23 ducklings in one clutch?!

[Miss Lydia]

They sure are precious when littles

 

[Miss Lydia]

It seems ducks are just as bad as rabbits! Are they fertile for life or do they lose the ability as they get older? I'd love if Grandma duck finally reached menopause lol, but she'd probably just wind up stealing and hoarding other duck eggs again. She just loves being a Mom.

I don’t know if my drake or my female Muscovy are still fertile since I don’t dare let them hatch one of their own. But they still love to brood and are great moms. But at 12 yrs my drake is still mating with his girls.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I didn't know they lived that long. I thought around 7 or 8 was their lifespan. Wow, 12 years seems a long time for a duck! Grandma duck I believe hatched back in 2017, this is as far back as I can remember seeing her, so she's 6 or 7 by now.
It's wonderful to know she's probably got another 5 years left in her. I really love that fertile duck lol.

So a drake killed another drake? I didn't know this was common among them because i've witnessed them assert their dominance over each other, but until the murder by the killer duck here, I would never have believed they would actually kill each other.

I hope you didn't witness it....and Ernie is a cute name for a duck lol. I like it!

Yes the drake killed the other drake I saw him on top of the drake but they were in a part of the river that had steep side so I couldn’t get to them to stop it from happening . Later that day the beat up drake made it out of the river and I brought him home no visual injuries like bleeding but. I think he was injured internally the next morning he was dead. This is why I won’t keep more than one Muscovy drake now. I have had 4 before but what a pain having to keep them separated.
I’ve heard they can live up to 20 yrs. Longest here was one of my females who was 15 when she passed away last October.

 

[chris330r]

Yes the drake killed the other drake I saw him on top of the drake but they were in a part of the river that had steep side so I couldn’t get to them to stop it from happening . Later that day the beat up drake made it out of the river and I brought him home no visual injuries like bleeding but. I think he was injured internally the next morning he was dead. This is why I won’t keep more than one Muscovy drake now. I have had 4 before but what a pain having to keep them separated.
I’ve heard they can live up to 20 yrs. Longest here was one of my females who was 15 when she passed away last October.

That's terrible. It seems the hierarchy in the duck world is serious business among the males. Makes me a bit worried how this large flock of 19 will sort itself out. I'm sure the Drakes will eventually be fighting for dominance with each other. I just don't want to see it. Once was more than enough.

 

[Canadian Wind]

I've been lucky with mine, even as disproportionate as my ratio is. Yes, there were some fights, but no one got injured. If I'd see one harassing another, I'd pin the trouble-maker down.

Considering the size of your pond, there will most probably be some that will leave and find a different home. It's also in their instincts. And even at their size, they are still prey animals and some will be lost that way.

The littles are adorable, btw!

 

[chris330r]

They're already beginning to scatter and i'm thrilled. Today Grandma was all alone when she visited and throughout the day a couple of the kids will stop by to visit before moving on. And I saw one lone female just hanging out in the middle of the pond all by herself earlier. Things are so much more manageable this way and I hope they continue to explore the world beyond the pond.

Daughter came by just now with her babies....only 4 left and there were about 10 last week. The remaining chicks seem to know their siblings are being picked off and huddle under Mama real close. There's an adorable shot of them below under Mama and they kept nuzzling closer into her feathers to attach themselves to her. You have to zoom into the pic see them. The poor things must be so afraid.

Sorry for the late response....I bought bananas last week and have been battling fruit flies in the house for days. They're such evil little things but I finally got it under control after fighting them all week and i'm terrified to buy bananas again now lol.

Here's 2 of the chicks with Grandma's daughter, and below they're nuzzling underneath her to keep safe.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Poor little things. Do you have Herons and snapping turtles they are 2 that will eat ducklings then there is raccoons possums and every other predator out there.

 

[Canadian Wind]

It's hard when so many go missing, but it's a sad reality of being a 'wild' animal. I'm honestly surprised so many of the first clutch made it!

Glad they're starting to disperse and become more independent. That'll be a relief for all those involved.

 

[chris330r]

There's just about everything at this pond...Herons, Egrets, large turtles, and even raccoons that come out at dusk across the pond so there's a heck of a lot of danger for these little ones.
The large 19 clutch surviving can be solely attributed to Grandma duck because she is so fierce when protecting her young. I wish I had video showing how she's attacked herons that tried to pluck her chicks out of the water.
I've seen her literally fly right into the Herons and scare the crap out them as they flew away in terror lol.
Hopefully these little 4 make it...they're staying as close as they can to their Mama so fingers crossed.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I hope so too. They are so vulnerable at the age they are now.