Wild ducks have laid eggs in my plant pot!

[Toilet Duck]

Evening all,

Recently moved to somewhere rural, and we have had a pair of ducks landing in the garden. I have been putting bird feed out (sunflower hearts, mixed seed mixes, fat balls etc) to encourage wildlife etc, and the ducks have been eating that. I bought some specific duck/swan pellets but they don't seem interested. I also bought them a cheapo paddling pool (I don't have a pond) but they won't use it. However, they are happy using an oven roasting tray filled with water, oh the irony



Anyway, I was watering some flower pots when I found some eggs in the circled one below; to say I was shocked is an understatement!





We initially thought the nest may have been abandoned, but the next day mother duck was on the nest and has been spending all day every day sitting on the eggs. The adult ducks are not tame, but the mother seems happy enough with us coming and going as long as we ignore her. Since I took te egg pic she has laid another one, so we are up to 11.

What should I do to give the mother duck and her eggs the best chance? Obviously we are not disturbing her and she seems content with that. I'm worried that when/if the ducklings hatch, how are they going to get on in a plant pot nest? If they fall out, they won't be able to get back in. Should I make a ramp for them? Also there isn't any water nearby (apart from an oven tray) so surely that isn't good? What will they eat? As much as I'd love to see a load of ducklings, I'm worried mum has picked the stupidest location ever to lay her eggs.

Any help much appreciated

[Toilet Duck]

Butter Face said:

No help, but that’s awesome. I’d be over the moon.

Cheers, we are . When I first found them I was convinced the missus had put eggs from the kitchen in the plant pot for some unfathomable reason, it just would not compute and blew my mind. I love nature and this is amazing to be part of, but at the same time just seems awful as mum is spending all her days on the nest (she even lets me water the plant pot next to "hers"), and I just have visions of ducklings falling out early to their death and not having the correct food/water in the vicinity.

P.S. get back to modding your Type R

[Toilet Duck]

tdm34 said:

You don't have any cats do you? if you have then it's very likely to be a massacre......

yes, I have a cat

My cat found and disturbed the duck a couple of days ago, we heard quacking and found the duck out of the nest on the floor in a mexican stand off with my cat. To be honest, I think my cat was scared. We brought her in and eventually mother duck went back on the nest. I've been watching our cat when she goes out the cat flap (or door when its open) and she just gives a cursory glance at the plant pot. Obviously if there are 11 balls of fluff it will be a different story

[Toilet Duck]

Mexman said:

Apt user name.
Photos when they hatch please!
Cant resist a duckling.
Probably the bright colour of the pool that's putting them off, not natural looking enough.

Will do

I didn't realise the colour would put them off. I'll have to look for a "plain" colour one or maybe try and cobble something together. I do want to make a pond, but it's on a long list of things to do since moving in and there is no way it's getting done before these hatch

[Toilet Duck]

Thanks for all the replies etc.

To answer some of the points raised:

I've checked on google maps and I'm pretty sure the closest body of water is a large lake, maybe between 0.5 and 1 mile away.

I will try cutting up an old rug tomorrow and drape a bit it over the paddling pool

Yes, foxes are undoubtedly around although I haven't actually seen one yet (I have seen a badger though!)

If I am around when the ducklings hatch and mother duck ("Henrietta" as my missus has named her ) leads them away I will be duty bound to follow and chaperone

Not much has changed. I have put a "ramp" up to the plant pot but Henrietta doesn't use it. I saw her return to the nest yesterday and she just jumped up onto the adjacent plant pot and stepped across:



I also took a sneaky pic of the nest whilst she was away:



I still don't know what ducklings eat, and what I can feed them with in case any get left behind etc. I've read that ducks need to eat stones to grind and breakdown the food that they eat. If I am left with any abandoned eggs or any ducklings that Henrietta leaves behind, I want to know what I can get NOW ready to try and feed them should the worst happen.

