Hello friends, I just got in from letting my ducks out and need some advice. I was on here a few weeks ago seeking advice for a broody Peking duck. Since then I have allowed her to sit. Currently she is sitting on 8 eggs. We have only had one hiccup so far and that was one day in the morning two days ago for her nest she was using sticks, wood chips and gum balls. I did not want anything to puncture the eggs as I have had eggs broken from sticks she nested with. I put pine shavings about a foot away from where she was nesting. It was no problem. I left them no biggie. Assuming she would use them for her nest because in the past I have built the nest out of the shavings before that they did use and she put those ones under her as well. However, I was close by gathering chicken eggs. (Duck & Chickens Separated) I went over dumped out more shavings for her she was sitting just as before. She started acting very upset. Then the drake was getting all wound up. So I went about doing stuff with the chickens. She left the area with the drake. So I went out put the shavings on the eggs. She was also in a very tight/weird spot in the coop. So I made her nesting area more private. I did not touch the nest or the eggs. I just added shavings on top of her nest and put up some privacy sections.
Needless to say, she abandoned that nest. Like would not go near it. I was so bummed. That was her third day sitting and she was doing such a good job. She will be one in June. I have three females she seems to be the drakes favorite. Yesterday she began sitting on the eggs again at the same nest.
Q1. Since there was a long period of time that she was not sitting approx. 4/6/8 hours do I need to get rid of the previous eggs. If so will that mess with her broodiness again? I have two Peking females sitting on the same nest or in the same nesting area. Only one of them sits around the clock.
Q2. I go to my coop several times a day. It is very routine and predictable. This morning when I went to let the ducks out. There was a large section dug up. Maybe 2/3ft in length. It’s been raining buckets here so it was a muddy mess. About 6 ft away was 1/2 of a egg shell. The other half nowhere in sight. The hole was dug right at my ducks area she is nesting at. Because everything is so routine my ducks were not in their coop like usual at dusk. They were acting strange like they did not want to go in there and I had to kinds force them to do what we do every evening like clock work. (Not sure if they were already aware of the predator at that point in time or if it was a coincidence) The hole was not dug at that point in time. So what should I do. I want her to nest but now something has gotten one of her eggs I’m sure it will be back. The drake may have gave it a hard time. It did not destroy the nest. It look like it got lucky that it dug enough an egg probably rolled down the space it dug from as the nest was about 1/2 ft. above the dug out space.
I’m in MD we have the most problems here out of fox’s. I have had a fox take an entire duck. So I feel like if it were a fix it would not have bothered the eggs it would have went for the ducks. Also the fox have never dug under they climbed over. We have possums. I have not seen one in a long while. We have lots of hawks. No skunks and possibly a stray dog but that would be random.
Thanks for any and all advice it is greatly appreciated.
Needless to say, she abandoned that nest. Like would not go near it. I was so bummed. That was her third day sitting and she was doing such a good job. She will be one in June. I have three females she seems to be the drakes favorite. Yesterday she began sitting on the eggs again at the same nest.
Q1. Since there was a long period of time that she was not sitting approx. 4/6/8 hours do I need to get rid of the previous eggs. If so will that mess with her broodiness again? I have two Peking females sitting on the same nest or in the same nesting area. Only one of them sits around the clock.
Q2. I go to my coop several times a day. It is very routine and predictable. This morning when I went to let the ducks out. There was a large section dug up. Maybe 2/3ft in length. It’s been raining buckets here so it was a muddy mess. About 6 ft away was 1/2 of a egg shell. The other half nowhere in sight. The hole was dug right at my ducks area she is nesting at. Because everything is so routine my ducks were not in their coop like usual at dusk. They were acting strange like they did not want to go in there and I had to kinds force them to do what we do every evening like clock work. (Not sure if they were already aware of the predator at that point in time or if it was a coincidence) The hole was not dug at that point in time. So what should I do. I want her to nest but now something has gotten one of her eggs I’m sure it will be back. The drake may have gave it a hard time. It did not destroy the nest. It look like it got lucky that it dug enough an egg probably rolled down the space it dug from as the nest was about 1/2 ft. above the dug out space.
I’m in MD we have the most problems here out of fox’s. I have had a fox take an entire duck. So I feel like if it were a fix it would not have bothered the eggs it would have went for the ducks. Also the fox have never dug under they climbed over. We have possums. I have not seen one in a long while. We have lots of hawks. No skunks and possibly a stray dog but that would be random.
Thanks for any and all advice it is greatly appreciated.
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