Old fashioned Broody thread for ducks 2013 edition

[melissamerry]

is it normal for a broody mama to be down right crazy!?!
TreeTrunks is on week two and when she takes her food/poop/bath/poop breaks she goes wild.
She'll run around the yard quacking very loudly. And I mean RUN. It's almost as if she's checking the yard to make sure it's safe.
Then she'll start quacking at the weirdest/earliest hours. I always run out there to check that it's not a predator, but she just continues on.
Usually she stops when she sees me. It's very unlike her.

The other two ducks sleep in a separate house near her, but they leave her be during the day. Last night we tried putting a towel over the opening of her nesting box to make her feel more secluded. I'm not sure if it worked or if the quietness was a coincidence. Do you think something else might be agitating her?
Or is sitting just taking a toll?

 

[Miss Lydia]

is it normal for a broody mama to be down right crazy!?!
TreeTrunks is on week two and when she takes her food/poop/bath/poop breaks she goes wild.
She'll run around the yard quacking very loudly. And I mean RUN. It's almost as if she's checking the yard to make sure it's safe.
Then she'll start quacking at the weirdest/earliest hours. I always run out there to check that it's not a predator, but she just continues on.
Usually she stops when she sees me. It's very unlike her.

The other two ducks sleep in a separate house near her, but they leave her be during the day. Last night we tried putting a towel over the opening of her nesting box to make her feel more secluded. I'm not sure if it worked or if the quietness was a coincidence. Do you think something else might be agitating her?
Or is sitting just taking a toll?

Every duck is different about their broodiness but all of them are crazy. LOL, I'd try the towel again and if she is quiet tonight maybe she just needed to feel more secure. And something could be prowling around out there that you can't see that's upsetting her. My ducks when they come out for R&R look like Sumo wrestlers all puffed up and screamy, doing everything at top speed.

 

[quirkybeeper]

Hey, she's sitting again! Third time's the charm, right? Maybe I'll actually get ducklings this time...

Anywho, this may be a really silly question, or it may have been answered before, but I need to see if someone has a tip or trick I might be able to try. I need to candle the eggs, a lot of them have been out there for a while, and I'd be willing to bet she's sitting on a few bad eggs. However...the last time I went out to do their food and water in the middle of the night, it was a rather traumatic experience (turns out there are VERY large spiders that live in our yard). So my thinking is maybe I can go candle right when it gets dark and hopefully there won't be spiders, or I can take a bath in bug repellent and spider killer before I go out (lol) or find some way to candle during the day. I read a few days ago that someone gathers eggs in a basket and takes them inside to candle, but I don't think that would go over too well...mom would definitely notice. So, any suggestions would be appreciated! Like I said, I know this is probably pretty silly

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hey, she's sitting again! Third time's the charm, right? Maybe I'll actually get ducklings this time...

Anywho, this may be a really silly question, or it may have been answered before, but I need to see if someone has a tip or trick I might be able to try. I need to candle the eggs, a lot of them have been out there for a while, and I'd be willing to bet she's sitting on a few bad eggs. However...the last time I went out to do their food and water in the middle of the night, it was a rather traumatic experience (turns out there are VERY large spiders that live in our yard). So my thinking is maybe I can go candle right when it gets dark and hopefully there won't be spiders, or I can take a bath in bug repellent and spider killer before I go out (lol) or find some way to candle during the day. I read a few days ago that someone gathers eggs in a basket and takes them inside to candle, but I don't think that would go over too well...mom would definitely notice. So, any suggestions would be appreciated! Like I said, I know this is probably pretty silly

Not silly at all you have to work it out for your convenience, and safety . I go out in the day when mama gets off the nest, I gather the eggs in a basket close the door to her space and take the eggs inside my feed room where it is dark and candle, I have also taken them into a closet and closed the door. I usually only let my ducks sit on 4 or less eggs so it's pretty easy and fast. If you have quite a few eggs take half and candle and mark the good one with a washable marker and toss the bad ones then next time you'll know which ones you've already candled and just get the rest to do. How many is she sitting on? After I finish candling I take the eggs back and place them back in the nest after I open the door she usually just goes back in and rearranges the eggs and settles back down.

 

[Duck Drover]

Hey, she's sitting again! Third time's the charm, right? Maybe I'll actually get ducklings this time...

Anywho, this may be a really silly question, or it may have been answered before, but I need to see if someone has a tip or trick I might be able to try. I need to candle the eggs, a lot of them have been out there for a while, and I'd be willing to bet she's sitting on a few bad eggs. However...the last time I went out to do their food and water in the middle of the night, it was a rather traumatic experience (turns out there are VERY large spiders that live in our yard). So my thinking is maybe I can go candle right when it gets dark and hopefully there won't be spiders, or I can take a bath in bug repellent and spider killer before I go out (lol) or find some way to candle during the day. I read a few days ago that someone gathers eggs in a basket and takes them inside to candle, but I don't think that would go over too well...mom would definitely notice. So, any suggestions would be appreciated! Like I said, I know this is probably pretty silly

You can candle anytime it is convenient, usually while the duck is off the nest. It just needs to be dark to see inside the eggs but you can put a beach towel over your head and the eggs while you candle them to make it dark.

 

[tull14]

Ok so I have another silly question. Will a broody female "test out" sitting for a couple of days? I noticed another nest the past couple of days in the barn on the very opposite side as my serious "sitting" duck. Went in today and no one was sitting on the eggs, went back in because my son likes to look at the mama sitting on her nest and check out "his" eggs in the other nest but the other mama was sitting. I don't know how long she sat for but it could have only been 15-20 min as soon as we left the barn she waddled on out to be with the others. So my real question is before she really gets serious will she only sit short periods here and there? Also this new nest is pretty much out in the open, what would be something good to use to give her some sort of privacy?

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Search for JW's inverted buckets-- awesome! Also I've used plywood, seen kitty litter pan toppers too. Yes, mine sit a bit for a few days before they really get serious.

 

[tull14]

Well guys went to check on momma and eggs. We were on day 15-17 mama and all of her egg are gone. So now we're looking into incubating the other set of eggs before something gets toes. This week we've lost 3 ducks and an entire nest. So going to try our luck at incubating.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well guys went to check on momma and eggs. We were on day 15-17 mama and all of her egg are gone. So now we're looking into incubating the other set of eggs before something gets toes. This week we've lost 3 ducks and an entire nest. So going to try our luck at incubating.

So very sorry

, now you know why we are so pushy about getting mama and eggs in secure housing, they really are sitting ducks..