Broody Duck Questions

[loofa]

Hello everyone,

I'm looking for some general advice as I try to decide if I should allow my hen to keep brooding. Swedish Blue named Number Six went broody today. Her nest is in some brambles in a yard that has a coyote proof fence, but since it's not in the coop it's going to have some vulnerability. I've never seen a raccoon or a possum get into this yard, but they strike me as her biggest dangers.
There seem to only be two eggs in there. Will she lay more or now that she's brooding is she done laying?
She is the hen that my drake obsesses on and over- mates. So I can see this as a break for her, but we have a very small flock and if she manages to successfully hatch these two eggs and one or more of them are drakes, this would not be good.
Is there harm in trying to dissuade her from brooding? From reading through other threads it seems like the main method people use is removing the eggs. Any other tricks?
And lastly, is there any way to even be sure these are her eggs and that they are fertile? The other girls are not mated nearly as much, and one of them he pretty much never mounts.

 

[loofa]

another question! we are thinking to give her a few days and see if she really commits to this endeavor before we make a decision about interfering. But if we let her sleep out there, is she in any danger from rats? Like I said, we have never seen coons or possums inside the fenced part of the yard, but we do think there may be rats.

 

[loofa]

Here's my sneaky girl hiding her nest in the blackberry/ivy brambles.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm sure you have coon and possums they are everywhere in the US.
If she was mine I would not let her brood outside I'd take her and her eggs and put her inside the coop if you think the drake will mess with her put him in a dog crate at night. She may not stay on her eggs once you move her but at least she'll be safe. If you don't want her to continue to brood take the eggs away and put her in the coop. It may take a few days for her hormones to go back to normal. Which means she will most likely lay more eggs where she is now. If you can put some in this area to keep her out that would be the thing to do.

 

[loofa]

oh yes, for sure we have raccoons and possums in this neck of the woods; I've just never, in six years, seen one INSIDE the fenced part of the yard and never had them bother the ducks.
The coop is left open during the day and the ducks have about 1/2 acre fenced yard to roam in. Normally the ducks lay in the coop, but she made this nest outside. I think if I put her in the coop she'll just come out since she could just as well have sat on the eggs that are in the coop, but I suppose that would take care of the problem.