- Mar 5, 2011
- 11
- 4
- 24
I have a broody duck (actually 2 but one is primary) setting on a nest of 4 eggs. She was doing a wonderful job and everything looked good. I candled the eggs about a week ago and all had big, wiggling embryos inside.
Yesterday I noticed that she had moved the nest, and she was now directly under the heatlamp in a place that's hard for me to access. I figured she moved for extra warmth and protection for her babies' hatching in about a week or less. But today I noticed she'd moved the nest back to the normal spot (near the egg door), so while she went out to eat I opened the coop and found no nest! -just a pile of straw where the nest had been. I couldn't find the eggs in the pile, or under the heatlamp spot, so I started digging. I only found 2 of the 4 eggs, and they were at the very bottom of the bedding in a random place, and stone cold! I candled and there's no movement inside. SO very sad...
So this is my question: What in the world happened??? This was her first season and first time going broody or setting, and there is just a drake and the 2 females in my flock right now. The eggs were at about day 23-26 (i don't know exact dates and they were laid at least during 2-3 days) Is it common for a broody to randomly move the nest and loose track of the eggs, leaving them to freeze? Could the current ongoing snowstorm have caused her to decide to stop incubating her babes to wait for better hatching weather on another clutch? Is she just too young and doesn't know what she's doing yet? What happened?!?
Thanks all...I really appreciate any help, input, suggestions anyone has. I'm SO sad!! My son and I were very excited for 4 little ducklings to be hatched and raised by their mother(s), incubated the good old-fashioned way... And now, just days before hatching, we have lost them all!!!
Yesterday I noticed that she had moved the nest, and she was now directly under the heatlamp in a place that's hard for me to access. I figured she moved for extra warmth and protection for her babies' hatching in about a week or less. But today I noticed she'd moved the nest back to the normal spot (near the egg door), so while she went out to eat I opened the coop and found no nest! -just a pile of straw where the nest had been. I couldn't find the eggs in the pile, or under the heatlamp spot, so I started digging. I only found 2 of the 4 eggs, and they were at the very bottom of the bedding in a random place, and stone cold! I candled and there's no movement inside. SO very sad...
So this is my question: What in the world happened??? This was her first season and first time going broody or setting, and there is just a drake and the 2 females in my flock right now. The eggs were at about day 23-26 (i don't know exact dates and they were laid at least during 2-3 days) Is it common for a broody to randomly move the nest and loose track of the eggs, leaving them to freeze? Could the current ongoing snowstorm have caused her to decide to stop incubating her babes to wait for better hatching weather on another clutch? Is she just too young and doesn't know what she's doing yet? What happened?!?
Thanks all...I really appreciate any help, input, suggestions anyone has. I'm SO sad!! My son and I were very excited for 4 little ducklings to be hatched and raised by their mother(s), incubated the good old-fashioned way... And now, just days before hatching, we have lost them all!!!