Support Group for Abused Duck Keepers

[Canadian Wind]

I won't just show the good side of my relationships with my ducks here, I'll be honest, Dougie doesn't love me so much anymore.

A while ago I was inconsistent again with collecting eggs, and as Dougie was hiding the eggs in her discrete nest, I didn't realise that there were as many as there was, at least 10.
So when I noticed her go back inside one morning to sit on her nest, I realised immediately she was broody.

I don't like messing up and letting that happen, because obviously her eggs are infertile and she's wasting her energy on them. So I waited for her to leave her nest for food and then removed the eggs and dismantled her nest. She has been broody before so I really didn't think it would be an issue, but boy I was wrong, she was SO distressed that I had done this, she realised her eggs were gone and she was very upset. I'd never seen her look like that before, I felt absolutely evil. Later at their bedtime I gave them an egg, she usually will eat eggs regardless of how broody she feels. This time she was horrified, she picked up bits of shell and then just dropped them back down, and she just about chased Sprightly away when she tried to eat it. I didn't know that sort of thing could even bother them, honestly, it really shocked me, and then I was certain I was evil. In her mind I not only destroyed her family and home, but also served her babies back to her on a dinner plate! That's how her reaction made me feel!

She wanted absolutely nothing to do with me for a couple days and then they both started their moult so she's feeling a bit sensitive and unhappy. I've been upping their protein a bit, mealworms with their breakfast and I crack an egg for them some evenings- Dougie was super into her eggs before she went broody, she was eating every bit including the whites and yolk. And the shells were her favourite treat. She won't touch them now. Doesn't go near them.

It's been a couple weeks now, and she still hasn't forgiven me. She runs from me as if I'll hurt her, obviously I know its just her hormones and perhaps a bit of a grudge, and she is a prey animal and I shouldn't take it personally.

But I wanted to try and mend our bond, so I spent the day with them today, and tried to spend a lot of time with her. I put water in their dirt/grass box to make a nice mud box, and I got stuck in finding them worms. She really enjoyed it, doing the little stompy feets that birds do in rainy weather, and after a LOT of patience and staying still, she took worms from my hands. After a bit more time, she got comfortable nibbling my fingers and visibly relaxed around me.

I won't try handling/cuddling/touching her for a while yet, she isn't going to appreciate it so it will be on her terms.

But there's a bit of our ups and downs, even with ducks as friendly and affectionate as my hand raised girls, they're always going to have ups and downs and sometimes they need space.
I won't let her get broody again, not until she has eggs to hatch, I won't be careless again!

Poor Dougie, you are such an evil Mum!

Honestly, I was laughing as I pictured her presented with a scrambled 'baby'!

 

[BelovedBirds]

Poor Dougie, you are such an evil Mum!

Honestly, I was laughing as I pictured her presented with a scrambled 'baby'!

Hey! She was convinced that was her child!

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

My husband said let the ducks do what they want
If they want to sit let them
Well all of those babies are so terrified of me
Moms natural instinct is to keep everything away from her little ones including me
Poor Diamond is loosing her voice she has been yelling so much at everyone
I love watching them be moms but not liking I can’t go near the little ones at all
Poor dougie
She will get over it but may take awhile
Molt is so hard on them

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

This boy is my world
I love both of them but river is my best friend
He won’t even let me leave without coming to say goidbye

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Well I’m feeling a bit lucky
Broody mom 1 has 5 babies
They are 5.5 weeks old now
Last night I picked each one up to sex them
4 girls 1 boy
Not bad
Broody mom 2 I’m not sure yet as they are 2 to 3.5 weeks old
She had a staggered hatch as she stole eggs and that mom never left her nest till all eggs hatched
She didn’t leave a single egg
Pics of broody mom 2 and her babies
Broody mom 1 with her babies the size of her

 

[BelovedBirds]

Well I’m feeling a bit lucky
Broody mom 1 has 5 babies
They are 5.5 weeks old now
Last night I picked each one up to sex them
4 girls 1 boy
Not bad
Broody mom 2 I’m not sure yet as they are 2 to 3.5 weeks old
She had a staggered hatch as she stole eggs and that mom never left her nest till all eggs hatched
She didn’t leave a single egg
Pics of broody mom 2 and her babies
Broody mom 1 with her babies the size of her

Such beautiful mamas and babies

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

I have no idea how but miss Diamond had 7 babies
The one that got injured didn’t make it
But the other 6 are all girls
How did that happen
All 6 will be staying here ))
my husband decided to let the hose run all day and give the birds a little pond to enjoy
Next spring we will be digging out a very large one
For now they loved it so much
All 31 ducks spent the day playing in it
Only left to chase bugs or eat feed and right back

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Where are all my abused duck parents ? Here are 2 of the girls miss Diamond hatched. I’m loving the patterns and colours
Pic of the 2 girls plus a pic of dad with his 6 daughters
To bad they are terrified of me
Just let me feed , water and clean your pen while you run away from me like I’m going to hurt you
Amazing watching a mom sit , hatch abd raise but they sure grow up scared of humans
My emus are also growing so fast
If I go sit down both come over for cuddles
Breeze decided to lay over River that day and made them look like a 2 headed emu

 

[Luv Ducks]

Where are all my abused duck parents ? Here are 2 of the girls miss Diamond hatched. I’m loving the patterns and colours
Pic of the 2 girls plus a pic of dad with his 6 daughters
To bad they are terrified of me
Just let me feed , water and clean your pen while you run away from me like I’m going to hurt you
Amazing watching a mom sit , hatch abd raise but they sure grow up scared of humans
My emus are also growing so fast
If I go sit down both come over for cuddles
Breeze decided to lay over River that day and made them look like a 2 headed emu

Beautiful pictures, I loved it!!!!

 

[Luv Ducks]

I have no idea how but miss Diamond had 7 babies
The one that got injured didn’t make it
But the other 6 are all girls
How did that happen
All 6 will be staying here ))
my husband decided to let the hose run all day and give the birds a little pond to enjoy
Next spring we will be digging out a very large one
For now they loved it so much
All 31 ducks spent the day playing in it
Only left to chase bugs or eat feed and right back

Hang on to that Hen that hatched out these babies being all females. She has the ability to throw off females which is great. My Mallard Hen only had males for the most part. Out of 35 ducklings, all were drakes except for 2! I just got three Black East Indies ducklings and the lady told me that so far the ones she had sold out of her Hen were all Hens. I too got all girls. She is lucky that hers was not like my Mallard. Funny how the females determine the sex of the ducklings and in our world the male does.