The Poultry Keeper

NicolaUK · Joined: 30 Jun 2008 Posts: 4

Hi everyone, forgive me for some probably stupid questions but this is all new to me!

We have a pond out the front of the house and have some resident ducks, did have 17 now have 11. Discovered a few weeks ago that one had nested in our garden, guess she felt safe and we have a tiny pond so had access to water. We came home after a weekend away to find the nest empty and the following day found her and 6 ducklings on the pond Laughing

sadly it's 2 weeks later there's only 1 left, combination of possible foxes/crows and storm drains - not something we'd thought about until we saw 2 fall down which we managed to rescue and have now netted off but I digress.

The word must have got out to the rest of the clan as two of the other ducks decided to nest in there also and with us fighting off the neighbours cats with a super soaker everything seemed fine. We'd guessed they'd be due to hatch maybe next week but this morningI noticed something had dug a trench through the gravel to get under the garden gate, which is what alerted us to the last lot having hatched, that must have been how she led the ducklings out, and both nests are now empty with no sign of eggs but we can't see them out on the pond either.

Now for the stupid q's what happens to egg shells after hatching? We did wonder if a fox had got in but we'd have seen signs of that surely? We're hoping they're hiding in the pond somewhere, there's plenty of cover out there but for both of them to empty out the same day just seems puzzling.

Any ideas?

Pekinout · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 1219 Location: Cornwall

Sounds like a fox has burrowed under the gate to take the eggs and ducks, or rats. I'd say fox though.

Could be mink, but don't think they'd waste time digging under the gate like a fox would.

NicolaUK · Joined: 30 Jun 2008 Posts: 4

Thanks but I'm honestly convinced it's not a fox, the gravel trench is exactly what the first duck did to get the ducklings out.

What happens to egg shells after hatching?

Dusty · Joined: 07 Jan 2008 Posts: 1042 Location: St. Asaph

When the wild duck hatched in our garden we never found the shells!!!!

CP · Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 12:04 am Post subject:

They will either eat them or hide them. Wink

NicolaUK · Joined: 30 Jun 2008 Posts: 4

The first nest had 9 eggs, 6 hatched, 1 we saw was broken up and there's still 2 there.

Some of the ducks are laying out the front by the pond and I did see one eating some shell earlier so I wondered if mum ate the shells?!

NicolaUK · Joined: 30 Jun 2008 Posts: 4

Ahhh so they do eat them!

Thanks!

Will have to keep an eye on the pond in the next few days Very Happy

CP · Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 12:12 am Post subject:

Full of calcium they are! It's the equivalent of mammals eating their afterbirth. Wink

EGirl · Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 1322 Location: Dublin, Ireland

Having seen mine (by accident), I may never eat liver again!!!! YUK

sunnyside · Joined: 06 Oct 2005 Posts: 255 Location: Birmingham

my muscovy duck ate all the egg shells after her ducklings hatched so I reckon wild ducks would too-they wouldn't want anything extra near the nest attracting in predators.

CP · Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 9:22 am Post subject:

That too sunnyside. Wink

If you watched Springwatch or anything similar, once the blue tits hatch the mum either eats the eggs or takes them out to discard them well away from the nest. Wink