Duck not setting on eggs constantly

[Khaleal]

Hi

I'm new to this forum and this is my first message ^_^ I hope everyone is doing well.
I've got a Rouen duck and it's doing some weird stuff..
First of all it's a free range duck.
She has been laying eggs from day one in random places, but recently made a nest and filled it with feathers and started laying eggs there. A week ago she stopped laying eggs and instead sets on them (there are 5 eggs in the nest).
She has became very violent and bites anyone who is close to the nest.. It also makes a sound like hissing.
The problem with this duck is that she doesn't set on the eggs constantly, she sets on them all the night but not all the day. During the day she goes looking for food (although I put food in front of her) and takes something like 2 hours (and sometimes more) to return to the nest. I've noticed she buries the eggs and covers them with grass when she's out looking for food.
It's summer here where I live with an average of 30 degrees and average humidity of 60%.
Does the fact of she being out for hours looking for food damage the eggs? I've had chickens in the past and when they were setting on eggs they weren't doing something like that.. When they go to eat the return in a couple of minutes to the nest..

I'd appreciate your advice.

 

[nchls school]

Hi

I'm new to this forum and this is my first message ^_^ I hope everyone is doing well.
I've got a Rouen duck and it's doing some weird stuff..
First of all it's a free range duck.
She has been laying eggs from day one in random places, but recently made a nest and filled it with feathers and started laying eggs there. A week ago she stopped laying eggs and instead sets on them (there are 5 eggs in the nest).
She has became very violent and bites anyone who is close to the nest.. It also makes a sound like hissing.
The problem with this duck is that she doesn't set on the eggs constantly, she sets on them all the night but not all the day. During the day she goes looking for food (although I put food in front of her) and takes something like 2 hours (and sometimes more) to return to the nest. I've noticed she buries the eggs and covers them with grass when she's out looking for food.
It's summer here where I live with an average of 30 degrees and average humidity of 60%.
Does the fact of she being out for hours looking for food damage the eggs? I've had chickens in the past and when they were setting on eggs they weren't doing something like that.. When they go to eat the return in a couple of minutes to the nest..

I'd appreciate your advice.

Not all birds are good parents; just like people. Two+ hours is excessive so I wouldn't plan on the eggs hatching, but...leave the eggs and wait and see. I've had a number of birds that acted in a similar fashion. A few, even though I was sure nothing would hatch, had every egg magically become a chick, duckling, gosling, or other. Biting, violent, and hissing are normal brooding behaviors. Good luck

 

[Khaleal]

Not all birds are good parents; just like people. Two+ hours is excessive so I wouldn't plan on the eggs hatching, but...leave the eggs and wait and see. I've had a number of birds that acted in a similar fashion. A few, even though I was sure nothing would hatch, had every egg magically become a chick, duckling, gosling, or other. Biting, violent, and hissing are normal brooding behaviors. Good luck

I'd like to build her a small coop to prevent her from going outside but she build the nest under my garden roses so building a coop will actually mean destroying the roses, something I'm not planning to do.
Is there any way to "move" the nest with the eggs to a small coop elsewhere? Will she set on the eggs anymore if I move the nest?
Thanks for the advice though.

 

[nchls school]

I have never tried moving a broody duck. Hopefully someone else will answer.

 

[chess0125]

Perhaps move the nest a foot or two every time she gets up so it's easy for her to find again? Just a guess. My duck does the same thing and it is irritating. She had one nest with 4/15 eggs hatch and I blame this behavior. This last nest we have her a week then gave up and took them to incubate ourselves and now take the egg she lays every day. We'll try with a new mommy duck next year. Rouen as well by the way.