Old fashioned Broody thread for ducks 2013 edition

[Snownoir]

Haven't had any angel wing - they seem to thrive on it. They don't need to eat as much of it either.

That is fabulous to know!! Thank you.

life is not fair! I am ready to give up keeping animals.

we had a bad predator attack last night. Something opened the chicken coop where we keep our chicks. All the chicks are gone. No trace, no dead chicks, nothing.
If that wasn't bad enough, we found three dead ducklings nearby. They were just 2-3 days old. We still haven't seen their mom or their seven brothers and sisters. They might be gone too. Or if we are lucky they are hiding somewhere. It's 9am and I still haven't seen them.

The older ducklings are all fine, so are the adults and our laying hens.

My heart is breaking for you... I'm SO sorry to hear this.

HELP!! 911!!

Ok. So we moved our nesting hen out and away from the others as we let our momma's and their babies out in the big coop. All is going very well there.

Daisy abandoned the eggs. All she does is stand. We moved the nest in it's entirety, careful not to disturb it's structure or the eggs. Put in a xl crate and then put Daisy in there. She will not sit back down. She was up all night. The nest is now flat and covered....eggs not stomped.

What do I do? Rob said he tried putting everyone back together this morning and all the hens locked up fighting. Daisy wanted to be near the babies and the momma's would have nothing with it!!

I would like to take the eggs back out and set them back in the straw in the coop and hope like heck that one of the other hens will sit. But what about the fighting? I don't have an incubator and we are about 10 days from hatch.

OH NO!!

Is she standing over the eggs? How far along are they? One of my duck hens stands over the eggs the day before hatching.

 

[Miss Lydia]

the ducks that survived usually sleep in the duck house. We don't close the door at night anyore (to prevent other problems) but with a large group of adult ducks, the older ducklings were safe.
The ducklings who disappeared / were killed were born in a nest outside the duck house and the mother did not seem to get along with the rest of the group. So she must have spent the night elsewhere. Most likely near the chicken coop where the chicks were.
The coop had a lock that prevented opening the door towards the outside (and the hinges were placed so the door opened to the outside) but the door was forced open to the inside. So it must have been a raccoon or a fox. Maybe a dog. The only serious predator problem we had before was from weasels, but I doubt a weasel would push open a door like that. Plus, a weasel would have left lots of dead bodies behind.

There were paths in the tall herbs, but no traces I could identify. All three dead ducklins were found along the same path, but then nothing else was on that path.

I am not giving up hope yet. We have had ducks disappear before when something scared them, and then came back the next day.

Hope they come home.

 

[Miss Lydia]

HELP!! 911!!

Ok. So we moved our nesting hen out and away from the others as we let our momma's and their babies out in the big coop. All is going very well there.

Daisy abandoned the eggs. All she does is stand. We moved the nest in it's entirety, careful not to disturb it's structure or the eggs. Put in a xl crate and then put Daisy in there. She will not sit back down. She was up all night. The nest is now flat and covered....eggs not stomped.

What do I do? Rob said he tried putting everyone back together this morning and all the hens locked up fighting. Daisy wanted to be near the babies and the momma's would have nothing with it!!

I would like to take the eggs back out and set them back in the straw in the coop and hope like heck that one of the other hens will sit. But what about the fighting? I don't have an incubator and we are about 10 days from hatch.

OH NO!!

What have you tried? did you try covering the crate completely? maybe pitch dark will get her to relax. where did you put the crate with her and the eggs in it? Have you already tried putting the eggs back where they were? how'd that go? did daisy get back on them?

 

[DaytonDuckMom]

What have you tried? did you try covering the crate completely? maybe pitch dark will get her to relax. where did you put the crate with her and the eggs in it? Have you already tried putting the eggs back where they were? how'd that go? did daisy get back on them?

We put her out front, where she used to roam freely on the lawn prior to becoming broody. Figured that was familiar territory. She is standing.....and I felt the eggs this morning, they were still warm which suggests she sat at one point. But she is not laying, you know. Like she was.

I did not cover the crate. She had been out in the open so I tried to make it as normal as I could. I was going to try to take the eggs and put them back where they were....just so see if Daisy would or if the other moms would sit them. I just need one to finish to hatch! we are about 11 days away.

Rob said the fighting ensued (ugh! they've never fought! EVER! They've been raised together their whole life!) and so he put Daisy back in. He observed and called to tell me they were trying to fight through the crate. I just don't know. I am so confused. I would have never thought they would fight! Maybe it's because of the 2 babies.....

I am so worried about the eggs.

I totally thought we had this in the bag!

 

[DaytonDuckMom]

Is she standing over the eggs? How far along are they? One of my duck hens stands over the eggs the day before hatching.

She is standing...but we are at least 10 days out from hatch date. It's like she completely abandoned being broody....in like 2 minutes! I'm completely perplexed.

 

[Miss Lydia]

We put her out front, where she used to roam freely on the lawn prior to becoming broody. Figured that was familiar territory. She is standing.....and I felt the eggs this morning, they were still warm which suggests she sat at one point. But she is not laying, you know. Like she was.

I did not cover the crate. She had been out in the open so I tried to make it as normal as I could. I was going to try to take the eggs and put them back where they were....just so see if Daisy would or if the other moms would sit them. I just need one to finish to hatch! we are about 11 days away.

Rob said the fighting ensued (ugh! they've never fought! EVER! They've been raised together their whole life!) and so he put Daisy back in. He observed and called to tell me they were trying to fight through the crate. I just don't know. I am so confused. I would have never thought they would fight! Maybe it's because of the 2 babies.....

I am so worried about the eggs.

I totally thought we had this in the bag!

So she is fighting with one of the mamas that has the 2 new ducklings? hormones make them act very weird. can you put her back where is was sitting prior to this move except keep her in the crate or is this where the fighting through the crate was happening, if she is in same area as mama ducks and ducklings it won't work. I have to keep my broody's separate from the other ducks. Seclusion is best .

 

[jdywntr]

Well, yesterday and today, Black hatched, what turned out to be 7 babies. Her first got out oft he nest somehow and swarmed with fire ants. One in the middle, the same and the last to hatch was gotten by the ants. I found it when I got home today.

So that makes 15 ~1 month old ducklings, 21 <week old babies, and 7 day old babies. One more broody duck to go.

I think we may be done for the year. My December hatchlings have started laying but I'm collecting all of the eggs from them. Don't think I need anymore babies.

 

[EdenCamp]

If its hot out she won't need to keep hunkered down all the time either.
Since the eggs are still warm she's still sitting.

 

[EdenCamp]

If its hot out she won't need to keep hunkered down all the time either.
Since the eggs are still warm she's still sitting.

 

[jdywntr]

Oh, I forgot to mention, another chocolate barred was hatched!!!! So that makes 2 chocolate out of 28 babies. SO excited!!! I'm hoping that they will be a male and a female. They are either half siblings or cousins, I guess. I have 2 black barred drakes that are split to chocolate (they are siblings). Don't know if 1 is dad to both or not.