I had the wooden nest boxes first, that were enclosed on all sides except the front (as you see in the pic above, I just lifted the fabric to snap the pic). Once the hens got used to laying in the boxes, and I realized that they really would prefer something not as open, I simply stapled the curtain of landscaping fabric over the front and cut a slit up the center of each box. The fabric I used is the heavy stuff with the really open weave (I think it's actually more of a shade cloth), so it still lets in some light & air, while giving the hens the illusion of privacy and 'hiding' their eggs. After a while, the hens coming and going made the edges of the fabric curl so that it formed a little 'V' shape, as you can see in this picture--look at the wooden boxes on the bottom: I'm considering changing the fabric as the weather this year has really given it a beating and it's nasty-looking. Also, the hens love their new 'Hi-Tech' nests, as well! :) Yes, those are computer monitor cases! Velvet ~:>

Look on the Internet to find out if Magpie ducks will incubate (set on) their own eggs. As long as they are not in with a lot of other birds, I suspect that she would succeed in hatching her own. Sometimes they lay an egg every other day, until they reach what they consider to be a full clutch. Before they are actually starting to set on the eggs seriously, you'll notice that she will start building the nest and lining it with fluff from her own breast. This is, of course, if she will set on her own. I reckon that those eggs will be good for at least two weeks, while she gathers more. If you decide to use an incubator, I'd recommend one with a thermostat, hydrometer, forced air and egg turner; that is if you can afford it. I used to purchase the Styrofoam cheapo incubators, about every 12 months. They would get contaminated during hatching and after a couple of uses there was no way to use them successfully, as the eggs would become contaminated and cause sick, deformed chicks. Ducks require a bit more humidit'y for incubation, so you'd have to research that. I have hatched duck eggs under a broody hen. That works. But once they hatch, you have to take the ducklings and raise them yourself. The hen doesn't "speak the same language" as the ducklings. They don't communicate well and the ducklings abandon the hen after less than a day. Hope this helps, George

I have one of the marketed foam hatchers also, purchased in a local farm supply store. You want to set up and test run your hatcher for 101 degrees F, +_ 1 degree with water in the trench/pan supplied. Mine came with a clear plastic tray for the purpose, and normally filling it once was enough with one slight refill before the 21 days for chickens was complete. Haven't tried ducklings yet. I did the X & O thing on the eggs in pencil. Two or three times a day, every five or six hours I faithfully rotated my eggs by hand. I averaged a 55% hatching rate using whatever eggs I found from my hens while doing nothing special. Others tell me vitamins for the hens and rooster could improve the hatching rate. One thing is for sure, you need to clean things up real good after each batch to prevent problems in the hatcher. It is also a good idea to seek out web groups that focus on your selected kind of birds for advice and such. I like the MSN groups, and have a website I manage, but it is about No-till gardening/farming. I belong to two other groups that are centered on chickens. One is managed from the UK.

They do use lead, regardless of laws. Rehabbers deal with this regularly. But Wood ducks are not divers or grazers (like Canada geese), so not sure from what source the lead would come. Possible she was poisoned? Or shot, and made it back to the nest? I don't think sparrows would/could kill even a little duck like a Wood duck. Sad to find that. Dirtgirl, may I make a suggestion, though? I say this every spring and summer, and people hate me for it, but I know you will not. I do not think it's ever a good idea to check bird nests that are accessible to predators, or that do not need to be maintained (like bluebirds). I know there was no indication of traumatic injury (like you would with a raccoon attack), but visiting nests regularly leaves a scent trail for mammal predators (like raccoons and even squirrels) and crows watch and figure out something is doing in there. And I am not at all suggesting that's what happened, but you know your stuff, and I know people will probably follow your example more than mine : ) Anyway, happy spring, and good luck with the W. ducks this year.