Momma duck was sitting on her eggs last night. This morning some of the eggs are missing, some are broken and some are still intact. What might of happened to them?
The most likely culprit is a raccoon.
Here is their predator list from
articles.extension.org/
dogs and coyotes
bobcats
house cats
foxes, especially red foxes
raccoons
members of the weasel family, especially least and long-tailed weasels
skunks
opossums
snakes, especially rat snakes
hawks, including red-tailed, red-shouldered, and Coopers hawks
This nest must be in an area that is easily accessible to predators and one found her nest.
This is sad but most likely the Momma duck will not return this year. Hopefully she will find a safer place next year.
Could be anything....cat, dog, racoon, snake, wessel, fox, coyote, kids.....
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
We had a mallard put a nest by our back door. She has been nesting. It is now almost time for the eggs to hatch and something killed her last night. How can we save the eggs/chicks? We know they are fertilized as one egg did break a week or so back and we could see the tiny orange feet. Thank you.
Other options are to contact a local farmer who has ducks or chickens, or a vet who might know who would have an incubator to keep these eggs in till they hatch. When they are hatched, you will have to look after them, but ducks are relatively easy to raise.
To quickly improvise an incubator, you need a large carton or styrofoam box, two wired light bulbs one of 40 W and one of 100 W and a thermometer and if possible an hygrometer. Cut a square in one of the side of the box and glue or stick a piece of clear plastic so that you can see clearly inside the box without having to open it
too often. Cut three sides only of another square in the middle of the top of the box that you will use for airing the box and to regulate the temperature. Put the box next to an electric plug. Put two saucers filled with water inside the box to provide humidity (55% of humidity is needed). Get the wires of the light bulbs through the top of the box and put the two lamps on until the temperature inside the box reaches 98.6 °F. Very carefully and moving the eggs very slowly write the figures 1,2,3,4 at equal distance on the flat side of each egg. Put the eggs inside the box on a layer of hay or a blanket, or anything that will help keep the warmth. The light bulbs must be 40 centimeters away from the eggs.
I noticed a mallard duck nesting in my yard, very close to a lake, for a few days. I put a piece of bread near her yesterday morning. Yesterday evening I checked on her, no sign of eggs.
This morning I noticed she was not in her nest and no eggs. Would a duck relocate before she laid eggs? Is it because I went near her? I was always about 4 ft away.The duck may have heard, seen or smelled another predator. If might have nothing to do with you.
Sadly, it is most likely that a predator got to the eggs and the family moved on. Mother Nature can be so cruel.
Hopefully they will find a safer place in the future.
Just a piece of advice that has nothing to do with the missing eggs, but for future reference, it is best not to feed ducks bread. It gunks up their digestive systems and can make them quite ill. If you don't want to buy duck food (you can get it at most big feed stores or online, but it is pricey) you can feed them things like frozen corn off the cob, frozen peas, and even lettuce.
Post back with any updates. Prayers for the feathered crew!
We had a mallard duck nest in our bushes. This morning we found all the eggs thrown into the yard, cracked and eaten. We watched as the mother duck hesitantly came back to the nest, took some of the broken eggs (one at a time), and flew away with them.
It was so sad. Does anyone know what the ducks do with their broken eggs?They dispose of them. The smell of the broken eggs will lead weasels, foxes and raccoons to their nesting site.
3 weeks ago a male and female mallard duck arrived in my swimming pool. Now the female swims every day and I have seen her under the bushes above the pool. Should I look for a nest with eggs or not bother her area? If there are eggs, when should the chicks show up?
By Kathy C.
You should look for the eggs, but don't bother the female.
Check out these photos.
Monday was a lovely day to walk and enjoy the sunshine! I was at River Walk in Augusta, GA and spotted a lovely duck! I took this picture and I think it's good!
These are churpies, 6 week old Mallard ducks. They have been domesticated as pets. They eat insects and small frogs. They love to swim and play in the pond.
These two Mallard drakes must have decided this muskrat house looked like a soft place to take a nap. Along our highways here in Nebraska, there are many wildlife habitat sanctuaries.
This page is about Mallard duck laid eggs. Wild ducks often will lay their eggs in your yard, on a deck, or other places in close proximity to human activity.
