new duck nest

[Trigger Mike]

3 years ago i took my children to Tractor Supply and they picked out 6 peking ducklings.  4 died but a male and female survived dogs, possums, coyotes and even soft shell turtles that jumped on their back to drag them underwater.  the last two springs they lay multiple nest full of close to a dozen eggs by the pond and each nest is destroyed by some predator.  they try again several times each spring.  all fail.  this year after 2 known failures i noticed they laid a nest in my freshly laid pine straw right by the house, the back porch steps are above the new nest right by the screened porch off the basement.  the prettiest nest full of 11 eggs(they added an additional egg the second day).  each morning the mother sits for a couple of hours right by the house near the very dogs that attacked them both many times over the years.  The dogs only do it when one of the yellow labs is feeling feisty around 7 am .  The father sits close by and keeps a lookout and quacks if you get close.  the mother hissed at my 6 year old yesterday.  I put the dogs up for the night once i discovered the nest, then bought an incubator and took 5 of the eggs and put in it wanting the ducks to sit on the remaining eggs to show my kids how they do it.  I then placed a small Honda 250 4 wheeler across the corner the nest is in leaving just enough room for the duck to pass through.  after a while the mama and father will go swim in the pond and come back for an hour and then swim and not come back again until the next morning.  Im not sure why they don't sit all day.  watching nature at work is interesting and educational.  each day the children check on the nest when they wake up and when they get home from school.  it is also fun watching children watch nature.  When I mentioned selling the ducklings my 6 year old had a fit.  wonder what she will say to roast duck?  :-)

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

Nature provides the most powerful and beautiful sights that one MUST experience for themselves.

Videos, pictures, movies pales in comparison to watching life itself.

I remember as a youngster having an ant farm. Seeing those ants work while watching them in their thin glass aquarium. Delightful!

Currently, my wife and I raise Monarch butterflies in our fifth of an acre garden.

To watch a butterfly lay an egg, see that egg as the caterpillar comes out, eats milkweed and grows roughly 2,000% it's size from the day they hatch until they form a chrysalis.

Here is an example of one of ours.

 

   

  

[Trigger Mike]

I was worried they would be mad that I took 5 eggs, and leave the nest but the mama rearranged the eggs and sat for a while on them this morning.  

[Wolfgang, SASS #53480]

7 hours ago, Trigger Mike said:

3 years ago i took my children to Tractor Supply and they picked out 6 peking ducklings.  4 died but a male and female survived dogs, possums, coyotes and even soft shell turtles that jumped on their back to drag them underwater.  the last two springs they lay multiple nest full of close to a dozen eggs by the pond and each nest is destroyed by some predator.  they try again several times each spring.  all fail.  this year after 2 known failures i noticed they laid a nest in my freshly laid pine straw right by the house, the back porch steps are above the new nest right by the screened porch off the basement.  the prettiest nest full of 11 eggs(they added an additional egg the second day).  each morning the mother sits for a couple of hours right by the house near the very dogs that attacked them both many times over the years.  The dogs only do it when one of the yellow labs is feeling feisty around 7 am .  The father sits close by and keeps a lookout and quacks if you get close.  the mother hissed at my 6 year old yesterday.  I put the dogs up for the night once i discovered the nest, then bought an incubator and took 5 of the eggs and put in it wanting the ducks to sit on the remaining eggs to show my kids how they do it.  I then placed a small Honda 250 4 wheeler across the corner the nest is in leaving just enough room for the duck to pass through.  after a while the mama and father will go swim in the pond and come back for an hour and then swim and not come back again until the next morning.  Im not sure why they don't sit all day.  watching nature at work is interesting and educational.  each day the children check on the nest when they wake up and when they get home from school.  it is also fun watching children watch nature.  When I mentioned selling the ducklings my 6 year old had a fit.  wonder what she will say to roast duck?  :-)

 

Sounds great.    I look forward to additional reports as this situation progresses.  

[Eyesa Horg]

Pretty neat, keep us posted, get pix of the kids when eggs hatch.

[Trigger Mike]

The ducks did not spend much time on the pond today . We hit 85 so I wonder if that is why. My 6 year old saw another reason. While at the pond she went running to her oldest brother and told him mama duck was in trouble. Papa duck was attacking mama duck she said. He was on top of her again. My 12 year old son explained to her that they do that to make eggs. She said "oh".

[Wolfgang, SASS #53480]

13 hours ago, Trigger Mike said:

The ducks did not spend much time on the pond today . We hit 85 so I wonder if that is why. My 6 year old saw another reason. While at the pond she went running to her oldest brother and told him mama duck was in trouble. Papa duck was attacking mama duck she said. He was on top of her again. My 12 year old son explained to her that they do that to make eggs. She said "oh".

 

Good lesson reproduction of the species.