help with stolen eggs !!!!!!

[elmacri]

Hi all,

I am posting this to see if anyone can help. I have two mallard ducks sitting on the same nest, they are underneath a fig tree. The problem i have is that although difficult to see last week i saw they had 19 eggs underneath them and yeaterday only 9. I had a few hens and the rest theirs.
I am really worried as to what is taking them, i think it might be a rat, I am ruling out a snake as we have a lot of young babies from chicks ducklings, rabbits etc all loose within their free range pen.
I live in Spain and their isnt really any other type of preditor it could be here.
So the questions are, how can i stop the rat, or can i move the ducks into a secure area (should i) it just seems so upsetting.
Before they went broody winthin a day of each other i noticed that we sometimes only had 1 egg a day when we have always had two, i should have guessed then that we had a problem.
we have muscovies too but they always go broody in a nesting box and we have never had a problem with loss of eggs, the same with the hens. ( well not that we have noticed anyhows,
Please help as i am really worried that if i dont do something soon we will lose them all.
thanks.

 

[nurse_turtle]

I remember another post about a similar situation of missing eggs. She set up a motion activated camera and caught a bluejay coming daily and taking her hen eggs. Consider other birds as well.

 

[bryan99705]

I would guess snakes cause it's easier than chasing down a chick

 

[elmacri]

I tried to move the ducks but with no avail so the next best option was to fence around them, we are pretty sure now its rats.we have been leaving tomatoes for them on the outside, that way they are fed and seem to be leaving the eggs alone. its been a very stressful few days, we are so close to having ducklings it would be terrible to lose them all.
I cant put a camera there as i dont have one.
well fingers crossed !!

 

[Ifowldown]

Maybe their being stolen by pigs.

You need to set up a giant slingshot and fire your ducks at them.

Sorry, I just got finished playing angry birds and couldn't resist after reading that title.