Cheers

Edited by Toilet Duck on Wednesday 13th May 19:17

[Toilet Duck]

Today about 40 metres away from Henrietta's plant pot lair I found a broken egg on the grass:







It looked slightly more "blue" than the pics show, I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure it's a duck egg (looked to be the right size). Henrietta has been on her nest everyday and is in the plant pot as I type this. The broken egg looks to have been "carried" to where I found it and then opened as I can see dried yolk on the grass (visible in second pic above). Also, the egg looks like it was opened from the outside as the shell breaks inwards. I can't check/count the eggs in the nest unless Henrietta goes off for a while, but I think she is only taking breaks when it's dark (she is there 1st thing in the morning and still there at dusk, we don't see her leave).

If this is from her nest, I'm guessing a fox has carried it away and then eaten the insides? But if that's the case, surely it would have ate the lot (including Henrietta)? I can't think what else could have "carried" the egg away intact and then broken into it?

[Toilet Duck]

Mr Pointy said:

Magpie maybe? They can slaughter a whole nest.

I fking detest magpies, loathsome nest robbing vermin in my book.

I did wonder if it was a magpie/crow/jay etc, but I wouldn't have thought they could carry the egg away before opening it? Judging by the dried yolk I'm sure the egg was opened where I found it. Also pretty sure it happened overnight as I've been in the garden pretty much all day lately and haven't seen/heard any commotion from the plant pot.

[Toilet Duck]

Rushjob said:

We fed Solo on chick crumb mixed with water.

Sorry, I don't know how I missed your post!! Thank you very much

elanfan said:

Doubt it’s one of the duck eggs as there wouldn’t be any yolk in it as that’s what the baby duck grows from.

Sounds like Henrietta is a dedicated mum. Hope you’re leaving some feed close by for her. Has she tried the sex pond at all?

I thought it might be whatever is left inside the egg with the duckling. I assumed there would be some residual yolk/liquid of some sort? No joy with the sex pond unfortunately, despite draping a cut out section of old rug on the edge as suggested on here. Putting duck pellets in the pond didn't work either.

I religiously leave bird feed out all over the place (and in feeders). I have been putting feed down by the sex pond and oven baking tray as I know Henrietta and her boyfriend (who has deserted her lately) were eating it there when they first started visiting. There is a mixture of duck/swan pellets, mixed wild bird seed, sunflower hearts, peanuts and crushed fat balls:



The pheasants and partridges are regularly stuffing their faces :

[Toilet Duck]

actionjack said:

Any news?

Nothing to report really. Henrietta is spending all day on the nest, I never see her leave. She does shift her position so at least I know she is alive!

On a side note, her boyfriend has started visiting again. However, the dirty slag has been bringing a new girlfriend with him. They have been hanging around the garden the last couple of days and bedding down under a tree at night. This is exactly what happened with Henrietta before she made a nest in the plant pot. If the new mother duck makes a nest somewhere and lays eggs I think I will die of stress!!!

Here they are (sorry for crappy pics but they won't let me near them):



Not sure why the pheasant is doing an impression of an Emperor Penguin:

[Toilet Duck]

Bit of an update! Early today, I spotted a broken egg kicked out of Henrietta's nest:



Later on, we could hear "squeaking" noises in the pot plant

Lo and behold, the ducklings have started hatching!!!! I don't want to disturb Henrietta (she hisses if we stop to look), but we think there are at least three ducklings so far under her feathers

[Toilet Duck]

Well, when I got up this morning, looks like I missed all the action . Henrietta has gone and all that remains is what's left in her plant pot nest:







I've had a good look around and can't see any bits of egg shell on the floor. I don't know how many hatched, but I'm pretty sure there aren't the remains of 11 eggs in the nest (which I originally counted). It's a bit of a mystery. Disappointed that we didn't get to see her leave with her ducklings in tow, and I guess I'll never know which way they headed and to where! Good luck Henrietta!

