Can a Mallard hen move her eggs from one location to another and how is she able to do this?
By Joan T. from Rocky Hill, CT
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My wife & I were watching a Magpie attack a Mallard nest the other side of the pond. The Mallard got one of her eggs in her bill and flew in my direction with the Magpie after her. She drop egg about 8 feet out from shore, it sank. She had flown about 40 ft with the egg. Both of us could not believe what we had just seen. The water level in the pond was down a few months later and I retrieved the egg and took a photo of it. So yes they can carry an egg and even fly with it.
Im not an expert here, but our neighbors have a yucca plant beside their driveway and they found duck eggs in a nest there! There were about eleven eggs. The boys across the street play basketball off of the curb taking up the whole part of the street. My neighbor lives next to a middle school where children walk home on the sidewalk just next to the yucca plant. I went out tonight to see if she was sitting on them because only one person has seen her nest, and there are NO eggs to be found and there was no pieces of shell in the nest thinking a coyote might have gotten to them. So I would say she and her mate moved them to a more secluded location? I hope so anyway?!
Sunday I walked around our pond and there were 8 Mallard duck eggs in a nest. Next day we walk around and there was only one. Now today, Tuesday, we walked by and there were 10. So I am thinking that they do move them. I can't think of any other possible solution than that they do move them. It is very baffling to us.
Im not an expert here, but our neighbors have a yucca plant beside their driveway and they found duck eggs in a nest there! There were about eleven eggs. The boys across the street play basketball off of the curb taking up the whole part of the street. My neighbor lives next to a middle school where children walk home on the sidewalk just next to the yucca plant. I went out tonight to see if she was sitting on them. Only one person has seen her nest, and there are NO eggs to be found and there were no pieces of shell in the nest thinking a coyote might have gotten to them. So I would say she and her mate moved them to a more secluded location? I hope so anyway?!
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Would a mother mallard duck move her eggs to another location?
By Erin from Clayton, DE
No she will not move them. Depending on how used to their area they are she may be comfortable enough to not leave them, but will leave them if she has to. (05/14/2010)
By Lesa
No. I think a critter has made off with them for lunch. (05/15/2010)
By Deanj
They don't move the eggs, but they might remove the empty shells after the clutch hatches. I'm only saying this because we have been watching a momma duck sit on her eggs, they hatched, and we noticed the shells are not there anymore. (05/15/2010)
We watching mom duck on her nest all this time then ,over night she was gone most eggs gone some shells left behind. One egg left , what happened ? Did they hatch and leave that fast?
they eat the shells ate eggs hatch mother and baby ducks
