NY chicken lover!!!!

[Pyxis]

Repost cuz I still don't know what to do:

~~Help? This is the first year I have had ducks. Muscovies, if it makes a difference in your advice.

I found the first place my duck hen was laying. I picked up the eggs, put a number on it so I could shake up the first ones laid so they don't grow into more ducks than I can handle. Put the eggs back in their spot, but I added a piece of cloth under them,cuz they were laying on bare rocks.

I watched her walk into the barn and walk out a while later. Went to check for egg and write the number 4 on it for...see reason above. No fourth egg. Hmmm... Today I found the SECOND place she is laying. These 2 eggs are much bigger than the first 3 I found. But they are also laying on bare dirt.

What is my question, you may be thinking. I am wondering if handling her eggs caused her to choose a second spot to lay. OR if she wants privacy and will abandon any nest I find her laying in. I don't like where she is laying now. I am going to be hard pressed to make it a safe place for her to sit. I will be able to do it, however I will probably make her nervous and she will abandon THAT nesting site

. So what should I do? Leave her alone and hope that something doesn't eat her while she is sitting on the eggs (when she finally has enough eggs and starts to sit) Or leave her alone and move her when she starts to sit? I know what I would do with a broody hen, but this duck is just accumulating eggs and hasn't truely "gone broody".

My advice would be to lock her in whatever coop she lives in for the first couple hours of morning. From my experience ducks tend to lay bright and early every morning, so if she's locked in she has no choice but to lay where you want her to. If she's laying later in the day, lock her in for a few days and she'll get the idea.

 

[Lynzi777]

Repost cuz I still don't know what to do:

~~Help? This is the first year I have had ducks. Muscovies, if it makes a difference in your advice.

I found the first place my duck hen was laying. I picked up the eggs, put a number on it so I could shake up the first ones laid so they don't grow into more ducks than I can handle. Put the eggs back in their spot, but I added a piece of cloth under them,cuz they were laying on bare rocks.

I watched her walk into the barn and walk out a while later. Went to check for egg and write the number 4 on it for...see reason above. No fourth egg. Hmmm... Today I found the SECOND place she is laying. These 2 eggs are much bigger than the first 3 I found. But they are also laying on bare dirt.

What is my question, you may be thinking. I am wondering if handling her eggs caused her to choose a second spot to lay. OR if she wants privacy and will abandon any nest I find her laying in. I don't like where she is laying now. I am going to be hard pressed to make it a safe place for her to sit. I will be able to do it, however I will probably make her nervous and she will abandon THAT nesting site

. So what should I do? Leave her alone and hope that something doesn't eat her while she is sitting on the eggs (when she finally has enough eggs and starts to sit) Or leave her alone and move her when she starts to sit? I know what I would do with a broody hen, but this duck is just accumulating eggs and hasn't truely "gone broody".

I don't know anything about Muscovies but what do you do with your ducks at night? I thought all ducks laid their eggs really early in the morning? Can you keep her penned up somewhere at night and not let her out until like 7-8am? Is she laying later in the day than that? I usually don't let my ducks out until about 8ish and this morning was the first time ever I let them out, grabbed the three eggs and one was still warm. Sorry if I missed the first part of the story, just trying to think of a way to keep her from laying all over the place.

 

[horsekeeper]

My advice would be to lock her in whatever coop she lives in for the first couple hours of morning. From my experience ducks tend to lay bright and early every morning, so if she's locked in she has no choice but to lay where you want her to. If she's laying later in the day, lock her in for a few days and she'll get the idea.

What Pyxis said! When my muscovies started laying the first year they kept going until there were 24-30 eggs accumulated, then nudged out the ones that were bad and ended up with about a dozen good ones each. Each hen found her own spot and they did pretty well. Last year they laid 3 nests, one in each corner except where the pop door was, and played musical nests until all the eggs had a chance to get chilled and die. No babies last year. This year two of the are jammed under the community nest box and defending their individual nests like maniacs.

I htink they do best when they are confined for the first part of the day and have a protected spot to build and defend a nest. One of mine used a paper shavings bag as a hiding spot, so it doesn't take much to satisfy them.

Pyxis, my ducks must be lazy, they lay anywhere from first thing to late afternoon.

 

[Cass]

My advice would be to lock her in whatever coop she lives in for the first couple hours of morning. From my experience ducks tend to lay bright and early every morning, so if she's locked in she has no choice but to lay where you want her to. If she's laying later in the day, lock her in for a few days and she'll get the idea.