[Toilet Duck]

So since Henrietta and her ducklings departed a few weeks ago I've been finally able to re-point some brickwork round the back. Over the last few weeks, I've seen a drake and a female duck visiting the garden, and another female that looks very much like Henrietta but I can't be sure. Anyway, I was wiping off the brick dust from the planters near the back door (it was the one on the right that Henrietta made a nest in, I've since removed the rosemary plant as it was taking over):



Guess what I found in the plant pot on the left:





I have no idea who has laid them or when, there are only three eggs so far. I cannot believe this has happened a second time!!! I will have to watch out to try and see who is going in there, it is an even worse place than the original plant pot as there is hardly any cover, just a few strawberry plants.

[Toilet Duck]

No sign of any ducks this morning, but they have obviously been busy in the night. There are now four eggs in the new nest

[Toilet Duck]

Another egg laid overnight:

[Toilet Duck]

Well, when I got up this morning this is what I found:



I can't be 100% sure, but I am pretty much convinced it's Henrietta back again. If it is I don't think that bodes well for her last lot of ducklings in the other plant pot nest as I believe they should still be reliant on mum at this stage and not gone off on their own

She didn't hang around this morning, I don't know what time she left but it must have been by around 11ish. I've been at home most of the day and not seen any sign of her again today, as I type this the nest is unoccupied. This is the current nest status:



Six eggs, so she laid another one during the night

Thinking about it, last time this happened the nest was left alone with the eggs until she'd laid the full lot (11 last time). From then on, she was on it first thing in the morning when I got up, and still there when darkness came so she must only go off for food/drink in the night. I'm wondering if ducks don't sit on the nest "properly" until they have laid a full load?

[Toilet Duck]

***NEWS FLASH****

Henrietta and a drake have just landed in the garden. She's come over and tucked into the duck pellets and had a good drink from the roasting tray





They have curled up under a tree in the garden now. I reckon she will get in the plant pot latter and hopefully there will be another egg tomorrow

[Toilet Duck]

Today:

[Toilet Duck]

gtidriver said:

This is Marj, ive managed to go from her flying out of her nest when i open the front door to standing really close to her.

"Marj", quality name for a pigeon

davidexige said:

A couple of years ago we got a few duck eggs off a friend and stuck them under one of our broody chickens, who successfully hatched them, this year two of the females started to disappear for most of the day, had a look around the garden and found they were sitting on a couple of nests, so we decided to leave them and see what happened.

Last week.


A couple of days ago

Ah man, you've won the lottery having that lot in your garden!!! I want to get chickens, I also want a couple of geese as well as some ducks (tame ones). I'm going to dig out and make a pond before the geese/ducks though, it's gone from way down the list of jobs to nearer the top though

hotchy said:

How you've resisted setting a camera up I'll never know lol that's brilliant.

I thought about it, but if I see anything "sad" I won't like it, same reason I won't put a camera in the bird boxes where blue tits nest. Nature can be very cruel at times and I only want to watch the "happy" bits

Well today Henrietta stayed on the nest all day until around 19:00 then got off, had a drink and a bite to eat before flying off. About half hour ago she returned with her boyfriend and they are now mooching around the garden and feeding on the fresh bird food/duck pellets I put out for them.

Whilst she was gone I checked the nest:



Still seven eggs, but I think she's eaten the strawberry She's also started covering the eggs with stuff. I've put some straw on the plant pot next to her one to see if she takes it to use as nest material.

I also took a covert pic during the day (excuse the quality, there is still brick dust on the door glass):

[Toilet Duck]

Couple of pics from yesterday when Henrietta left the nest for a bit

For some funny reason, she has removed the leaves etc that she was using to cover the eggs and replaced them with plant cards, although she has used a few bits of the straw that I left out for her to find




I lifted them up temporarily to count the eggs and we are now up to eight:



And here she is with her boyfriend after a hard days work sitting in the plant pot



She is on the nest as I type this, I will try and get a pic and egg count later tonight when she has a break

[Toilet Duck]

Henrietta flew off the nest about 20mins ago so I've just had a sneak peek. She obviously likes the straw I left laying around as she's taken a fair bit to put in her nest:



I pulled it back slightly and there are now nine eggs present: