The Boy Scouts Were Right; Always Be Prepared
On Monday I noticed that one of my female ducks was hiding somewhere. Even at night. I finally realized she was sitting on a clutch of 12 eggs in the fruit lane behind the potager gardens.
I decided right then I did NOT want a broody duck sitting on a nest. I shooed her off the nest. That was a poor decision, but I didn’t know better. She was guarding those eggs.
My intention was to go back and place the eggs in an incubator so I could control the population and the crazy dynamics between the ducks. My drake is very hard on new vulnerable mothers and ducklings. This I had just learned the hard way.
Another of my duck hens had just attempted to hatch 13 eggs in the coop, but only one survived. The drake is still hounding her and that duckling. My intention was good but unfortunately, I was not quick enough.I
I Was Not The Only One Watching
I had discovered the nest and so had the raccoons and possums. By the time I had pulled out the incubator, set it up, and gone to work and back and had a night’s sleep, the clutch was lost. A casualty of the reality of being an urban farmer with a full time job as well.
All is not lost though. I will set up another nest – this time in the protected coop and hope the hen will lay another clutch and I can try again.
Failure is a Data Point
Failure is a data point, not a destination. The whole point of this blog is to identify, explore, explain, and learn from both failure and success, hard work, and life hacks. Stay tuned.
To make you feel better here’s a snap of my chickens holding court in the compost pile. Turning it for me, hunting for yummy insects and adding to the biodiversity of the compost as well.