This photo is from yesterday but I wanted to share it. I went to check the nest box for eggs and found Luna asleep in the hay. She stood up for some attention and revealed a nice warm egg underneath her. I guess the chicken was able to get in at some point, and Luna though a warm egg was a lovely place to nap.
Today both of the remaining ducklings disappeared. #3 found one dead with a leg broken in the same way the one had been before. We were unable to find either of the other ducklings. At first Matt seemed to be trying to find them, walking around calling out, but by bedtime she seemed to have given up. She was in the barn with the other birds and calm when the barn got closed up. We still have no idea what happened with the ducklings. When we saw them all the birds seemed to be accepting. Josh (the African gander who guards Matt) accepted the babies, Matt was being a great mom. I know it wasn't our barn cats, they left the last ducklings alone. I know it wasn't Moose because he's trained not to mess with the birds, and I know it wasn't Mazikeen or they'd be very slobbery and chewed on. I still suspect the new feral cat is to blame, since nothing like this happened this spring. Regardless, it's still heartbreaking. I want to just pull all the eggs from the ducks indefinitely and not have any more mom-raised babies. But I know, the hurt will subside, and I'll feel guilty stealing eggs from a broody momma duck, and I'll say "but maybe this time it'll be ok" and I'll do it all again. This photo is from yesterday but I wanted to share it. I went to check the nest box for eggs and found Luna asleep in the hay. She stood up for some attention and revealed a nice warm egg underneath her. I guess the chicken was able to get in at some point, and Luna though a warm egg was a lovely place to nap. Despite having multiple nest boxes in the barn, it seems this is the preferred box. I'm not sure why. I may have to invest in more similar boxes since they don't seem interested in the plastic ones that are mounted to the wall. Just the slat wooden one on the shelf. But not the solid wood one just beside it on the shelf, or the more enclosed carrier to the other side.
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