Broody Quackers

Bearpup

Hey Everyone,

Not sure if anyone can help me but just thought I would give it a shot.. I have 5 ducks, Im sure they are all female, almost 100% positive but not quite. Up until a couple of days ago, when I open the coup in the morning they all come shuffling out straight away leaving 5 duck eggs in the nest for me. For the past couple of days one or more will sit on nest all day, If I go over towards them they hiss so I just back away.

Is there anyway to stop them being broody? Should I take the eggs out of the nest as I really dont think they are fertilised,

Any advice appreciated :-)

Graces7

Bearpup wrote: »

Hey Everyone,

Not sure if anyone can help me but just thought I would give it a shot.. I have 5 ducks, Im sure they are all female, almost 100% positive but not quite. Up until a couple of days ago, when I open the coup in the morning they all come shuffling out straight away leaving 5 duck eggs in the nest for me. For the past couple of days one or more will sit on nest all day, If I go over towards them they hiss so I just back away.

Is there anyway to stop them being broody? Should I take the eggs out of the nest as I really dont think they are fertilised,

Any advice appreciated :-)

Be brave and take the eggs! A broom is a great help for holding duck at bay..

They will probably break into a sound like maniacal laughter and the whole clan wil; come running.

Just be strong! Fast and easy.

Do you have a drake?

They will share the sitting anyway; ducks have a close social structure.

Bearpup

Thanks for the reply Graces7,

I think they are all female, nearly 100% sure.. They are friendly enough so would easily be able to get the eggs... is that the best thing to do?

Quite cute this morning, went into the coup & two of them were squashed into the best together :-)

Graces7

Bearpup wrote: »

Thanks for the reply Graces7,

I think they are all female, nearly 100% sure.. They are friendly enough so would easily be able to get the eggs... is that the best thing to do?

Quite cute this morning, went into the coup & two of them were squashed into the best together :-)

Er.. you cannot tell a duck from a drake? Easy to do; drakes have a wee curly feather atop their tail. Very distinctive indeed. The old American hairstyle a "duck's a*se" comes from that.

Well the eggs will be wasted else. Mine used to lay under the portacabin we had then and I did not want them to sit there so I winkled the eggs out with the brush.

They lay prodigiously but the nest sharing does not always work well.
I once had three doing that on a huge set of eggs.

It won;t harm them to take the eggs away if that is the worry? They will lay on until that time is past.

And bear no grudges..

I enjoyed keeping ducks!

jap gt

Graces7 wrote: »

Er.. you cannot tell a duck from a drake? Easy to do; drakes have a wee curly feather atop their tail. Very distinctive indeed. The old American hairstyle a "duck's a*se" comes from that.

Well the eggs will be wasted else. Mine used to lay under the portacabin we had then and I did not want them to sit there so I winkled the eggs out with the brush.

They lay prodigiously but the nest sharing does not always work well.
I once had three doing that on a huge set of eggs.

It won;t harm them to take the eggs away if that is the worry? They will lay on until that time is past.

And bear no grudges..

I enjoyed keeping ducks!

thats not a certain way of telling the difference, usually the feet are a give away, i had a duck that had a curl i was sure was a drake, until it laid an egg