Update...the female runner was taken by a coyote about 3 weeks ago. My husband has finally fenced the yard! Now down to the male Indian Runner and the female Rouen (who is setting on a clutch of 17 eggs in a new and safer spot) The eggs I brought in to incubate was doing great at 16 days until my pre-school moved the heat lamp. Sadly, I think they all died. It was 110F and I see no more movement or much progress (but can still see the blood veins)

Thanks, we thought we had them safe. They coop is framed with 1"x 1" hardware cloth, and then the out side has fence stapled and buried around the coop and run. The only place I can think it is getting inn is thru a part of the bottom that is covered with bigger holed hardware cloth. That part is covered with a piece of plywood that is not screwed down, because we pull, that part up for cleaning and for their water to drain. All doors are locked up tight, 2 with key locks and 2 with medal rock climber hooks! That would be the gate to the pen, and the door inside the pen that leads to the coop. I key lock up the nest doors! Could the 2 hens fighting cause this? Would a duck poke a whole in an egg? A rat couldn't get an egg out of the coop, it wouldn't fit thru the hardware cloth! I'm off the recover the part with the loose board. Just when you think you fixed one problem, 10 more arise! Brenda

My mom used to be attacked by our "pet" duck every time she would go out to hang wash on the line. And she was wearing shorts too. Gee, I feel bad about that now that she's gone. But it was kidna funny in a way too. Idea - can you take a fly swatter and swat at them when they do this. It seems kind of harmless and won't hurt, and maybe they would get the idea.

Thanks for sharing your duck story 13 years ago. We just moved into an apartment with a duck pond 50' from our back porch and it's got all different kinds of ducks and geese. The ducks are nicer and there are different ones, ratty ones, mean ones, wussy ones, skinny ones, fat ones...very often a new gang of teenie tiny ones under mom's feets. They're always fighin for territory or humpin each other. It is quite the backyard reality show. The geese are another story, there is this one that looks different than the rest and he's always causing trouble with the ducks. He's the alpha goose and he doesn't let anyone forget it for a minute. Somebody needs to mess his 6.75lb feathered butt up. Alpha goose pic included.