Broody Duck wont go in at night. Neighbor to the rescue.

[Sinister]

This is Bubbles. Shes been getting more and more broody, and been hiding her eggs in this nest. She hasn't been sitting all that long until two nights ago when she would not get up to go back in the coop for the night.

We were out there pondering what to do when our neighbor saw us and came over. The next evening, when we got home, we noticed this in our yard.

Someone has earned himself some eggs.


I'm not sure if we'll get any babies out of it, this is our first time and we are not sure how it all works yet. For a while she would sit all day and leave them all night, and I don't know if that would ruin the eggs or not. For now we are assuming she knows best and just trying to work with her.

She lost a few eggs when we tried to move her nest the one time, and I'd like some more runners, so I am thinking of sneaking some runner eggs in there.

Do you think if I laid them next to her she would pull them in?

 

[Miss Lydia]

This is Bubbles. Shes been getting more and more broody, and been hiding her eggs in this nest. She hasn't been sitting all that long until two nights ago when she would not get up to go back in the coop for the night.

We were out there pondering what to do when our neighbor saw us and came over. The next evening, when we got home, we noticed this in our yard.

Someone has earned himself some eggs.


I'm not sure if we'll get any babies out of it, this is our first time and we are not sure how it all works yet. For a while she would sit all day and leave them all night, and I don't know if that would ruin the eggs or not. For now we are assuming she knows best and just trying to work with her.

She lost a few eggs when we tried to move her nest the one time, and I'd like some more runners, so I am thinking of sneaking some runner eggs in there.

Do you think if I laid them next to her she would pull them in?

She would, and awfully nice of your neighbor to loan the X pen, but I think I would replace the top with something like hardware cloth and tie wrap it to the pen something wanting in bad enough for duck and egg dinner would get the top that on there now off pretty easy. especially raccoons working together. also secure the pen to the ground so a pred can't get under. Just trying to keep you from heart break.

 

[Amiga]

Ditto Miss Lydia, and I would emphasize metal hardware cloth. There is plastic fence labeled "hardware cloth," and that won't protect anything from anything. Okay, maybe lettuce from ducks.

Seriously, I would cover the top and bottom with metal hardware cloth, fasten it good and tight, I would use wire to "sew" the h.c. around the edges. And perhaps a couple of fence posts at the back corners, and wire the corners of the pen to the posts to keep dogs or coons from rolling the pen (that's how my rabbit died years ago - the dog rolled the hutch down an embankment, it shattered open, and he got my rabbit.

 

[Sinister]

Its got bars across the top. The plywood is just to keep the rain and sun off of her. We sank tent stakes down so it cant be flipped.

I slipped two eggs under her this morning and she hasn't kicked them out yet. I need to try and catch her off the nest so I can candle them to see if the ones she kept getting off of all night are still viable.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Its got bars across the top. The plywood is just to keep the rain and sun off of her. We sank tent stakes down so it cant be flipped.

I slipped two eggs under her this morning and she hasn't kicked them out yet. I need to try and catch her off the nest so I can candle them to see if the ones she kept getting off of all night are still viable.

We're talking about something mainly coons who love to stick their grubby lil arms through wire and grab ducks and bite their heads off, I'd hate for you to wake up to such carnage. The eggs will not start to develop till she is sitting full time so they most likely are viable as long as you have a drake.