I don't know anything about Muscovies but what do you do with your ducks at night? I thought all ducks laid their eggs really early in the morning? Can you keep her penned up somewhere at night and not let her out until like 7-8am? Is she laying later in the day than that? I usually don't let my ducks out until about 8ish and this morning was the first time ever I let them out, grabbed the three eggs and one was still warm. Sorry if I missed the first part of the story, just trying to think of a way to keep her from laying all over the place.

What Pyxis said! When my muscovies started laying the first year they kept going until there were 24-30 eggs accumulated, then nudged out the ones that were bad and ended up with about a dozen good ones each. Each hen found her own spot and they did pretty well. Last year they laid 3 nests, one in each corner except where the pop door was, and played musical nests until all the eggs had a chance to get chilled and die. No babies last year. This year two of the are jammed under the community nest box and defending their individual nests like maniacs.

I htink they do best when they are confined for the first part of the day and have a protected spot to build and defend a nest. One of mine used a paper shavings bag as a hiding spot, so it doesn't take much to satisfy them.

Pyxis, my ducks must be lazy, they lay anywhere from first thing to late afternoon.

I Leave her in until I have to leave for work....8 ish. She high tails it over to the barn and lays her egg. They are currently housed with the chickens, including 7 roosters, so I don't think she will layin the "coop" as it exists right now. If I am later letting her out, she is later laying her egg. (weekends usually it is almost 9 and you should see her RUN! LOL) Leaving her in isn't an option because of my work hours.

I am not overly worried about her laying where she is....laying there isn't the problem....sitting for 30+ days in that spot IS. It isn't overly secured or securable. This is her first year laying...she's just barely a year old.

I am buying a second female this weekend....maybe she will lay in the house I put inside the run for the Party ducks that don't like to go in the coop at night and hang out in the run. Should I hang something in front of the small inserted house opening to make the female ducks think they have privacy?

 

[Lynzi777]

I Leave her in until I have to  leave for work....8 ish.  She high tails it over to the barn and lays her egg.   They are currently housed with the chickens, including 7 roosters, so I don't think she will layin the "coop" as it exists right now.   If I am later letting her out, she is later laying her egg. (weekends usually it is almost 9 and you should see her RUN! LOL)    Leaving her in isn't an option because of my work hours.

I am not overly worried about her laying where she is....laying there isn't the problem....sitting for 30+ days in that spot IS.  It isn't overly secured or securable.  This is her first year laying...she's just barely a year old.

I am buying a second female this weekend....maybe she will lay in the house I put inside the run for the Party ducks that don't like to go in the coop at night and hang out in the run.  Should I hang something in front of the small inserted house opening to make the female ducks think they have privacy?

I wonder if she continues to lay there and DOES eventually go broody, if you can move her to a more secure area. I can't see a duck just leaving their eggs, but then again I've never had a broody duck.

 

[Cass]

I wonder if she continues to lay there and DOES eventually go broody, if you can move her to a more secure area. I can't see a duck just leaving their eggs, but then again I've never had a broody duck.

That is what I am wondering too. Can I move her once she has decided to sit? She won't be safe where she is if I don't move her.

 

[WillowWispFarm]

No I"m not, i'll have to get on that though. When I was picking up the 4 chicks i asked the guy working there about them being the last, and they actually said they just ordered there last shipment, I was told by the other tractor supply that Easter was there last day getting chicks. Guess they changed there mind.

 

[SAHchickenmom]

There is no way I will be able to sleep tonight,my chicks will be here tomorrow

 

[Gramma Chick]

I think I might need to go soon haha, I have been going into tractor supply with no problem, till i saw only 4 tiny ones all alone.

It is a Save the Baby complex ...I have it too ...I can go to Farm & tractor ...and leave the babies there ..
unless I see babies that need saving ..then I cant resist them

 

[Nuttyfrom6kids]

I think I might need to go soon haha, I have been going into tractor supply with no problem, till i saw only 4 tiny ones all alone.

FoxCreek you got a little while before therapy I go in tractor supply and they can have a full tub and I have to get some LOL! Am going there tomorrow to see what they have.

I don't know anything about Muscovies but what do you do with your ducks at night? I thought all ducks laid their eggs really early in the morning? Can you keep her penned up somewhere at night and not let her out until like 7-8am? Is she laying later in the day than that? I usually don't let my ducks out until about 8ish and this morning was the first time ever I let them out, grabbed the three eggs and one was still warm. Sorry if I missed the first part of the story, just trying to think of a way to keep her from laying all over the place.

Not all ducks lay real early my Cayugas lay early but my others lay later morning early afternoon.