hi all. not posted in a while and have done a search but canot find answers!
I have a aylesbury or pekin (i dunno!) duck. amazing. amazing. amazing. she has layed between 6 and 7 eggs every weeks since 21 december! 6 months. actually the past 2 months its been an egg every day.
i have 2 runners. sonya and button. button lays green eggs... she averaged.. 2-3 a week since feb some time... some times less, very rarely more, and nothing for almost 3 weeks. sonya was a little better averaging 4-5 a week at her best. but also nothing for almost 3 weeks.
nothing has changed tho the weather has been sooooo wet and there is a lot of mud in their run because of them making a mess in their pond plus the rain. i am in the process of completeing their new super delux duck run where pond will be much farther away from their house to help keep house dry, and they will have so much room they could run marathons.
anyway, sonya has been in hiding most of the past 2 weeks. when i let them out in the morning she comes out, acts normal etc etc but quickly dissappears back into their house. i didnt notice it straight away, but after about a week of no eggs i started to pay more attention..
tonight when i went out to put ducks to bed at 10, she was sitting on the nest and not bothered that i went in the house to change water etc, usually they dont like me coming in (they were not tame at all when i got them unfortunatly)
now.. she is not sitting on eggs. only the aylesbury (lets call her aylesbury anyway) is laying and i have been taking her eg every morning, but i have noticed that instead of the egg being hidden under the bed as it always was, now the nest appears to be built up and the egg sitting on top, and that is where sonya is sitting. so she is obviously taking aylesburys egg and sitting on it until i take it...
after all that i still didnt get to my point, sorry...
i want to hatch some of my aylesbury eggs, she has a matching husband.. and as she is such a good layer i figure i want some more of her sort.... but... is runner broody?
i thought she was about 2 months ago, and left her some eggs, and i think she was sitting on them, until the sun came out a few days later, then so did she and eggs were cold and forgotten about....
i know ducks dont make good brooders... but she seems to be pretty stuck to her bed for at least 2 weeks
i dont mind more eggs going to waste to try let her hatch them... but...
do i need to separate her if shes going to sit on eggs?
how?????
i need to move their house in the next few days because the new run is almost done.. so i will have to disturb her to do that.. but can i do harm by kicking her out? i will have to change the whole bed etc too (its deep litter and works really well but to move house i must dismantle) so will that upset her?
theres no point giving her eggs now if i have to move the house, but do you think shes broody? because if you think she is then theres hope she will again????
i expect when i move them there'll be way too much fun to be had exploring o any nest will be forgotten...
sorry guys.. didnt want to write a book.. just dont know what to do... do ducks get depressed? shes not molting, is in good condition, seems healthy,
I have a secont smaller duck house... and if shes going to go broody and even hatch 2 or 3 eggs, i'd prefer her to do it in that so the babies wont get squished... but how do i convince her to go in there????
i hope ye have advice, no one around here can help nor do they care
I have a aylesbury or pekin (i dunno!) duck. amazing. amazing. amazing. she has layed between 6 and 7 eggs every weeks since 21 december! 6 months. actually the past 2 months its been an egg every day.
i have 2 runners. sonya and button. button lays green eggs... she averaged.. 2-3 a week since feb some time... some times less, very rarely more, and nothing for almost 3 weeks. sonya was a little better averaging 4-5 a week at her best. but also nothing for almost 3 weeks.
nothing has changed tho the weather has been sooooo wet and there is a lot of mud in their run because of them making a mess in their pond plus the rain. i am in the process of completeing their new super delux duck run where pond will be much farther away from their house to help keep house dry, and they will have so much room they could run marathons.
anyway, sonya has been in hiding most of the past 2 weeks. when i let them out in the morning she comes out, acts normal etc etc but quickly dissappears back into their house. i didnt notice it straight away, but after about a week of no eggs i started to pay more attention..
tonight when i went out to put ducks to bed at 10, she was sitting on the nest and not bothered that i went in the house to change water etc, usually they dont like me coming in (they were not tame at all when i got them unfortunatly)
now.. she is not sitting on eggs. only the aylesbury (lets call her aylesbury anyway) is laying and i have been taking her eg every morning, but i have noticed that instead of the egg being hidden under the bed as it always was, now the nest appears to be built up and the egg sitting on top, and that is where sonya is sitting. so she is obviously taking aylesburys egg and sitting on it until i take it...
after all that i still didnt get to my point, sorry...
i want to hatch some of my aylesbury eggs, she has a matching husband.. and as she is such a good layer i figure i want some more of her sort.... but... is runner broody?
i thought she was about 2 months ago, and left her some eggs, and i think she was sitting on them, until the sun came out a few days later, then so did she and eggs were cold and forgotten about....
i know ducks dont make good brooders... but she seems to be pretty stuck to her bed for at least 2 weeks
i dont mind more eggs going to waste to try let her hatch them... but...
do i need to separate her if shes going to sit on eggs?
how?????
i need to move their house in the next few days because the new run is almost done.. so i will have to disturb her to do that.. but can i do harm by kicking her out? i will have to change the whole bed etc too (its deep litter and works really well but to move house i must dismantle) so will that upset her?
theres no point giving her eggs now if i have to move the house, but do you think shes broody? because if you think she is then theres hope she will again????
i expect when i move them there'll be way too much fun to be had exploring o any nest will be forgotten...
sorry guys.. didnt want to write a book.. just dont know what to do... do ducks get depressed? shes not molting, is in good condition, seems healthy,
I have a secont smaller duck house... and if shes going to go broody and even hatch 2 or 3 eggs, i'd prefer her to do it in that so the babies wont get squished... but how do i convince her to go in there????
i hope ye have advice, no one around here can help nor do they care
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