hi, overnight I seem to have lost any cyber skills i ever have, and have posted this question everywhere on countryside except here, so... here goes (again) I recently had a broody duck, I was advised to take her eggs from her as I couldn't get any fertile eggs and even if i did, as we are heading for autumn and it gets pretty cold where I am, it would be too late. She seemed for the first day relieved to be off the nest, however, has sinc emade the nest again, is sitting a lot and is hissing, flapping and trying to scare me (which is quite sweet, her sentiment is impressive), ahhh what next folks? Hope haven't annoyed you all too much. fiona

-- fiona (fidel@netconnect.com.au), March 01, 2002

Answers

Fiona- It went through fine the first time. :-) A thread doesn't get confined to a category until it goes out of the new questions, that takes about a week. After the week, it can only be found by looking under ducks and geese for example.

About the duck- if she was mine, I'd just keep harvesting the eggs every day, take them while she is eating, usually they leave the nest a few times a day to eat and drink. Maybe someone else will have a trick for discouraging a broody duck or hen. I think she'll get over it as the weather turns colder.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), March 01, 2002.

You must persist in doing the right thing for her and using your good judgement. You know it is the wrong time of year, and I am assumming you have no drake(is this correct?)and so it will not be good for her at all to sit uselessly on non fertile eggs. Remove them as she lays them and destroy the nest. Is she able to get out and get some foraging on grass? Perhaps more exersize and a proficiancy of greens will help her. It won't hurt to give her just a little bit of a good brand of catfood(dry) also during this time of year. No more than a tablespoon daily. She will be fine, no worries mate. LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), March 01, 2002.