Support Group for Abused Duck Keepers

[Maddcatter]

Maybe she got pecked by a chicken in her nares. My Speckled Sussex got pecked this morning right outside of her eye. Her eye was closed so I rinsed it out and got to looking and sure enough there was a peck mark thankfully not in the eye.

That's entirely possible. Thank you!

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

I don't know for sure if the eggs are fertile, but given how hard my drakes work I'd be amazed if at least sone of them weren't. I figure I'll candle them in about a week and see if I got anything. My hen certainly thinks she's doing something.
Thank you for the well wishes, I'm sure I'll keep y'all updated!
View attachment 3514859

Hope she hatches them!

 

[Luv Ducks]

I don't know for sure if the eggs are fertile, but given how hard my drakes work I'd be amazed if at least sone of them weren't. I figure I'll candle them in about a week and see if I got anything. My hen certainly thinks she's doing something.
Thank you for the well wishes, I'm sure I'll keep y'all updated!
View attachment 3514859

You are most welcome. I started checking the eggs for fertility before I gave any extras to my Momma Mallard Duck. Once I saw that they were getting fertile I knew something should hatch out. The ones in the incubator I had in the house were all duds and did not hatch out. The eggs I was getting I figured out later were not fertile when I checked some in the same timeframe as the ones I had incubated. I hope that yours hatch for you.

 

[BelovedBirds]

How is everyone doing? Any abuse to report?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well I have an abuse report from yesterday, My goose Missy is sitting on 2 fake goose eggs. I know I hate she can't have real ones but she doesn't lay anymore. But anyway, I went in to make her come out to eat and when I picked her up off her nest she got me with her wing right in the face. it's a wonder she didn't break my glasses. I will have to go have them adjusted. lol

 

[Goosebaby]

This is Bee the Welsh Harlequin. Bee is broody.
I don’t know why she’s nesting as she despises baby ducks, but she’s nesting anyway.




Bee keeps moving her nest out of the safety of her cozy secluded gazebo nest and onto a barren concrete slab with minimal support and shelter, and I have to move her nest back multiple times daily.


Do I get any thanks for my efforts? No!

I get huffs and puffs, hissy fits, and bites from this ungrateful fiend.

This is the first time any of my ducks have put this much effort into brooding fertile eggs, I’m not a breeder and I don’t really need more tyranny in my life and I never bothered to help the process with incubators or whatever so this year is the first real chance at ducklings hatched here.

So far she’s managed to bring around 6 or 7 to the early stages where I’ve seen developing veins when candling them, but with her rough treatment and constant breaking of her own eggs only two have survived past that first stage.
These last two have managed to make it to the point where I can see what appears to be lumps of dough undulating about and what I think is a little foot waving at me from inside one egg, probably in an early attempt to flip me “the bird.”




I made the mistake of getting excited. One should never do this when ducks are involved with anything.

This morning I wake up bright and early and start my rounds getting everyone breakfast….and I find that Bee has completely relocated the entire nest.…and her developing two eggs are lying alongside her, alongside her, not underneath her.

I haul her feathered rump out, the eggs are cold. I inspect them for breakage and candle them, all is still good. I rebuild her nest as I’ve done so many times before, chase down and capture the screaming fool, and set her back with her eggs.
As she nestles back onto her eggs I figured all was right once more and went back to what I was doing then went back inside for breakfast. Clearly another mistake.

When I emerged an hour or so later, she’d done it again. She’s smooshed into her nest, both eggs sitting cold and abandoned alongside her and we repeat the little process again. Kick her out of the nest, rebuild the nest, return the huffing puffing dinglebrain to her nest, retreat.
This time I stayed and watched her and she did it again.

Repeat everything again.


So far She’s finally sitting on them, hoping she doesn’t forget how to again.

All this and they probably aren’t even her eggs.
I think they’re Moonbeam’s eggs.…

 

[BelovedBirds]

Well I have an abuse report from yesterday, My goose Missy is sitting on 2 fake goose eggs. I know I hate she can't have real ones but she doesn't lay anymore. But anyway, I went in to make her come out to eat and when I picked her up off her nest she got me with her wing right in the face. it's a wonder she didn't break my glasses. I will have to go have them adjusted. lol

Ouch!
That's one seriously abusive bird!

I'm having to make Dougie come out to eat in the morning too. Though, she's a lot gentler, I just kiss her on her head and she eventually gets up to go eat.

I knew those angry vacuum noises were just bluffs!

 

[BelovedBirds]

This is Bee the Welsh Harlequin. Bee is broody.
I don’t know why she’s nesting as she despises baby ducks, but she’s nesting anyway.

View attachment 3516931


Bee keeps moving her nest out of the safety of her cozy secluded gazebo nest and onto a barren concrete slab with minimal support and shelter, and I have to move her nest back multiple times daily.


Do I get any thanks for my efforts? No!

I get huffs and puffs, hissy fits, and bites from this ungrateful fiend.

This is the first time any of my ducks have put this much effort into brooding fertile eggs, I’m not a breeder and I don’t really need more tyranny in my life and I never bothered to help the process with incubators or whatever so this year is the first real chance at ducklings hatched here.

So far she’s managed to bring around 6 or 7 to the early stages where I’ve seen developing veins when candling them, but with her rough treatment and constant breaking of her own eggs only two have survived past that first stage.
These last two have managed to make it to the point where I can see what appears to be lumps of dough undulating about and what I think is a little foot waving at me from inside one egg, probably in an early attempt to flip me “the bird.”


View attachment 3516947

I made the mistake of getting excited. One should never do this when ducks are involved with anything.

This morning I wake up bright and early and start my rounds getting everyone breakfast….and I find that Bee has completely relocated the entire nest.…and her developing two eggs are lying alongside her, alongside her, not underneath her.
I haul her feathered rump out, the eggs are cold. I inspect them for breakage and candle them, all is still good. I rebuild her nest as I’ve done so many times before, chase down and capture the screaming fool, and set her back with her eggs.
As she nestles back onto her eggs I figured all was right once more and went back to what I was doing then went back inside for breakfast. Clearly another mistake.

When I emerged an hour or so later, she’d done it again. She’s smooshed into her nest, both eggs sitting cold and abandoned alongside her and we repeat the little process again. Kick her out of the nest, rebuild the nest, return the huffing puffing dinglebrain to her nest, retreat.
This time I stayed and watched her and she did it again.

Repeat everything again.


So far She’s finally sitting on them, hoping she doesn’t forget how to again.

All this and they probably aren’t even her eggs.
I think they’re Moonbeam’s eggs.…

View attachment 3516950

Oh but she's so pretty!!
I love welshies

 

[Goosebaby]

Oh but she's so pretty!!
I love welshies

She’s a classic all looks no brains kinda girl.

 

[Goosebaby]

Sweet Moonbeam never gives me trouble. I’m hoping the ducklings “should they hatch” take on some of her personality.