Duck nest on roof

[Pazzie123]

My Muscovy Duck made a nest on the roof over the garage. Eggs should hatch within the next few weeks. When hatchlings try to leave the roof they could land on a concrete driveway. Should I remove the eggs (I cannot incubate them) so they never hatch? Won’t this be traumatic to the duck? Or let them hatch and hope for the best? Please help!

 

[Kessel23]

Well in the wild the Muscovy is a tree nesting duck and their ducklings can jump over 50 feet down and land safely on the forest floor. Most baby fowl can fall from high places and land safely because they are lightweight and their fuzz creates a lot of drag. There is even a type of goose who nests on cliffs, the goslings have to jump hundreds of feet down and smash into the rocks and most of them still live. I think a small Muscovy duckling could jump off of a 10 foot roof and land onto the driveway and still live.

 

[Rubysword]

Is there any chance you could move the nest(with the duck) to a safer space, like a dog crate?
ETA:Ignore me, @Kessel23 evidently knows way more about this than I do.

 

[Pazzie123]

Probably can’t move the nest, but even if I move the eggs when she is off it how will she know where they are? If I remove them when she is off the nest and put them on the ground in a box of leaves and hay, will she sit on it? I read that they rarely go back on the eggs if they are moved. My choices are, 1) leave it alone, 2) remove eggs when she is off nest, 3) remove and replace eggs with store bought eggs so they never hatch.... I want to be humane to both the eggs and the duck...

 

[Pazzie123]

My other duck did the same thing but they hatched when I wasn’t around and all I found was one chick on the ground and the mom was somewhere else.. I can’t imagine what happened - if hatchlings were hurt falling off roof (then why wasn’t Mom with the one that lived) or predators got the babies and scared Mom away. So I don’t know if hatchlings jumped off the roof and lived.

 

[Kessel23]

The ducklings could live that short of a drop I would say leave it alone. Definitely do not replace them with store bought eggs, then she will just continue to incubate them for weeks and could eventually die from starvation, being broody takes up a ton of energy.

 

[Pazzie123]

Ok, thanks, I am thinking that is the thing to do, I just am not sure the hatchlings can handle jumping off the roof, especially if they jump where there is concrete driveway

 

[Kessel23]

Here is the goose video, watch the first one jump, it lives. but as a warning if you watch any further some do die.

 

[Kessel23]

The Muscovy is a hollow nesting duck, they nest in trees, they can handle a jump off of the roof even onto the driveway. Just watch and make sure nothing eats them.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I don't think I could just wait and see, if you know about when hatching is to start them you can move mama and ducklings and eggs that haven't hatched put them into a dog kennel with as much of the nesting material as possible keep her in their till they hatch. If you put her into a coop that has a door so you can keep it closed once eggs begin to hatch she won't abandon mine never have. Just make sure not to move her till eggs begin hatching.