We have a nest!

[Team PJ]

So yesterday, when the husband went to clean out the duck house, he noticed that a little nest had been made in one of the back corners... no egg...

Whilst he was cleaning the pond out, one of our runners (Doris) was busying herself going in and out of the house, which they never do. SO we're assuming it's her that's nesting. The following day the little nest is back in the same corner, again no egg.

This is the first time any of the 7 we have, despite having been laying on and off for a few months, have attempted to make any form of nest. They have a pretty good sized enclosure consisting of pebbles/grass (now mud because its winter)/wood chip, and during the warmer weather we open up their gate and pen off a large area of grass under the apple trees where they can forage under fallen wood and rummage in the long undergrowth. None of them attempted to lay anything in the outdoor space as far as I'm aware.

They're all female and I'm assuming she's broody... I'm just wondering if she's going to get annoyed/stressed if she starts laying in her nest and we take them away. I've read that if the eggs are taken they try and nest somewhere else and hide them from you. I don't want her to start laying outside the house if possible. I've also read about the ceramic eggs you can get, but don't know whether we should be encouraging her to nest with no drake around?

Not sure what to do to keep her happy... any advice would be great!

Thank you

 

[Miss Lydia]

You can buy fake eggs and put them in her nest to keep her laying in there and take the real ones to eat. Or if she goes broody buy fertile eggs for her to hatch.

 

[Team PJ]

If I just keep doing what we've always done and take the eggs the morning we find them, will she be fine? Or will she need something in her nest to keep her sane?

 

[BY Bob]

I use ceramic eggs quite effectively. I would get a set of those so she thinks that spot is safe and doesn't try a new spot. If that's where you want her to lay of course.

 

[Brahmachicken240]

I have a duck that’s been making up a nest for the past week, hoping that she sets soon.

 

[Team PJ]

I use ceramic eggs quite effectively. I would get a set of those so she thinks that spot is safe and doesn't try a new spot. If that's where you want her to lay of course.

So even if they aren't ever going to hatch because we have no male... she'll still get broody & do what shes doing... and to encourage her to keep doing that in one place, ideally in the house, we should exchange for a few ceramic ones so she can sit on them?

I assume she'd likely just move to somewhere else to lay if we didn't... so that sounds like a plan! Thank you!

 

[chickens really]

Just collect the eggs daily. Don't use fake eggs because that will encourage her to go Broody. Destroy the nest daily too.

 

[Miss Lydia]

If she is anything like my Runners she may never go broody but she may find a new place to lay if you keep destroying her nest daily. If you want her to continue to lay inside just wait a little longer to let them out in the mornings.