Any guess’s on what happened?

[ojust4today]

If you are in the boonies you for sure have them. Wood rats, not the urban Norwegian ones. Smaller brown and live outside. Especially in wooded areas.

Never heard of them or seen them. Right now my biggest problem is squirrels they are making a mess in my coop.

 

[Miss Lydia]

We have wood rats just part of living in the woods. We have had to put out rat traps but since we've caught 4 they won't go near them. Waiting for Black snakes now let them take care of them.

 

[ojust4today]

Hey you all I’m checking back in with some additional duck questions.


Hello friends, I just got in from letting my ducks out and need some advice. I was on here a few weeks ago seeking advice for a broody Peking duck. Since then I have allowed her to sit. Currently she is sitting on 8 eggs. We have only had one hiccup so far and that was one day in the morning two days ago for her nest she was using sticks, wood chips and gum balls. I did not want anything to puncture the eggs as I have had eggs broken from sticks she nested with. I put pine shavings about a foot away from where she was nesting. It was no problem. I left them no biggie. Assuming she would use them for her nest because in the past I have built the nest out of the shavings before that they did use and she put those ones under her as well. However, I was close by gathering chicken eggs. (Duck & Chickens Separated) I went over dumped out more shavings for her she was sitting just as before. She started acting very upset. Then the drake was getting all wound up. So I went about doing stuff with the chickens. She left the area with the drake. So I went out put the shavings on the eggs. She was also in a very tight/weird spot in the coop. So I made her nesting area more private. I did not touch the nest or the eggs. I just added shavings on top of her nest and put up some privacy sections.
Needless to say, she abandoned that nest. Like would not go near it. I was so bummed. That was her third day sitting and she was doing such a good job. She will be one in June. I have three females she seems to be the drakes favorite. Yesterday she began sitting on the eggs again at the same nest.

Q1. Since there was a long period of time that she was not sitting approx. 4/6/8 hours do I need to get rid of the previous eggs. If so will that mess with her broodiness again? I have two Peking females sitting on the same nest or in the same nesting area. Only one of them sits around the clock.

Q2. I go to my coop several times a day. It is very routine and predictable. This morning when I went to let the ducks out. There was a large section dug up. Maybe 2/3ft in length. It’s been raining buckets here so it was a muddy mess. About 6 ft away was 1/2 of a egg shell. The other half nowhere in sight. The hole was dug right at my ducks area she is nesting at. Because everything is so routine my ducks were not in their coop like usual at dusk. They were acting strange like they did not want to go in there and I had to kinds force them to do what we do every evening like clock work. (Not sure if they were already aware of the predator at that point in time or if it was a coincidence) The hole was not dug at that point in time. So what should I do. I want her to nest but now something has gotten one of her eggs I’m sure it will be back. The drake may have gave it a hard time. It did not destroy the nest. It look like it got lucky that it dug enough an egg probably rolled down the space it dug from as the nest was about 1/2 ft. above the dug out space.
I’m in MD we have the most problems here out of fox’s. I have had a fox take an entire duck. So I feel like if it were a fix it would not have bothered the eggs it would have went for the ducks. Also the fox have never dug under they climbed over. We have possums. I have not seen one in a long while. We have lots of hawks. No skunks and possibly a stray dog but that would be random.
Thanks for any and all advice it is greatly appreciated.

 

[ojust4today]

As far as fertile to one going broody it doesn’t matter. They’ll sit on fertile an non. You have to give it at least 5-7 days of her sitting round the clock other than eating and bathing before you see the duckling begin to form in the egg. She’ll sit for a total of 28 days to complete the broody cycle. If you have a drake you have a good chance at fertile eggs .

So I’m checking about my broody gal. I went back and read your responses for the info i need to let her sit on ducks.
So she has been sitting for 5 days straight. She sits all day and night but takes several breaks throughout the day to eat hang with the pack move around a bit but she is right back to her eggs. Could you please read what O attached to this posting of our recent event regarding some hiccups we have had in the process.
Also the past two nights a critter has gotten into the coop. I keep finding hand if a duck egg. I set a trap didn’t catch it. It’s reLly spooking my ducks I can tell there fearful,

 

[Miss Lydia]

You def need to fix your breach because what ever is getting in your coop may not get your adults not yet anyway but it can most likely eat ducklings. If you candle in the next few days you should be able to see development going on.

 

[ojust4today]

You def need to fix your breach because what ever is getting in your coop may not get your adults not yet anyway but it can most likely eat ducklings. If you candle in the next few days you should be able to see development going on.

I will be working on it. Wow I cannot believe you can see development this soon. I have never hatched anything out so this is all new and exciting. She is doing so good when she left her nest to stroll yesterday evening she covered all her eggs. I just counted and their are 7 eggs. In the morning 3 will be sitting their bit all day only one stays loyal to the nest. So the first day it was very obvious that a critter got in but today I only seen a half of a hen egg inside the coop. Which the day before it was outside. I have looked all around these past couple days and round have noticed it. But so far I have found two hands if an egg and one entry that I blocked up. There fence is 6 ft tall do that is a long crawl or jump. So I don’t know what is going on.

 

[Miss Lydia]

You fixed where something had dug under? Then what ever it is is climbing in many predators climb even ones that will kill all your ducks. Do you have a secure coop? And what type of fence do you have them in?

 

[Miss Lydia]

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/338051515756054449/

 

[ojust4today]

You fixed where something had dug under? Then what ever it is is climbing in many predators climb even ones that will kill all your ducks. Do you have a secure coop? And what type of fence do you have them in?

I can’t say it is as secure as it could be but we have not had any problems all winter and when U did have the problem it was from me not locking up our coop. I have a trap out there next to where the critter dug but this time the half egg shell was about 15 ft away on the opposite side. It has been very windy here with lots of rain so possibly that was the other half of the egg I had not seen the first time and it blew back by. It’s far fetched but a possibility. We just redid the inside of our coop. Now we are going to work in the outside. I have 80 or so hens. We just got an order of 70 pullets s couple weeks ago. There coops are side by side with a walkway in between that provides separation. So we have been busy. I have 20 or so customers and we sell eggs. It’s a hobby but a way we can utilize our land and we are people people!

Pics...the duck coop is in front with the little coop the chicken coop is the one they were working on.

 

[ojust4today]

Some pics of coop set up,