The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Hillview Farm on June 03, 2013, 11:35:02 am
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This is going to sound very odd, This morning I did my normal, I went and let the ducks out of the stable and pottered about the yard. About 20mins later I noticed there was one missing so I went into the stable to see one sat on the nest in the wooden duck house. She was laid flat out, belly down, tail limp, eyes open, not blinking nor appeared to be breathing.
I wimped out and got my mums OH to come get her out the house. He pulled the duck house away from the wall and opened the back door (for mucking out)
It was like she was asleep and just woke up, she was a little quiet and waddled off to find the others and then was her normal self. She was sat on this mornings eggs and she had laid herself but it was like she was in a trance! Is that even possible?
Do I need to worry?
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Is she a young duck?
My first thoughts are a) she is being harassed by the boys, b) showing early signs of becoming broody.
Keep an eye on her. If she is eating and drinking ok I can't see any reason to worry just yet.
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I wonder if ducks have epilepsy??? anyway, glad shes up and about..I remember thinking some hens were dead on a hot day, they lay on thier sides very still but then I discovered they were only sun bathing....strangely I woke up to find my husband like that this morning, flat on his back with his eyes wide open starring..I poked him and he was alive :innocent:
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Shes around a year old. I've only got one drake and he has 4 females. Shes an Aylesbury and I didn't think they go broody!
Glad your Hubby is alive :) Always a relief when they start grunting!
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Sounds like she might be broody. Don't rely on printed information saying this or that breed aren't brooding breeds - if they feel like it they will
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I've never had a broody duck... Do they act like they are dead and stop moving?
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We have Aylesbury Ducks, they do go broody.
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It sounds like she's going broody - Every single duck of mine - not one is older than 3 has attempted to go broody - i had a KC cross last year dissapear and come back with 13, and another duck this year sat on a similar number in the wood shed. i didn't think any of mine would go broody - but i was proved wrong!
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Yes - they are not like broody hens who growl and moan and try to peck you, they just flatten themselves down and try to be as still as possible. though often if you try to grab them they will dart off. I suppose its their defense mechanism in the wild.
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I can breathe again now! I may actually leave her with some eggs and see what happens. Has anyone had an Aylesbury successfully hatch a brood?
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We once had three Aylesbury ducks go broody at the same time. The eggs hatched and they did just fine.
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I think she is going broody, I left some eggs in today and shes sat on them all day and fiddled with the nest non stop!
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She was laid flat out, belly down, tail limp, eyes open, not blinking nor appeared to be breathing.
I've got broody chicken hens who do that when they think you can't see them; I go along with their little game and also pretend they're invisible.
Regarding ducks having epilepsy, yes they can have it, and a little bit of butter with black pepper powder mixed in will stop the fits if you put it under their tongue. Not that I can imagine anyone being keen to do that to a fitting duck. Also never trust information claiming any breed doesn't go broody, they are all capable. I have had old battery hens and purebred layers go broody and be great mothers after they've spent time watching other chooks with their babies. They'd stare for hours for about a year and then next year repeat what they saw, or use the reactivated instinct, or whatever goes on there... These were often old girls who had never even ha a rooster's company before I got them.