I'll add to this thread, & we can all watch our ducks set together. Our Khaki, Blossom, made a nest under a bush in the front yard. For a few weeks she would spend the day sitting on a single egg there, then would join her family in the duck house to spend the night. The girls usually lay their eggs by morning in their house. Then about a week ago I began to find one less egg than usual in each morning's collection, and Blossom began adding an egg a day to her nest. She seemed to spend most of the day on the nest, and some nights would want to stay there and have to be shooed off, other nights she would join her family in their house.
Last evening we stretched some 3' wire fencing around the bush, which made Blossom get off the nest & join her family. We found 6 eggs there, 1 which was the original egg, which I threw away (it was too old & dried out inside).
This morning Blossom returned to her nest. I added 5 new fresh eggs from the other ducks, and noticed she'd laid a new one there herself. So now we're going to let her stay on the nest, and secure the wire fencing around the bush each night, hoping it will divert any passing predators. Each morning we'll pull the ends open, so she can get out if she wishes. We'll leave food & water nearby, but bring the food dish inside at night (again, to discourage predators).
I hope she'll settle in & begin to incubate the eggs. I gave her the extra eggs in case the other ones she'd been laying wouldn't develop. I don't know if she was beginning to incubate them with all her sitting last week, but the new eggs will have a fresh start.
Last evening we stretched some 3' wire fencing around the bush, which made Blossom get off the nest & join her family. We found 6 eggs there, 1 which was the original egg, which I threw away (it was too old & dried out inside).
This morning Blossom returned to her nest. I added 5 new fresh eggs from the other ducks, and noticed she'd laid a new one there herself. So now we're going to let her stay on the nest, and secure the wire fencing around the bush each night, hoping it will divert any passing predators. Each morning we'll pull the ends open, so she can get out if she wishes. We'll leave food & water nearby, but bring the food dish inside at night (again, to discourage predators).
I hope she'll settle in & begin to incubate the eggs. I gave her the extra eggs in case the other ones she'd been laying wouldn't develop. I don't know if she was beginning to incubate them with all her sitting last week, but the new eggs will have a fresh start.
