Broody Runner

[Buckas]

Francine, is a yr old and she disappeared on us over a week ago. One minute she was there in the garden with me and then poof like she walked through some kinda door to another dimension she was gone. I searched our place for days looking for any signs of her and the rest of the flock acted like it was no big deal. Eventually I found her and what appears to be a nest full of eggs. If I get too close she hisses and snaps at me!! She won't leave the nest so I have built a pen around her to keep her safe at night with food and water.
Since runners don't typically go all broody, has anyone else experienced this with theirs and what was the outcome? I think adding a few more ducks to our flock would be great, but I'm more concerned about Francine's well being.
Also, since Francine is off doing her thing that has left Dottie, her sister by herself "tagging" along with my fawn and white ducks. The males keep teaming up on her and she hasn't laid an egg since Francine went broody. I have tried to keep the males separate from females by keeping them in the pen, but then the two girls just sit by the males pen and chitty chat with them all day. The minute I open the pen those boys chase down my blue girl again!! They have mated the feathers right off her back and completely leave the fawn and white female alone.

 

[faykokoWV]

Francine, is a yr old and she disappeared on us over a week ago. One minute she was there in the garden with me and then poof like she walked through some kinda door to another dimension she was gone. I searched our place for days looking for any signs of her and the rest of the flock acted like it was no big deal. Eventually I found her and what appears to be a nest full of eggs. If I get too close she hisses and snaps at me!! She won't leave the nest so I have built a pen around her to keep her safe at night with food and water.
Since runners don't typically go all broody, has anyone else experienced this with theirs and what was the outcome? I think adding a few more ducks to our flock would be great, but I'm more concerned about Francine's well being.
Also, since Francine is off doing her thing that has left Dottie, her sister by herself "tagging" along with my fawn and white ducks. The males keep teaming up on her and she hasn't laid an egg since Francine went broody. I have tried to keep the males separate from females by keeping them in the pen, but then the two girls just sit by the males pen and chitty chat with them all day. The minute I open the pen those boys chase down my blue girl again!! They have mated the feathers right off her back and completely leave the fawn and white female alone.

Every single runner I've owned has gone broody. They have made great mothers too. The only problems I have run into is when there is more than one mother at a time - they fight over the babies and its gone badly for both mother and babies when that happens.

Dottie may have contributed to Francine's egg pile as well. You may want to pen up the boys so they leave her alone for a bit.

 

[Majd]

Nice... keep us posted on her and the arriving babies... they often go broody... and you have to cull the males into a single boy.. it's enough ti have one... as they can hurt the girls andneach other...so rehoming is a good option... and for the girl that didn't mate with the boys pen her with them so they don't have another choice but mating with her..

 

[Buckas]

well that eases my mind about her being a mum!! How exciting

. I have separated the girls from the boys and they will remain that way until I can add more females to our flock. Hopefully Francine will hatch out some gals! If she only has boys I'm up the creek! So fingers crossed. Thanks for the fast and very helpful replies! I'm on it.

 

[Majd]

Good.... hope all goes well... keep us posted. ..

 

[Buckas]

28 days today. How long will she sit if the eggs are no good?

I moved this topic into the Old fashion Broody thread for ducks 2013 edition. Things haven't been going very well and Francine has only one egg left under her. The rest have been found with a duckling half hatched out of them and smashed flat in her nest. Not a clue as what is going wrong and I can only pray for a safe hatch for this last egg.