DuckSouth.com

need some help:
buddy of mine called me last nite and wanted to know wut to do about something. he cuts grass in the afternoons, after his day job, why i dont know when he makes dern good money during the day job hours. he was in a neighborhood, miles from any water especially walking distance from the water. when he was pushing the mower yesterday afternoon he happen to glance up into the sky and noticed somehting flying around the house resembling ducks working a hole. take into consideration this is a busy neighborhood, people coming home from work kids playing and ridding there bikes in the street. anyway he his close to the street and sees these mallard hens circleing the house fixing to come in and land. before he knows it the 2 hens land in the front yard close to the house and walk up into the flower bed. he goes over to check it out and they are laying next to each other on there nest.so, wut he ask me was wut do i do about the ducks and there eggs? the lady that lives there is freaking out wondering wut is gonna happen to the ducks when they hatch there eggs? iam asking wut should he do to help this lady and most important these ducks, to keep them safe from predators of the neighborhood(cats,dogs,etc.) do you go and do the bag over the head trick? maybe shoot them with a sleeping dart or sumthing and relocate them or wut does one do to HELP? maybe ole SB OR CHAD MANLOVE could help this guy out before these eggs hatch! anybody else that has a helpful idea on this subject please tell me so i can relay the idea!
THANKS,
DUCKS IN DESTRESS!

I would say don't touch 'em. I would think that if you relocated the nest (and hen), the hen would be less likely to incubate the eggs. She may quit sitting on the eggs all together. Just my . I don't know, I'm not a waterfowl biologist (but I play one on TV ).

Let nature take its course. Those ole gals nested there for a reason, let them sort it out. I seen ole hen mallards and geese whip dogs at the local park many times......

What time is Dinner?



4 - 6 duck carcasses
- save gibblets for added flavor
1 onion (Pearl onions, green onions)
1 carrots
1 celery
1 can chicken stock
Barley (can do dumplings)
Fresh garlic
salt and pepper
cheese
sour dough bread

I bet the neighborhood is Laurelwood... just a guess. Anyway, I used to live there and they have 100 or so resident mallards on the 2 lakes. Those are city ducks so they are not worried about those city cats or dogs. Now if it were rural Rankin county cats or dogs, it's be different. I would venture to say, just like a turkey hen, they would quit the nest if disturbed or relocated.

I once made a setting dominecker hen from quiting her nest simply by clucking to her! You good when you can do that.....

Can I get an Amen to letting nature take its course!!

Seriously, this is the best thing to do. Human's good intentions usually end up back firing.

The lady is actually freaking? Women....

I was disking my dove field Tuesday, getting ready to plant some more sunflowers. I knew a few mallards were nesting in the stalks left from last year and the new vegetation from this spring, so I waited as long as I could before preparing this part of the field. I was almost through disking when this bird explodes out from under the front end of the tractor. I looked over and it was a mallard hen. I immediately stopped and looked around to find the nest, but I didn't see a thing. I picked up the disc, and crept forward slowly about 15 feet. I figured I had squashed it with my tires, so I put the disc down and finished up with the field.

A little while later, I walked over to the grass patch I left and started searching for the nest. I finally found it, with a slice of topsoil on top of it where the disc had stopped. One, two, three, four, five eggs scattered about, all unbroken. I gently picked up the slice of dirt and upturned nest material and feathers, and counted 4 more eggs, all intact! I crudely fashioned the nest back as best I could, and placed the eggs back inside. I figured the hen might come back, but I thought it was a slim chance.

Today, i was back in the field sowing some browntop. I passed the grassy patch and looked down at the nest. To my surprise, the hen was there, completely hidden from view until she could stand no longer to sit still while I roared by on the tractor. She flew away and over the fishpond levee. I just hope I haven't created a predator magnet by leaving one small island of grass where her nest is.

Let those city ducks be. Heck, they have it made compared to the country ducks!

Wingman

i would let them do their business like nature intended on, and maybe keep a kiddie pool for them and you'll have some pet ducks leave be till december and i know their are plenty of hunters looking for a good spot

Tell the woman to get over it. The ducks will be okay. They'll be cute runnning around her yard. They'll be grown and gone before long! Yesterday on the way home, I noticed a Suzie flying through someone's yard and landing in some pine straw. There's a little pond in the front of the subdivision that I think holds a couple of ducks. I guess she was doing some nesting too.

I wish they'd set up shop in my yard! I'd love to watch the little ones grow up!

Congrats to you, Wingman. I had a similar experience last year when cutting hay. The turkey didn't flush though. Talk about a sickening feeling.

A-men, let nature take it's on road, it will all work out, tell the lady they grow up to eat all of her FLOWERS..

Good to see ya again, scooter. We've got our banquet planned for Oct. 14th this year in Fulton. I want to help out with the Tupelo one too, so if you know someone, tell them I'm interested. We just moved in over here about a month ago.