Life on the farm is never without excitement. New goslings, chicks, peacock chicks and joeys have appeared thanks to the bounty of nature. Unfortunately there does not appear to be any hatchings of the ducklings on the farm. I have not given up all hope but have my doubts because the fertility of the eggs is questionable. The reason for this is the ducks husband, the drake, is totally infatuated with a goose. He has been chasing her all around the paddock. When she had enough she would run into the middle of the gaggle and the two top ganders would beat up the love sick drake. This was a daily event. When the goose was sitting on eggs I am ashamed to say the drake took advantage of her vunerability. The goose had been sitting for about three weeks when a goanna attacked her and badly injured one of her legs which she could no longer use. She also lost the last of her eggs. The injured goose could no longer keep up with the gaggle so they just ignored her. She just sat in the remains of her nest, dishevelled and unhappy. The drake sat next to her for the next six week without going down to the dam at all. Both of them were fed lots of grain and porridge and I am happy to report the goose can now walk with a limp and has rejoined the gaggle. She is closely followed by the totally smitten drake and he is now tolerated by the gaggle but not yet allowed to be part of it. Lady duck continually seeks the drake's company and he occasionally respond. It is clear the duck has come to accept that she must share her husband with a goose. So you can see why I would not be surprised about the fertility of the eggs. Would you share your husband with a goose?
I can vouch for the viability of the eggs, I have had a different arrangement Mine is gander in love with ducks, actually 3 ducks. he didn't have a goose mate till this last Aug. so his only family has been Muscovy ducks, his mama is a Muscovy, anyway he has always mated the ducks and this past summer I actually let the girls sit some eggs, very low fertility and i think the main reason the gander, he monopolized the girls and kept the drakes from mating with them. Now he has his own mate but I'm sure if given the chance this spring he'll still mate with the ducks. [ps they mate just fine too] but there won't be any hatching going on this year so I won't have to worry about fertility. We will be practicing birth control. Actually the low fertility worked out for me of the 6 ducklings that hatched I was able to keep all but 2.
