secret duck nest... what to do...?

[chickensducks&agoose]

My mallard walked past the kids and I when we were in the back yard, kind of puffy and grumpy sounding.. usually she avoids us like the plague.. so i was suspicious. She snuck between the back of the woodpile and an old tire, and settled in. "She's going to lay an EGG!!!" I told the kids... later I went to go check if she'd actually laid one... and she was still there... "okay, its taking her a while" i thought.... then I went back a few hours later and she was still there, so I climbed over the pile of old wire fencing and tried to push her off the nest to see what was up. She smacked me with her wing super hard and I retreated... then I realized I still didn't know what she was doing.. so I went back and sort of pushed her a little, and she stood up and bit me. well, I have a huge bruise on my hand, and she has like 20 eggs... but we don't have any male ducks... but a male mallard and his mate were on our pond 2 weeks ago.. could her eggs be fertile? Is she going to be eaten by a fox? I'm considering moving the entire duck/nest into a wire cage, so she's at least safe, and stealing an egg, candling it (in case she's been sitting longer than just today) and if clear, breaking it open to check fertility... if fertile, I'll leave her on the nest... if unfertile, I'll quickly find some fertile duck eggs and swap 'em out.. what do you think?

 

[chickensducks&agoose]

I cut some of her feathers... so she can't fly... now I wish I hadn't.

 

[La Mike]

They get that way when they go broody
Sounds like you have it covered all but moving the nest
She may stop if you move her and completely abandon the eggs
And yes they could be fertile if the wild drake liked her
50/50 shot she will stay broody if you move them

 

[chickensducks&agoose]

I got a box, and a small dog crate. grabbed mama duck off the nest and stuck her in the goose house so I could move the eggs. I made a layer of shavings in the box, then moved the eggs onto the ground... then I picked up as much of the nest as I could, and stuck it in the box. then I rearranged the eggs in the nest, wedged the box sideways in the back of the dog crate, stuck the duck in, and locked the door. after about 5 minutes, she climbed back onto the eggs. so YAY! I think it worked! now, if only these eggs are fertile....

 

[La Mike]

Good deal if she stays you should be ok

 

[chickensducks&agoose]

I checked on her this morning, and she'd drenched all her eggs in poo. literally, about an inch of poo all over the eggs. So I changed her nest and wiped off all the eggs... she totally gave up on them... and bit me a bunch, and now won't go back to them. grrrr... dumb duck.

 

[Bleenie]

The only successful nest move i have had was when i moved the entire double nest box she was in and put it in a different house. even then she tried a couple times to go back to the big duck house looking for her nest.

 

[La Mike]

Yep thats how it usually goes they just dont like much change once their set to it
Sorry for you though was hoping good luck for you

 

[Friend2Fowl]

In the future you can make a pen around her and her nest, instead of moving her. This is what I plan on doing with any stupid guineas that decide to go broody, if I can find them