[northfifeduckling]

quite unexpected joy - counting 6 wee heads so far!! - as she was the first duck I ever moved into a safe house successfully but her eggs had been left out in the cold overnight for some weeks before she got comportable - here goes, persistence is key. 

[Brucklay]

Well done - I risked leaving my magpie call to sit outside - not like me - she appeared yesterday with two duckling and straight into a safe pen!! Then found her nest with one dud egg so she ran the crow gauntlet very well

[Daisys Mum]

I have had a runner sitting under the duck house so it wasn't even possible to see how many eggs were in it. This morning when I went out there was 1 little duckling and now there are 5 . She has come off the nest now and is sitting beside it. Should I try to round them up to put somewhere on their own or am I better to leave them alone?

[northfifeduckling]

I'm always meddling  so I would try to round them all up together to go somewhere safe .  They are probably fine as long a she has them under her wings. My new motherduck is ferocious! 

[Daisys Mum]

Oh sorry NFD forgot to say congratulations 

[northfifeduckling]

just counted heads again - 8!  EIGHT! OMG

[mojocafa]

Daisy's mum-I would move to a safe place. I lost 3 very quickly to crows, and then put mother hen and into  enclosure where I lost the other 3 ducklings to something that burrowed under the chicken wire. The only one that survived was brought into the kitchen

[Brucklay]

Mojocafa - sounds to me like rats - ducking is one of their favorite food - learnt the hard way chicken wire pen, putting ducklings and mum to bed and counting but was loosing one each lap they did round their house only to lift the house to disturb a rat picking them off one by one - it got out through an amazingly small space. We now have everything, floor, walls and roof messed with quarter an inch weld mesh - they are safe now - just the odd fox to worry about!!

[ellied]

Congrats NFD, hope they make it

[sabrina]

How lovely, 

[northfifeduckling]

looking good this morning, all 8 out and about in the run. After my cuppa I'll watch if they have a go at the porridge, fingers crossed. I blocked off the space between floor and house as a small rat could get in that way.
Longer term trouble will be that the eglu space is tiny for 8 growing ducklings and they won't fit in with the adults either, so we will have to find new homes for some...something to think about in a few weeks time though 

[HesterF]

Not so many weeks - ducklings grow v.quickly! Congrats!

[CameronS]

13 in the number to top Kerstin!! it's in the breeding!!!    x13

[northfifeduckling]

it must be, Cameron - mum is one of yours! 

[CameronS]

i now have another two sitting! almost got as many sitting as laying now!!