The Quack Shack

[Jenbirdee]

View attachment 3832275

So hard to get non-fuzzy pictures!!!

because they are fuzzy babies

 

[Supercow]

So, hmmm...

In the very first week of us having ducks, a little over a year ago, 6 ducks went into their house in the evening and 5 came out in the morning.

No blood, no feathers, no traumatized other ducks, no nothing. I still don't understand what happened that night. But in time and with more ducks, and a drake, and first ducklings, I managed to just file it under "life's unsolved mysteries" and move on.

Yesterday 9 ducks went into the house and this morning 8 came out.

NOOOOO..... ****beeep censored
Not that again...

But look, there are some feathers in the far corner. Quite a pile. In fact it could be an entire duck.

Is it dead?? NOOOOO

QUACK !! GO AWAY



So now we have
- 2 ducklings from the first round with the incubator
- another 10 developing eggs halfway through the process
- and a broody duck!

Which changes my focus a lot as I now need to learn everything about the natural version of the process. I have given up on this possibility so I feel ambushed.

First things first,

1) This is a 4 m2 (43 sq ft) house (2 x 2 x 2 m) with 9 ducks in it, 1 drake, 8 ladies. It's def large enough to just house them. But now that one is broody, will it be much bothered by the others? It would be somewhat impractical to have to set up more duck housing right now... They do make a big racket especially in the morning.

2) The nest is just a deep(ish) pit of straw. Should I put anything over it (her) like a 2 x 2 ft picnic chair or something so she feels more protected? Or will changing anything make her feel LESS protected...

3) She'll come out once daily to have some water and food, right. All the ducks are eating 1/2 layer feed + 1/2 mixed seeds. Will she need anything different than that?

4) I wrote down the date so that if she happens to give up being broody I can transfer the eggs to the incubator. Hopefully this doesn't happen, or if it does, not earlier than 2 weeks from today since the machine is currently fulll. Does it happen a lot for a breed (KC) that's not known for good laying instincts to abandon the nest?

5) Can I shoo her away from the nest for a bit to mark the eggs that are already laid? Can I repeat this scare-a-little exercise every day to remove her newly laid eggs? Will the other ducks keep laying in the broody nest (making a humongous pile)?

6) Things I didnt' ask but are super important and should be sorted out before tomorrow.

Thank you!

 

[Luv Ducks]

yup. worthless! View attachment 3832153 because~~~

Oh My Goodness, that is Cuteness Overload!!!!!

 

[Luv Ducks]

So, hmmm...

In the very first week of us having ducks, a little over a year ago, 6 ducks went into their house in the evening and 5 came out in the morning.

No blood, no feathers, no traumatized other ducks, no nothing. I still don't understand what happened that night. But in time and with more ducks, and a drake, and first ducklings, I managed to just file it under "life's unsolved mysteries" and move on.

Yesterday 9 ducks went into the house and this morning 8 came out.

NOOOOO..... ****beeep censored
Not that again...

But look, there are some feathers in the far corner. Quite a pile. In fact it could be an entire duck.

Is it dead?? NOOOOO

QUACK !! GO AWAY



So now we have
- 2 ducklings from the first round with the incubator
- another 10 developing eggs halfway through the process
- and a broody duck!

Which changes my focus a lot as I now need to learn everything about the natural version of the process. I have given up on this possibility so I feel ambushed.

First things first,

1) This is a 4 m2 (43 sq ft) house (2 x 2 x 2 m) with 9 ducks in it, 1 drake, 8 ladies. It's def large enough to just house them. But now that one is broody, will it be much bothered by the others? It would be somewhat impractical to have to set up more duck housing right now... They do make a big racket especially in the morning.

2) The nest is just a deep(ish) pit of straw. Should I put anything over it (her) like a 2 x 2 ft picnic chair or something so she feels more protected? Or will changing anything make her feel LESS protected...

3) She'll come out once daily to have some water and food, right. All the ducks are eating 1/2 layer feed + 1/2 mixed seeds. Will she need anything different than that?

4) I wrote down the date so that if she happens to give up being broody I can transfer the eggs to the incubator. Hopefully this doesn't happen, or if it does, not earlier than 2 weeks from today since the machine is currently fulll. Does it happen a lot for a breed (KC) that's not known for good laying instincts to abandon the nest?

5) Can I shoo her away from the nest for a bit to mark the eggs that are already laid? Can I repeat this scare-a-little exercise every day to remove her newly laid eggs? Will the other ducks keep laying in the broody nest (making a humongous pile)?

6) Things I didnt' ask but are super important and should be sorted out before tomorrow.

Thank you!

