Indian Runner Duck Eggs being eaten?? Is our goose the guilty party?

[whiteloba]

Do Indian Runners commonly eat their own eggs or could it be our over protective female goose?

We have tried going out to get the eggs at all hours of night and day and they are almost always eaten before we can snatch them up. We have 2 female ducks, one male and a very overprotective female goose. We are going to try to separate the goose tonight to see if it still happens.

Anyone else have this problem? What did you do to resolve it? My husband wanted Indian Runner specifically for the eggs....he loves to down them raw in the morning with lime and salt (YUCK!).

Thanks,
Rose

 

[FenDruadin]

Hmmm... That's very strange. I mean what your husband wants for breakfast, but the disappearing eggs are strange too!

What evidence is being left behind? How are the eggs broken open? Is the shell still lying there, and does it have a large hole punched in the side or is it smashed? Is it still wet inside or dry? If it's dry inside there's a chance your guilty party is a snake, although it's strange that the snake would be eating every day.

I don't think Runners are any more likely to eat the eggs than any other breed, nor are geese any more likely to eat eggs than any other fowl. To determine who is the guilty party, separation does seem like a good experiment. But don't automatically blame the duck if the egg is still eaten in the morning--it could be something else entirely--do you have weasels or other small predators in your area? How about rats?

There are so many things that might be eating eggs. If you rule out the goose as the culprit, you may want to try taking both the duck and the goose out of the pen one night and leaving a chicken egg and see what happens to it. If the duck lays an egg and it's eaten, but the chicken egg is left alone, then you can safely guess that the duck is eating the egg.

I'm sorry you're dealing with that. How frustrating! And good luck...

 

[nettie]

My runners have eaten their own eggs before. I'd usually find the left over shells after they dunked them in their waterer. But this has only happen maybe a handful of times. If it's happening consistently, I might blame your goose or even a predator. Could you have a snake around? They are infamous for stealing eggs. Do you ever find remnants of eggs or are they just gone?

 

[whiteloba]

Well, the eggs are usually in the nesting place where they lay and it has a whole pecked into it with all of the white gone but most of the yolk remaining. We took the goose out of the pen and put her in a separate one for the next day & night to see what we find in the morning. Then we will know who the culprit is (hopefully).

 

[FenDruadin]

Oo. Yeah, that sounds like bird damage--either the duck or the goose. I've had broodies damage eggs that had gone bad (and sometimes eggs that were perfectly fine, dangit), and that's exactly what they look like--a whole poked in the side.

Interested to hear whether the goose is to blame or not...

 

[tia]

I had it happen once. I had a plastic nesting box and I would come out and egg yolk and shells would be in there. It lasted for a few days. I took the nesting box out and it stopped. I thought something was getting in there, but people said if it was a critter it would probably go after the ducks.

 

[whiteloba]

Well the goose was not with the ducks last night and we have a perfect little egg this morning!

So, I'm guessing it has been the goose. Hmmm...I guess she will get her very own room at night. She was VERY lonely being away from the ducks yesterday and was relieved to visit with them today but tonight it is back to her quarters!

 

[FenDruadin]

Aw, poor goosey, even if she did bring it on herself. But it's not so bad--she'll get used to the drill and not mind being alone so much after a while. Can you get her a goosey friend? I just got my gander a goose friend this spring from a waterfowl rescue group, and it's worked out pretty well. He still thinks the ducks are his family, but he likes her too and she likes him. And for you, it would help her be less lonely at night.

Glad you figured it out, and congrats on the egg. Yummy!