Devious ducks

[Callender Girl]

My runners have decided not to lay eggs in their shelter before I let them out to free range every morning. Fine. A daily egg hunt is okay by me. I don't mind (too much) crawling into the back of the hay shed or sorting through and under all the trumpet vines. Clearly, I needed a greater challenge.

So, the new hot spot for dropping eggs is behind a huge clump of old-fashioned climbing roses growing along the foundation of the house. The blooms are long gone this season, but the thorns are still there. Watching me crawl on my stomach through an obstacle course of sharp thorns must be amusing for them. I swear, I can hear the girls laughing!

 

[416bigbore]

My runners have decided not to lay eggs in their shelter before I let them out to free range every morning. Fine. A daily egg hunt is okay by me. I don't mind (too much) crawling into the back of the hay shed or sorting through and under all the trumpet vines. Clearly, I needed a greater challenge.

So, the new hot spot for dropping eggs is behind a huge clump of old-fashioned climbing roses growing along the foundation of the house. The blooms are long gone this season, but the thorns are still there. Watching me crawl on my stomach through an obstacle course of sharp thorns must be amusing for them. I swear, I can hear the girls laughing!

We are all laughing having just read that ! Anyway to block some of that stuff off so they cant get to it? My guess is they don't have laying boxes they feel comfortable enough in to use them for dropping their eggs.

 

[Stoney Meadow Maple]

You need one of these,
https://yo-ho.com/6-tine-stone-fork/

 

[Callender Girl]

Oh, they've been comfortable enough to lay their eggs in their shelter for years, literally. They've just decided lately that I need more of a morning workout. I spend great portions of my life trying to block chickens, ducks, geese, goats and sheep from getting into or out of somewhere. In a war of wits, I may be losing.

 

[Beaglegal]

Mine do this when they are trying to get a clutch together to go broody. They lay just fine in the barn until they start getting ideas. I see them standing around talking to each other about a spot and the next day I find their eggs there. They can’t seem to understand how I find the clutches, they just can’t be sneaky or quiet about things

 

[Callender Girl]

You're right. They do stand around and chat! I thought runners weren't particularly broody, but you might be on to something here. Thanks!!

 

[Stoney Meadow Maple]

You're right. They do stand around and chat! I thought runners weren't particularly broody, but you might be on to something here. Thanks!!

I just got a trio, one is reported to have hatched 17

 

[Callender Girl]

Wow!!

 

[Beaglegal]

Mine do this when they are trying to get a clutch together to go broody. They lay just fine in the barn until they start getting ideas. I see them standing around talking to each other about a spot and the next day I find their eggs there. They can’t seem to understand how I find the clutches, they just can’t be sneaky or quiet about things

They always give themselves away when they have snuck out of their fenced area. They quack so loudly because they are excited, and they give themselves away.

but seriously I think they are trying to hide their eggs to possibly hatch them. Mine do this all summer, so look forward to that

 

[Callender Girl]

This is the first year that ANY of them have behaved like this. None has shown any interest in motherhood before, although Quinn -- who grew up with three drake hatch-mates -- is always interested in the boys! When I first got more girls to balance out the ratio, Quinn seemed jealous of any male attention any of the other girls received. She would run off her potential competition.