Backyard Poultry Forum

I have a Muscovy duck and she has taken over a birdcage that the cat used to sleep in (I know all dysfunctional on our farm) and made a nest and started sitting- problem is it is in the carport under the tray of our farm Ute - the cat used to like it there -problem is another duck can’t be excluded under the carport and keeps trying to co-sit and lay around her & also the cat lies on the roof of his cage & keeps trying to get back in his bed every time she leaves for a poop & a drink!!


- She has only been solidly sitting 2 days so I took the whole nest -cage and all and relocated it to an secure pen at dusk last night but she is just anxiously pacing at the door this morning and won’t go back on the eggs in the pen- I opened the door and she ran straight back to where she was under the Ute - so I put the birdcage nest back and she hopped straight back on the eggs!!


How do I move her??

_________________
Married 2 my best friend,Mumma to 2 DD's,sheep,a milking goat,2 pigs,Aylsbry ducks,pilgrim geese,Lombard roo &8 lovely hens,4 turkeys(there were 5 but hey it was Christmas!)
stop by my blog http://www.crysalismum.blogspot.com I'll put the kettle on!

Maybe you dont?

_________________
NellyG ........................

It's a Muscovy, they're like that. You could build a new carport on the other side of the house, and buy a new ute to put in it.

_________________
PC

I do like the new carport and ute idea and know someone whose dog has its own ute to sleep in.
Instinct rather than reason tells the duck where to be broody and the location of the nest is firmly fixed in its head. Maybe the nest can be moved gradually and barriers erected to allow the duck to leave the nest but exclude the other duck and the cat.

Haha, where’s the like button? Sadly, I reckon this is your only option!

I’ve found it impossible to successfully move ducks, and I don’t even have the Muscovy kind (so mine are not as serious). They will not sit where you choose. Anyone who shows any signs of sitting is shooed off the nest pronto so I don’t have to deal with it.

_________________
Cheerio, Rach
Blue Swedish Ducks

Not ducks,.... (another new territory...), but we had a snake in the chicken coop and a broody sitting on eggs in a dog bed approximately 0.5 meters away and the snake was closing in. Picked up the dog bed and all occupants and moved it to a chair on a verandah in full sun. The broody remained where she was for a few hours while the snake was getting relocated and all associated discussions and gossip were taking place. She suddenly noticed she was not in the right spot- - maybe she thought she was getting sunburnt. , and went back to the coop. I followed with the bed and eggs, but then could not get her to MOVE out of the way long enough to put everything back where it was. When I finally did put the bed back, she refused to sit on it. Luckily, I have a silkie that butts in on everybody else's nesting activities, who sat on the eggs until Madame Mum realised her bottom was getting cold on the concrete and kicked the silkie off the nest. Eggs have successfully hatched now and "butt-in silkie" has muscled in on someone else's nesting duties.

Some birds appear not to care where their nest is and will sit anywhere, and others are extremely fussy and only the "chosen" spot will do. Have fun in the ute in the chosen land !!!

Gee, what a saga!

Chickens in general are fairly forgiving about being moved (though I reckon yours is in a league of her own, Okaru!). Ducks in general are not at all forgiving about being moved.

_________________
Cheerio, Rach
Blue Swedish Ducks

I've been trying for months to get a mussie to commit. Fine until I think they're settled enough to move. Then they go on broody strike and we start all over again.
They nest in dog kennels but even relocating the whole thing isn't working. I'm hoping that when the ducks are finally set up in the 1/4 acre orchard I might be able to move a kennel an inch a day for a month and then drop a temporary run around it.

I have left her be and she has the carport but she is just not getting off the nest at all I have put food and water there and its not touched. It got so hot today 46’C /115F and she still sat strong - there is no nesting poops around her area and I ended up putting a wet towel over her cage top to try to cool her down I don’t want to spray her or anything but I’m worried she hasn’t had a drink/food in days - is this normal? What to do - she is alert and gives you a good quack & hiss if you go near her but she hasn’t moved off that nest in days

_________________
Married 2 my best friend,Mumma to 2 DD's,sheep,a milking goat,2 pigs,Aylsbry ducks,pilgrim geese,Lombard roo &8 lovely hens,4 turkeys(there were 5 but hey it was Christmas!)
stop by my blog http://www.crysalismum.blogspot.com I'll put the kettle on!

I would boot her off at least every couple of days - it's a long sit for Mussie eggs. Mine will often go for a swim before they go back to the nest. The damp feathers increase the humidity which duck eggs need.
You may need to wear welding gloves. She won't be happy.

I braved it and took her off she did a horrendous- I mean horrendous poop - near cleared the yard-and then straight back in the nest- I took her off again risking life and limb and s*** the cage door and put her at the water and later pellets she literally took one mouthful of layer and I had to hold the water in front of her at the cage door she had one quick billful and then just did laps at the door so I reopened and back on she went. I Reweti her towel to cool the air around her but I would feel better if she had a drink- I guess she knows what she is doing but man it’s stressful!

Now I’m good ng to get an ice pack and a bandaid- for me!!

_________________
Married 2 my best friend,Mumma to 2 DD's,sheep,a milking goat,2 pigs,Aylsbry ducks,pilgrim geese,Lombard roo &8 lovely hens,4 turkeys(there were 5 but hey it was Christmas!)
stop by my blog http://www.crysalismum.blogspot.com I'll put the kettle on!

Haha - your average OB/GYN doesn't know how easy they have it.

Well Mumma Duck is still firmly in her spot- it is so hot here today so I have put a wet towel on her cage - she absolutely will not have a Barr of being moved.

However this is the first duck DH actually is interested in when her hatch date is and is counting the days - DH hasn’t been able to park in the carport or in the garage since she started sitting!! To add insult to injury -The cat however is completely annoyed and taken to sleeping on DH’s quad -because he can’t get into or on his birdcage!!

_________________
Married 2 my best friend,Mumma to 2 DD's,sheep,a milking goat,2 pigs,Aylsbry ducks,pilgrim geese,Lombard roo &8 lovely hens,4 turkeys(there were 5 but hey it was Christmas!)
stop by my blog http://www.crysalismum.blogspot.com I'll put the kettle on!

It’s lovely the way you are accomodating your duck I hope she hatched out some bubs and life returns to normal soon.

_________________
Cheerio, Rach
Blue Swedish Ducks

Saga mark 2!! What is it with my Muscovy girls this year!!

These two girls nested one in each of their two nest boxes in late nov/dec - I got a nice new drake as my the male (I thought) started laying eggs!! She is now nesting in the the shed. I took these two girls off their nests - chucked the eggs as they were obviously infertile and locked the girls out of the duck tractorfor a week much to their disgust. They have had a great time in the dam with the new male and sometime over the weekend they have started nesting IN THE SAME NESTBOX. They have two - one of them chose the round one last time!!

What should I do?
The problem is - it is war in there. If they are head to tail it’s fine but if one turns they peck the heck out of each other- the girl at the back has a cut in her nose and the girl at the front has an injury to her face too.
Which one do I pull out? Do I take some eggs out too?



Any tips on how?? because I got an extremely venomous unimpressed “greeting” even taking the pictures- the drake has left the duck yard altogether -he is sleeping under the backhoe- literally next to the doghouse poor dude!!

_________________
Married 2 my best friend,Mumma to 2 DD's,sheep,a milking goat,2 pigs,Aylsbry ducks,pilgrim geese,Lombard roo &8 lovely hens,4 turkeys(there were 5 but hey it was Christmas!)
stop by my blog http://www.crysalismum.blogspot.com I'll put the kettle on!