The Poultry Keeper

tracey061196 · Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 196 Location: Somerset

Morning

We have a garden pond and also a fishing lake which we get wild ducks and geese.

About 15 feet away from my back door i have a small wall about 1 feet high which grows heather. On saturday just gone i noticed a duck flew out from this heather so i went over and look in and saw that she had made a very neat bowl in the dirt. Shocked

Everymorning since she comes back and now there are 5 eggs in the nest, she covers them up with tiny bits of heather twigs.

What should i do Question

, i have 2 cats that im sure can smell her as they do go over to the wall. Im worried if she does sit and they hatch are my cats going to have duckling for breakfast one morning.

She must like it there as she comes back every morning to lay another egg.

Anyone had any experience like this before?

Attila The Hen · Joined: 19 Sep 2005 Posts: 384 Location: Shetland

Really nothing to worry about. She'll sit tight on them until they hatch, and within hours of their hatching she'll take them to the pond / lake.

Once they've hatched they'll stand as much chance of being catted on your land no matter where she actually has her nest.

Just enjoy having a Mallard nest so close to the house!

We had one a few hundred metres away last year, and one of the female offspring has decided she wants to be a domestic duck, and joined our mixed flock last autumn. She's not left since!

Attila

sasha.p · Joined: 04 Sep 2005 Posts: 451 Location: gwent

Iwas once told before that they will nest anywhere even up in trees! miles away from where any water is as previous person said they will stay there until they hatch the only problem is if there is any busy roads etc they have to cross to get to the water Smile

tracey061196 · Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 196 Location: Somerset

Thanks guys.

Well there are 5 eggs in there now.

She doesnt need to go across any road to get to the lake, just across our front lawn and shes there.

I was outside earlier and went to go back in the house, i looked across to where she is and is was laid across a log not moving, so i went in the house and as soon as i was out of sight she got up and went to the lake.

Tis good really Laughing

Dusty · Joined: 07 Jan 2008 Posts: 423 Location: St. Asaph

We had one a couple of years ago and the first I knew was when she led her 12 little ones from the nest down the decking to the pond!!!!!!!!!1

They were gorgeous, the cat did not bother because mum was on guard.

Only problem was they totally wrecked the pond and stream as they grew (man made) eating everything in sight. I fed them fresh greens every day to encourage them to leave my lovely plants alone- huh some hope.

They got into the adjoining paddock one day and mum panicked because some of them were stuck on one side when she was on the other we had to rescue them, that was fun - amazing how fast they can move.

Unfortunately a fox had some but around 6 survived.

She came back next year but I had to remove the eggs because my garden had only just recovered.

Your'e so lucky having a pond for her, enjoy them they are so gorgeous and fluffy. If you feed her the youngsters will come to you for food l . Very Happy

tracey061196 · Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 196 Location: Somerset

Well shes still there this morning, both my cats have gone VERY close to her and she hasnt moved.

Our garden pond which is about 8-10 feet away from where she is has a net on the top, first to keep the fish in as some of them like to jump at dusk time and second to keep the heron off, so she wont be able to take them there.

We built an acre lake August last year which is about 30ish feet away from where she is. I do have 2 geese on the lake and they dont seem to like anything else on it. Before we put them down there they were in a pen by my ducks, and one morning we woke up looked out of our window and there was just over 50 canadian geese on the lake. But now these 2 geese are there not much can stay as they dont let them. I am abit worried that if these ducklings do survive and go on the lake what will the geese do, well i suppose we will just have to wait and see.

tracey061196 · Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 196 Location: Somerset

Update

The duck is still there and now has 9 eggs in the nest, cats are still very interested in her but she wont move.

She leaves the nest around miday after covering all the eggs back up and then returns in the morning.

How many eggs do you think she will lay?

thehenman · Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 170 Location: lincolnshire

i bred some mallard a few years ago and released them on the river out side our house ,they come every day for some bread and corn ,they also had a nest close by until my daughters friends found it and smashed all 12 eggs on the road, they must of only been about a week of hatching Crying or Very sad

tracey061196 · Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 196 Location: Somerset

That wasnt very nice thing to do. and so close to hatching as well

tracey061196 · Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 196 Location: Somerset

Morning

Well she is still sat on the eggs and due in 7 days.

I may have a problem and not sure what to do. On my lake i have 2 geese (they were left here when we bought the house, not sure how old or what sex) they are very protected about the lake and anything that lands they will chase especially the wild geese. Today i watched them chasing 2 wild ducks.

When the eggs hatch and if she trys to take the ducklings down to the lake are the geese going to have ago at her and the ducklings?, a freind of ours has a lake with geese and he said the geese killed the ducklings.

Any advice please?????

Kitsune · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 1048 Location: Manchester

Could you uncover the small pond that's closer to her? You can cover it back over once the ducklings are bigger/fledging

tracey061196 · Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 196 Location: Somerset

Hi

Cant take the net off from our smaller pond as we put it on for 2 reasons, 1 to stop the fish jumping out (lost one koi last year as it jumped out), and 2 to stop the heron getting the fish (heron has been seen sat by the waterfall)

??????????????????????????????

Kitsune · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 1048 Location: Manchester

I'm not sure there's much you can do then - unless you can separate the geese somewhere for a bit...

mojo · Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 6:23 pm Post subject:

how about a raft house with a small duck size poop hole

tracey061196 · Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 196 Location: Somerset

Well ive just spoken to the RSPCA for advice about my geese and the wild duck. They said that the geese may very well try and move her and the ducklings on or even harm them Sad

, but the advice they said was "let nature take its course".

They also said that wild ducks are doing very weird things this year like taking their young across busy roads, we dont have a busy road outside the house but there is one 1/2 mile away.

I have spoken to my husband and he said maybe if we feed the geese with lots of goodies on the other side of the lake from where the duck will arrive, it may make them stay over that side longer.

Well Thursday 15th May is the due day, i will let you all know the outcome as things happen.