When my Muscovy went Broody she luckily did it in a separate part of the pen that I was able to close off from all of the others. She gets out once a day and wets herself in a trash can lid full of water that I change daily for her plus I am giving her duck starter now instead of laying pellets just in case something does hatch out. I would try to separate her from the others but in your situation I am not sure how. When I did my Mallard she was able to hatch the ducklings out but then she flew out of the place I had her when they were only 3 weeks old. They all survived though just fine. My one drake killed the first baby in another nest she had made and the rest of the eggs did not hatch out. She left the nest. Good luck on what you decide to do, it's a tough call in your situation.

 

[Supercow]

When my Muscovy went Broody she luckily did it in a separate part of the pen that I was able to close off from all of the others. She gets out once a day and wets herself in a trash can lid full of water that I change daily for her plus I am giving her duck starter now instead of laying pellets just in case something does hatch out. I would try to separate her from the others but in your situation I am not sure how. When I did my Mallard she was able to hatch the ducklings out but then she flew out of the place I had her when they were only 3 weeks old. They all survived though just fine. My one drake killed the first baby in another nest she had made and the rest of the eggs did not hatch out. She left the nest. Good luck on what you decide to do, it's a tough call in your situation.

I think the way to go would be to just put in some movable wire fencing a foot or two tall overnight - when the other ducks come into the house and the broody one does not need to go outside.

 

[Supercow]

So, hmmm...

In the very first week of us having ducks, a little over a year ago, 6 ducks went into their house in the evening and 5 came out in the morning.

No blood, no feathers, no traumatized other ducks, no nothing. I still don't understand what happened that night. But in time and with more ducks, and a drake, and first ducklings, I managed to just file it under "life's unsolved mysteries" and move on.

Yesterday 9 ducks went into the house and this morning 8 came out.

NOOOOO..... ****beeep censored
Not that again...

But look, there are some feathers in the far corner. Quite a pile. In fact it could be an entire duck.

Is it dead?? NOOOOO

QUACK !! GO AWAY



So now we have
- 2 ducklings from the first round with the incubator
- another 10 developing eggs halfway through the process
- and a broody duck!

Which changes my focus a lot as I now need to learn everything about the natural version of the process. I have given up on this possibility so I feel ambushed.

First things first,

1) This is a 4 m2 (43 sq ft) house (2 x 2 x 2 m) with 9 ducks in it, 1 drake, 8 ladies. It's def large enough to just house them. But now that one is broody, will it be much bothered by the others? It would be somewhat impractical to have to set up more duck housing right now... They do make a big racket especially in the morning.

2) The nest is just a deep(ish) pit of straw. Should I put anything over it (her) like a 2 x 2 ft picnic chair or something so she feels more protected? Or will changing anything make her feel LESS protected...

3) She'll come out once daily to have some water and food, right. All the ducks are eating 1/2 layer feed + 1/2 mixed seeds. Will she need anything different than that?

4) I wrote down the date so that if she happens to give up being broody I can transfer the eggs to the incubator. Hopefully this doesn't happen, or if it does, not earlier than 2 weeks from today since the machine is currently fulll. Does it happen a lot for a breed (KC) that's not known for good laying instincts to abandon the nest?

5) Can I shoo her away from the nest for a bit to mark the eggs that are already laid? Can I repeat this scare-a-little exercise every day to remove her newly laid eggs? Will the other ducks keep laying in the broody nest (making a humongous pile)?

6) Things I didnt' ask but are super important and should be sorted out before tomorrow.

Thank you!

Aaaand even before all you North Americans woke up, she's off again and joining the others in slug-country part of the property. She was just curious what this "broody" thing is I guess... Maybe she'll get curious again tomorrow with a larger clutch of eggs (6 currently).

 

[Canadian Wind]

Here's your chance to mark those eggs!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I love this little one. I live in a housing development, have a large pen but have 19 ducks pooping in it already. Along with a Broody Muscovy that thinks she is going to be a first time Momma Duck, lol. If I added the noise of Geese along with these 13 Hens and not sure what they Rouen babies are yet for sure, I will probably get evicted from the neighborhood! LOL

What if you start giving away free eggs to the neighbours? - Nobody wants to loose their source of delicious breakfast eggs…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

If it wasn't for this site, I probably would have settled for my original 4 Ducks, then I see these babies and other ducks and think I need one of each kind or 2 actually of each kind out there. I already have a duck obsession, a goose one too would be enough to do me in for sure. lol

Better collect poultry than expensive cars!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

View attachment 3832275

So hard to get non-fuzzy pictures!!!

You too?! - I thought only @Magnolia Ducks has fuzzy birb-babies!