What do duck nests look like???

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bantymum

bantymum

Songster
12 Years
Mar 3, 2007
2,695
15
211
4 hours from Sydney Australia
Hello all,
I have 2 white bantam ducks (mallards?) im new to ducks. I got them when they were 2mths old and they are now 5mths old.
The drake has started to mount the duck in the pond(blowup pool!!!) when I change the water, they go nuts!!! anyhow I was wondering what to expect as a nest. They are freerange 24/7.
 
Well....different ducks will nest differently. I have Muscovy's. My hen decided to nest in a wooden crate I had provided for shelter. She just took the straw, and mounded it up. She is a great mother..currently setting on 21 eggs. Now, My Mallard....she just found a tree, and set beside it..out in the open...but because of her coloring, she blends in well. Unfortunately...she left her nest. I think she knows her eggs are not fertile, as she has no male. They will tend to hide...but at your ducks age, I dont think she will try to hatch them out. Maybe next year. In the meantime...enjoy her eggs!
 
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This is what mine looks like, she (2 muscovys) started it the end of April and was laying on Mothers day. The nest is under a bush, leaves gathered there from the winter. The bush is on the oustide of my dog fence and against the house. I blocked the side by the dogs so she can have some piece. This pic was taken when she came off the nest today for her 15 minute break
 
That is a beautiful nest Sophie, poor mamma must be all bald underneath!
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I have a blue Muscovy hen that is nesting in a box right now.. I had to check & remove bad eggs yesterday and the poor girls tummy is just bare skin.
 
i have a rouen hen that dug a little hole in the dirt and put sticks and pine cones around it. the other hen saw this and laid eggs into the nest aswell now they will both sit on the nest at the same time most times but its the origial nest builder thats doing most of the sitting. there are 14 eggs but im not sure if any will hatch as this is their first time doing this but its neat to watch.
 
I know how to candle, but I have only done it with eggs in an incubator, how do I do it with out disturbing the nest or the mamma, she does not appear to be missing allot of feathers, I have two females, and maybe both used feathers.
 
My girls nest in the coop.. usually
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... so it's easy for me to cover up windows and wait until they get off the nest for a food break, that's when i candle their eggs. I have candled them while they were sitting before but mine are pretty used to being touched and don't run off or freak out... i have gotten bruised pretty good though. Nothing hurts like getting pinched by a Muscovy bill! If she's tame, it might stress her less if you do it at night, then she can't see a whole lot of what's going on and she'll be happy to get her eggs back under her right away.

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I would say if you have very small, white ducks they are white Call ducks
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Here's a picture of my girls' nest. They made it all by themselves out of the straw that we use as their bedding. They're not broody, but two of them (and three some days) lay their eggs in this nest every day
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The interesting thing is when we removed the partition between the girls and boys, the girls destroyed their own nest, but as soon as we put the partition back up they rebuilt it!

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