself and some hay covering the eggs much earlier. We try our best to stay out of the way while she’s nesting like walking to a different door and keeping our distance.

We’ll keep our distance from here and hope she comes back as you and others have advised. I appreciate the tips as this is our first time having ducks lay eggs in our yard, so we’re anxious about them haha. Thank you!