The Broody Duck Thread for 2014

[Miss Lydia]

oh yes sorry.. she went back on the nest the next day. She ran off that evening and we couldn't find her the next morning at 6 she wasn't on the nest so we assumed she was off all night and that they had died. But that evening she was back on the nest

Oh good, seen any signs of ducklings this morning?

 

[121zues]

Oh good, seen any signs of ducklings this morning?

they aren't here yet they are rocking and peeping and tapping pretty good though!

 

[Ren2014]

Can a duck go broody over just one or two eggs?? I've found our Blue Sweds sitting on just two eggs but I've always picked them up. Our ducks free range and sometimes one of our dogs finds the eggs before I do but yesterday evening I found a nest of about 8-10 eggs along our fence line in the most unprotected part of our yard. Because it was late I just propped a board up in an A-frame like fashion against the fence. I checked on the nest during the night. There was no duck and it looks like the A-frame didn't deter the dog because a couple of the eggs were gone and one was broken. Just a few feet from this nest I found one of our Blue Sweds sitting on a nest. This morning I noticed the Swed had been sitting on just one egg during the night. I put a hardware enclosure around the larger nest . I watched two different Pekins go into the enclosure to check on the eggs and then later I found both of the Pekins sitting on the nest:


Could I have two broody Pekins?? And what to do about them both on the same nest?

We have 5 - 6' rat snakes here and I am very concerned for the eggs. I don't want to scare the ducks off if they are brooding but I've got to better secure the area. In doing so, I plan to put bird netting around the cut out entrance in the hardware cloth enclosure but fashion it somehow so not to bother the ducks. Any other suggestions?
Thank you very much.

 

[121zues]

WE HAVE BABIES!!!! all 3 have hatched mama wouldn't let me get a picture but from what I could see 2 look like mallards but I'm pretty sure the 3rd is gonna favor the khaki drake. Hopefully I can get pics tomorrow! They are so cute!

 

[smonkeySK]

WE HAVE BABIES!!!! all 3 have hatched mama wouldn't let me get a picture but from what I could see 2 look like mallards but I'm pretty sure the 3rd is gonna favor the khaki drake. Hopefully I can get pics tomorrow! They are so cute!

Congrats

 

[smonkeySK]

Can a duck go broody over just one or two eggs?? I've found our Blue Sweds sitting on just two eggs but I've always picked them up. Our ducks free range and sometimes one of our dogs finds the eggs before I do but yesterday evening I found a nest of about 8-10 eggs along our fence line in the most unprotected part of our yard. Because it was late I just propped a board up in an A-frame like fashion against the fence. I checked on the nest during the night. There was no duck and it looks like the A-frame didn't deter the dog because a couple of the eggs were gone and one was broken. Just a few feet from this nest I found one of our Blue Sweds sitting on a nest. This morning I noticed the Swed had been sitting on just one egg during the night. I put a hardware enclosure around the larger nest . I watched two different Pekins go into the enclosure to check on the eggs and then later I found both of the Pekins sitting on the nest: Could I have two broody Pekins?? And what to do about them both on the same nest? We have 5 - 6' rat snakes here and I am very concerned for the eggs. I don't want to scare the ducks off if they are brooding but I've got to better secure the area. In doing so, I plan to put bird netting around the cut out entrance in the hardware cloth enclosure but fashion it somehow so not to bother the ducks. Any other suggestions? Thank you very much.

My girl Crispy sat on just 2 eggs for her first brood - would have been a lot more but I'd been taking her eggs for the previous week and half! So if a bird is broody it will sit on whatever it can..my chicken sat on nothing for 4 days after I'd taken all the eggs she'd been sitting on As for the 2 ducks sitting on nests side by side - my experience with ducks and chucks is that they are terrible thieves who will shove as many eggs from the adjacent nest under themselves every chance they get! It's comical to watch but breakages are more likely; but a clumsy mum is a clumsy mum - ie a clumsy mum will break eggs with or without the swapsies going on

 

[Ren2014]

My girl Crispy sat on just 2 eggs for her first brood - would have been a lot more but I'd been taking her eggs for the previous week and half!
So if a bird is broody it will sit on whatever it can..my chicken sat on nothing for 4 days after I'd taken all the eggs she'd been sitting on

As for the 2 ducks sitting on nests side by side - my experience with ducks and chucks is that they are terrible thieves who will shove as many eggs from the adjacent nest under themselves every chance they get!
It's comical to watch but breakages are more likely; but a clumsy mum is a clumsy mum - ie a clumsy mum will break eggs with or without the swapsies going on

Thank you. This is great to know! The odd thing here is this is just one nest. The Pekins are sitting on the same eggs. And there was another broken one today. The other nest of just one egg is a little further down the fence. A blue Swed was sitting on that egg.

 

[121zues]

Congrats

thank you! Hopefully I can post pics soon

 

[Miss Lydia]

WE HAVE BABIES!!!! all 3 have hatched mama wouldn't let me get a picture but from what I could see 2 look like mallards but I'm pretty sure the 3rd is gonna favor the khaki drake. Hopefully I can get pics tomorrow! They are so cute!

Congrats!!!

 

[121zues]

Congrats!!!

thanks I'm so happy they hatched I caught a peek this morning but not long enough for a pic. She's very protective