My female muscovy started laying eggs, I am real excited, but I would like some advice. she hasn't laid them all yet but I can see two eggs. the eggs are under a bucket, so I think the eggs will be safe but I have questions. how will she get food once she starts sitting, will she leave the nest briefly, or will the male bring her food. she is on a pond and it is up to her to raise her babies. any tips on helping ducklings survive. If anyone knows about a turtle friendly turtle trap I would like to know. Also if their is a way to keep hawks away that would be useful to. I need any advice you can give me. Please help!

-- Amanda (Beaglelover6475@aol.com), April 14, 2002

Answers

My muscovy ducks get off their nests once or twice a day to get food and water. Because the fire ants are so bad where I live, I have to take the baby ducks away from the mothers and raise them myself. Otherwise, the ants end up killing the baby ducks while they sleep under their mother. Sometimes the fire ants get in the eggs as soon as the baby ducks peep through the shell and kill the little duckling before it even has a chance to break out of it's shell.

-- Jodie in TX (stanchnmotion@yahoo.com), April 14, 2002.

Hi Amanda! The usual approach to having successfull hatches is to confine the drake and hen together in a predator proof pen/house and once the hen is "sitting" remove the drake. In your circumstances, if you don't want to try moving her, sometimes people have had luck with putting a portable pen around the sitting hen, big enough for her to move around and get some exersize and for food and water. Provide a cover for rain and use wire smaller in diameter than "chicken wire" which will not protect her and her eggs and ducklings against predators. Muscovies are wonderful mothers and I hope you do have some beautiful ducklings. good luck, LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), April 14, 2002.