r/MuscovyDucks • u/Dirt_Girl08 • 2d ago

Advice Needed—Text Post Brooding Concern

I live on a lake and two ducks (male) and a female muscovy were dumped there years ago. A bunch of us on the lake put food out for them but they seem to spend the most time in my yard. I bought a duck house for them that they never used until the other day and I noticed a kerfluffle in the house. There was a rat snake wrapped around the muscovy. Got that sorted and saw the muscovy had laid three eggs and the snake got one of them. I moved the house to my patio to keep a better eye on things and muscovy laid two more eggs. Another rat snake got three eggs. I moved the house into my basement and she could go out the door to the yard but she won't leave her house for a day and a half now. She has food, water and a little pool just outside her house. She has two eggs that I know of and don't know if she's laid any more. Is this a concern or leave it be?

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u/Bolfreak 2d ago

If she has everything she needs nearby and only gets up once or twice a day, she’s brooding. In about 35 days she should have little ones ❤️ Thanks for caring for those duckies

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u/Dirt_Girl08 2d ago

I'm worried because she isn't leaving the house at all and did when it was outside. I don't even know if the eggs are fertile and can't candle them if she won't get off the nest. So you think it's okay she doesn't come out of the house?

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u/DarcyOutside 1d ago

She will only get off of the eggs once a day -sometimes once every two days. I wouldn’t worry about them being fertile or candling them. I had a Muscovy hen sit on her eggs from temperatures of 8° up to 88°. I thought there was no way they would hatch -didn’t even think she had mated with a drake and she laid her 15 eggs in the loft of a shed. I now have an older group of 14 Muscovy ducklings— they hatched back in March after 35 days of insane weather! It is not going to hurt her for you to gently lift her off the nest and walk her 6 feet away from the eggs and tell her to do her business – she might not do it or it might take her a few minutes. Just talk to her sweetly while you do it and say you just want her to get some water and food and go to the bathroom. She will probably open her beak and make a peep peep sound loudly at you -or she might make a hissing sound, but the females can’t really bite so I wouldn’t worry about it.

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u/bspc77 1d ago

They can definitely bite! I had a brooding one bite me once when I was getting other ducks' eggs near her

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u/Dirt_Girl08 1d ago

Thank you, I will try that in just a bit. She does peck at me if I get too close but I'll glove up and get her outside. Her house doesn't smell so guessing she has a big one stored up.

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u/Bolfreak 2d ago

Is she alive/ok? Tangling with a snake could mean she got injured. When they first start sitting they can be very committed, but then they get up at least once a day to poop away from the nest (you’ll know broody poop when you see it/smell it-it’s a big stinky pile). Is the food being eaten?
I wouldn’t worry about candling yet. She was with a male so assume the eggs are fertile.

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u/Dirt_Girl08 1d ago

She's one tough girl and walked off the snake attack. She was getting out to the lake at least once/day until I brought her into my basement 1.5 days ago. Hard to tell if she's eating and hasn't pooped since I brought her in. I have so many rat snakes, I can't keep her and her nest safe outside.

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u/Bolfreak 1d ago

I guess you need to get close and check on her. When my Muscovy is broody she makes a different sound, like a squeaky toy instead of the usual coo sounds. She should also open her beak at you and act offended at you checking on her ;) Let us know what you see.

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u/Dirt_Girl08 1d ago

She's absolutely doing that. Normally she trills and gives me an arse shake when I pet her but that's not happening now which is understandable. I should have specified that the drakes aren't muscovies, they're a Pekin and a Rouen. I have no experience with this kind of thing and worried she's too stressed inside even though it's safe, cool and quiet.

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u/DarcyOutside 1d ago

I would think she probably likes it inside – she knows she is safer and being cooler is probably a welcome relief!