My Indian Runner duck is sitting on her nest???

[aimiburkitt]

Hi everyone . My names Aimi and I live in England. Last year I hatched for the first time 3 Indian Runner ducks - I haven't owned any ducks previously so was very pleased when my little babies hatched!

I have two girls and one boy, they roam free around our garden during the day live in a duck house at night. All the ducks are let out at 6am ish in the morning.

Normally I have two duck eggs in the duck house which I remove every morning because I was led to believe that Indian Runners don't hatch their own eggs. Well this morning around 10.30am I could only find two if my ducks so I went on the hunt for the third one, when I found her she was in a bush sat on 4 eggs!! I really don't know what to do now? If there's 4 eggs she must have been going to lay them once she's let out at 6am in the morning for the last 4 days and now I'm worried that because I've been putting her in her house at night then at least one of the eggs has been left for three nights without my duck sitting on it. If I do leave her out over night she's at risk of the fox. The weather here at the moment is around 21degrees during the day and 8degrees at night.

Can someone please advise if these eggs have any change of hatching and if so what should I do? Do I move her best somewhere safe or wo that make her abandon them?

Thanks in advance

 

[sourland]

The eggs don't start developing until she sits on them full time, so they are still viable. In my experience, setting ducks are very difficult to move. Is there any way that you could build an enclosure around her for protection?

 

[aimiburkitt]

Hi, not really no. She's in a bush within bushes. There's 13 eggs so she must have been collecting them for a while.

If I removed them and put in an incubator would she mother them once they are hatched?

Xx

 

[sourland]

If you take most of the eggs and put them in the incubator - leaving a few with her. She will accept the ducklings when they hatch, but that still leaves her vulnerable to predation.

 

[lilmizscareall]

I would get an incubator for sure. Indians will sit, but she might decide to abandon the nest randomly. She could also abandon them as they are hatching and when they have hatched. So be prepared. They just are not bred to be the best moms.
It would be FANTASTIC if she follows through. Good luck!!!!