Pukeko's New zealands Swamp hen attacks nest!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[thechickenkeeper]

hi there , well to be brief, we lost our 3rd egg to a predator, it was infact 2 today, very aggressive bird the swamp hen, I've seen them killing the ducklings of mallards, when they strayed into the Pukeko's patch, not pleasant.
question,, will the girls now abandon that nest because it's been attacked?

 

[danischi24]

So a swamp bird or Pukeko is a kind of Gallinule (google) to the rest of us. Your chickens will probably keep laying as they would if you were removing the eggs. I guess netting would possibly keep the Pukekos out of your chicken's area. Hens that are bred to lay aren't bothered much when their eggs disappear but game hens etc can sometimes get upset by changes to their nest & move it elsewhere.

 

[eggchel]

http://www.pukeko.ws/bird.html

Wow, the color on the Pukeko is beautiful.

Were you girls sitting on the nest incubating the eggs or were they just laying the eggs there?

chel

 

[Rainman]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Swamphen

 

[SpottedCrow]

Not being a chicken, I would presume that your birds would find a place that would be less obvious to a predator. Obelisk liked to hide to lay her eggs. Under the computer desk, under the couch....

 

[babalubird]

How interesting. Gee, we get an education on this website.

Hope you can end their thievery though.

Connie