is it possible to move a nesting duck to a safer location?

spish

De Regenboog Kippetjes
13 Years
Apr 7, 2010
1,856
41
316
Belgium
i keep ducks but have not yet bred from them as they are still young, but my question is over one of the wild ducks living on my property (they 'live' with my ducks but are wild)
one of the ladies have made a nest in the exit pipe of a drain here (we live on a river) now this drain rarely has water flowing through it at a rate which would destroy a nest (it trickles daily) but it is 'flushed' every three weeks which results in a large surge of water.
now this little lady (or one similar!) built a nest there a few weeks back, laid eggs and started sitting. about a week before eggs should have hatched the 'flood gates' were opened for the monthly flush of the pipe, thus washing away the nest and eggs
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now this lady duck has built a nest in the same place. she has a lot of eggs under her right now (you can see theres a right pile there!) that must have been laid in the past few days.
the drain 'should' normally be flushed out within the next three weeks, so the eggs will be on the verge of hatching but will again be destroyed.

is there a safe way for me to move 'mum' and nest, or will she take off if i move the nest?
 
It is possible with a domestic duck in the right circumstances...However have a read of this thread

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=337390

There is a mention of it being illegal to move a wild mallard duck eggs. I know it would be very sad for the duck to loose her nest again..but maybe if the company whose responsibilty it is to flush the drains knew the nest was there- the flush could be postponed - or a local wildlife organisation can try to relocate her safely.

Edited to add... Belgium...Ok So i noticed your location after I posted ...so Maybe the laws in the thread wont apply to you, but it may still be a good idea to get some assistance or advise from a wildlife organisation
 
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i was also wondering about the 'legal' side of things but dont know much about the belgians laws
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i just thought maybe if i moved the nest to the side of the pipe it would be ok (and no one would ever know!) but was worried about mum duck running off
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Definitely check your laws. What type of duck is it? If it's legal maybe you could move the nest a little and take most of the eggs to incubate artificially. That way if she does not abandon the nest after you move it you could always put the eggs back, but if she does abandon it you could at least save most of the eggs.
 

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