nest building

[Fun Farmer]

New to having ducks and instead of nesting in their enclosure they are tryin to nest in my flower box. At least I think they are. Will the drake help in the construction of the nest or are they just lookin for bugs and worms in my mulch? I run them out of there but they keep coming back to the same spot soon as I walk away. Thanks

 

[Miss Lydia]

New to having ducks and instead of nesting in their enclosure they are tryin to nest in my flower box. At least I think they are. Will the drake help in the construction of the nest or are they just lookin for bugs and worms in my mulch? I run them out of there but they keep coming back to the same spot soon as I walk away. Thanks

They will try to nest in many places but don't let them get into the habit, not safe to build a nest outside of their house especially if their ultimate goal is to sit on eggs. Place eggs where you want them to nest inside their house, they like privacy so you can take a piece of plywood and lean it up against a wall and secure it, they will go under and lay their eggs. plenty of shaving to build their nest too.

Welcome to BYC!

 

[Fun Farmer]

Thanks for the response. I put some boxes in the enclosure but they want nothing to do with it. Lol. I have another question. When I bought my two female pekins for my drake, the farmer gave me his last little Swedish Blue hen so she wouldnt be alone. My larger pekins dont seem to want her around. They dont treat her bad, but shes always last to eat and bathe when I put the pools out.
1. Should I get a couple more blues for her to be around?
2. Should I even mix the two breeds? I dont have room for two diff enclosures.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks for the response. I put some boxes in the enclosure but they want nothing to do with it. Lol. I have another question. When I bought my two female pekins for my drake, the farmer gave me his last little Swedish Blue hen so she wouldnt be alone. My larger pekins dont seem to want her around. They dont treat her bad, but shes always last to eat and bathe when I put the pools out.
1. Should I get a couple more blues for her to be around?
2. Should I even mix the two breeds? I dont have room for two diff enclosures.

It would be nice for her to have a few friends. I always hate it when one gets left out. when you do get her some friends introduce her to the new ones first and let them form a bond before introducing your Pekins to the mix. I wouldn't get any more drakes. Drakes need at least 2,3,4 ducks to meet his needs depending on the drake but the more the better. You should always intro new ducks to an established flock slowly and through temp fencing, so they meet but no one can get picked on for being the new kid on the block[so to speak] .

I don't have nest boxes for my ducks just deep shaving they make their own nests.

 

[Fun Farmer]

Well, the plywood idea by Miss Lydia worked. I installed a couple plywood sheets and stuffed them with bedding materials. I checked tonight while they were out grazing and there were 3 nice big eggs buried in the fluff. Just wanted to say thanks for the advise. Now I have to decide what to do with them. If she chooses to, will she go broody like my chickens or are my chances of her hatching her own eggs pretty slim? And how long will they be viable if I leave them in her nest before they go bad? Too many questions for a newbie like me