Almost Panicked!

[TennesseeTruly]

We recently adopted a local woman's Mallard female and Cayuga female because the neighbors were complaining that they were too noisy. Ariel, the Mallard, is the culprit mostly. She really IS noisy.

We have them in with our Runners and I'm over with the Runners and I noticed that Ariel is missing. Her wings are just growing back in enough so she can get some lift so hubby looks inside the pen, I look outside. We're surround by our 35 acres of woods and all the neighbors 100's of acres of woods. I was sure she was a goner. I was dreading having to call her prior owner and explaining that we lost Ariel.

We're calling and calling her. I'm shaking the cat food bag because she loves cat food. No happy quacking.

Hubby starts yelling that he found her.

She has 14 eggs under the Runner house and she's sitting tightly on them! When he tried to pull her out, she flipped on him and bit the snot out of him. So he pulls her and the eggs out, puts her in a secure crate with the eggs and locks her in with food and water for overnight. Some of the eggs are NOT hers, he said. LOL She's been stealing some of the Runners eggs and bringing them under the house with her.

Silly girl! I'm just glad she's okay. Looks like everything is going broody here!

Laurie

 

[chickboss]

That is funny!~

 

[1lpoock]

Oh no I hope she still sits on the eggs... I rarely hear success stories of people moving nests. I heard of one person who moved the mallards nest and all seemed good, until the next morning.. The mother pooped all over the eggs, killing them all

 

[Bleenie]

That's too cute

My super evil broody Muscovy hen, Juno, just started helping one of my other girls brood eggs. I finally had to take away Juno's last egg because it went bad (she didn't do so great her first nest), but I guess she wasn't ready to stop being broody!

 

[TennesseeTruly]

Quote:
I wish we didn't have to move her and the nest but with raccoons, possums, and and kinds of other little nasties that could get under the Runners house, she wasn't secure there. We put her in a huge plastic dog crate with a locking grate on the front. She was happily sitting on it this morning. She came out as soon as I opened the door, went to the other side of the run. did one of those nasty

broody poops and ran back in and sat on the eggs.

So hopefully she'll stay sitting.

Almost every female chicken on the place is broody. I guess Ariel wanted to join in too! LOL

Laurie

 

[duckyfromoz]

So glad to hear that moving her nest didnt upset her too much...sounds like she is very determined to sit on those eggs..

Hope she continues to sit...and look foward to hearing about the ducklings when they arrive..

 

[rebecky1305]

Keep us updated and give us pics when they hatch.