She's sitting on 18 eggs!!

[crazyh717]

Awesome!  I had to drain the big pool I had set up because mama duck (Knotty) decided to take the little babies for a swim. Easy to get into the pool difficult to get out. Didn't want to take a chance on any of them being unable to get out so I dismantled it. These babies are proving to be very mischievous. They have already escaped the enclosure once and taken a swim in the big pool twice. I wonder what they will do next. Hope I can keep them all safe.

O my what am I getting myself into lol. That's what my thoughts were lol. I hope u can too. They seem like little kids they want to do what they want

 

[quackers and me]

How true. However I blame mama duck for the pool fiasco since she got into the pool and called them to her.

 

[crazyh717]

Quick update she is still on her eggs, it would be day 4 I believe.
Should I candle one? And before it is asked, yes she doesn't mind if I touch them, she has let me move her 8 eggs to her nest she has now and she has let me count them yesterday, totaling out at 22 because I believe one egg went bad she moved and broke it out of her nest.

And I do believe my goose eggs should be hatching within the next week. As I do not know when she started to sit.

The previous owner has given mama and her eggs to me, but she is at their house, right in front of me.
I got to candle one almost two weeks ago, it was nearly fully black and the baby was moving alot. So I'm excited about that.

 

[quackers and me]

I did not raise Knotty from a baby so she does not allow me to handle her. I was afraid to move her nest or touch her eggs because I didn't want her to stop sitting on them. Since yours doesn't seem to mind I think it would be added excitement to know how many viable eggs she has. I'm not real sure how old the eggs have to be before candling will show positive results. Maybe someone who has experience with candling can join the conversation and tell us. Sounds like you are going to have all kinds of water babies running around soon.

 

[crazyh717]

Yes I am.im excited for it too. And when she abandoned her first nest because te kids and other ducks I brought them in the house and tried out a cheap incubator. But the incubator started growing something red in it and the eggs died.
Around about day 5 is when I saw the veins everywhere, one made it up to day 12 then it stopped growing

 

[quackers and me]

That's sad. I guess it's just as well that I don't have an incubator. I can imagine that it was heartbreaking to get them that far along and then lose them due to a mechanical device. I'm sure you will have much better luck with the mother duck setting them. It is such a wonderful feeling to go out to the nest after they have hatched out and have mama duck hop off the nest to show off her babies.