HELP half duck eggs were eaten, how can i save the rest

[DwayneNLiz]

update?? @ktrayn

 

[ktrayn]

Well all was not lost
I decided not to relocate the nest, i was too afraid she would not follow. She did finally went back to the nest later that day.
I set up camp in my driveway one night determined to find out what got to the nest and chase it away if it came back. I sat there all night, at 7am nothing showed up and i figured I'd try again tomorrow night. I was in my garage gettting ready to go inside and noticed a man walking his husky dog off the leash. I quietly watched from inside the garage as the dog ran around from yard to yard, and then he went straight for the nest. I ran out of the garage and yelled, no there's a nest under that window. I spoke to the man and asked him to please put a leash on his dog and do not allow it near the nest, he said he would.
So i kept a close watch for the next 2 weeks; i checked on momma duck several times a day and no more eggs were eaten. so the culprit was a dog and it's irresponsible owner.
Then one morning i went to check on her and i saw broken egg shells all around the nest, i was heartbroken and ran over. And that's when i saw her, there she was, Momma duck with 8 hatched ducklings. I was ecstatic to say the least. She had one more egg to hatch but eventually abandoned it, i guess it wasnt viable.
Then she disappeared for a couple days but later showed up in the pond with her ducklings.
She laid 12 eggs, the dog got 3 and 1 never hatched. She left the nest with 8 but when i saw her again at the pond she only had 7.
A few days later she only had 6 and this morning she only had 5. It breaks my heart but there's nothing i can do.
Heres a link to my youtube channel with a recent video of the babies.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

So glad you were able to stop the culprit!!
unfortunately there isnt anything you can do about the ducklings, could be turtles fox dog etc getting them

Thank you for the update!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Snapping turtles more than likely. Such a pretty momma and babies.

 

[ktrayn]

Another thing that i thought was interesting. After the initial attack on the nest, she left the nest all night. I kept checking from 7pm until the next morning at 6:30am and she wasn't there. I even woke up around 3:30am and couldn't stop thinking about her and checked then and she wasnt there. I thought, well shes abandoned the nest. Then later that day she was back on the nest. This happened every day until 2 days before they hatched. She would leave every night and stay gone for at least 8 hours or more, then sit on the nest during the day.
I thought to myself, poor little girl, she doesn't realize they're not going to hatch now because she's leaving them for too long.
Then two days before they hatched she wouldn't leave the nest at all. Not at night or during the day.
I guess she knew best, because all hatched but 1. I thought for sure she was so young and this was her first brood and that she wasnt experienced enough, but i was wrong, obviously.

 

[Miss Lydia]

They are amazing.

 

[ktrayn]

I'm so sad I just checked the pond and she only has two babies left.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Such a shame.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

I'm so sad I just checked the pond and she only has two babies left.

so sorry