dang snake ate my call duck eggs need more

[tjreno2]

just bought a dozen eggs from funky feathers( butter scotch call duck eggs). got them under a hen. just candle them last night and all of them but 2 were fertile.
i got a call duck hen i bought the other day that went broody so i went out to get the eggs and place them under the call hen figuring they would do better under her. the hen was off the nest and all the eggs were gone. not a sign of them. nothing but a snake could have gotten in there. the old sulfur trick didnt work either. i had the ground covered around the outside of the pen and all over the sides with it. i had a nest next to it that i left some eggs in just incase a snake did get in. he didnt touch a one of them. i guess he was sensing the heat coming off the ones she was setting on. well that was $73 dollars down.
anyways, anyone got any or know some one thats got call duck eggs out of really nice sq stock forsale. looking for butter scotch, chocolates, blue fawns, buff, whites. i need to buy some to put under these girls but i need some nice ones.. thanks

 

[Amiga]

Very frustrating, sad loss.

What will you do to prevent the snake from getting another batch?

 

[tjreno2]

going to move her after dark when i get some more eggs to put under her to a pen with small holes so it wont happen again. im going to let her set on some other chicken eggs and put a couple golf balls in with her and i hope he comes back soon. thanks for asking. what do you recommend i do?

 

[Amiga]

I have my ducks' night shelter secured with half inch hardware cloth wherever there is an opening. So, the duck house has openings at the top for ventilation, and those are covered, and their attached porch is covered top bottom and sides with it. They come out during the day into the day pen, which just has 2 inch by 3 inch woven wire covering the whole thing, plus coated chicken wire along the bottom two feet of the sides.

But they don't lay in the day pen, just in the house or veranda, so when someone goes broody, she won't need to be moved.

I know everyone has a different setup, but this has worked for us, so far.