Wild Animals/mallard Duck

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Expert: Jonathan Wright - 11/2/2009


Question
I have a female mallard duck. I bought two for the children at Easter and something killed one. She is really attached to use, we have a pond below our house and she goes down there but she does not get in the water. But my question is she laid 4 eggs about 2 months ago and something got them. So the other day I was racking leaves and found her nest again she has 21 eggs. I don't know if they are fertile, what would you do? She is setting on them all the time but I don't wont her to keep setting of they are no good. Is that usual for them to lay that many eggs?

                   Thank you so much if you can help me.

Answer
Dear Marie

Thank you for your question. I also wish to thank the authors of the websites I used.

http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/mallard.htm says that mallards lay 7-16 eggs, so 21 seems rather a lot. They may be more than one batch, so some of the eggs may be older than others.

http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/mallard.htm and http://www.wikihow.com/Hatch-a-Mallard-Duck-Egg give advice on incubating the eggs. They take about 26-28 days to hatch.

http://www.minkhollow.ca/HatchingProgram/Candling/index.html and other sites give advice about how to candle eggs to see if they are fertile. If the eggs are fertile, you may as well leave them where they are unless you have an incubator. If the eggs are not fertile, it would be better to remove them. Please test each egg as some eggs may be fertile, while others may be infertile.

All the best

Jonathan

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Jonathan Wright

Expertise

I can answer questions about wild mammals and other animals, as well as extinct animals and zoos. I am not an expert about every animal species. I can look up information from books and the internet, but can't verify if all the information is true. Please don't ask questions about: 1. Pets. I am not a vet. Please contact a vet if your pet is ill. You may need to spend some money if you want your pet to live. Don't get a pet if you don't know how to look after it and if you can't provide it with the space, food and possible companions that will help it live a healthy life. Don't take animals from the wild, unless they are ill and/or injured and you can protect them until a wildlife charity can help. It is cruel to take animals from their parents, especially if the parents will look for the babies, while putting their other babies at risk. You may be breaking the law by keeping wild animals or you may need a licence to look after some species. Please check with a local wildlife group. 2. Eggs: Please don't remove eggs from nests. The mother birds provide the right temperature for the eggs and won't sit on them if the temperature is warm enough for them to develop naturally. It is illegal to remove eggs of some species and, unless you have an incubator or a broody hen, the egg may not develop. If you are allowed to touch the eggs, you can candle them to see if they are fertile. If theys aren't fertile, they won't hatch. 3. Fights: Please don't ask about fights between different animals. These questions assume that individuals of two species fight each time they meet and that one species will always be victorious over another. This is untrue. There are cases where a live mouse has been fed to a venomous snake, bitten the snake leading to the snake's demise. 4: Diseases: Please ask doctors or other medical experts about diseases that you may catch from animals. I can't advise on how to deal with viruses, bacteria etc.

Experience

I have a zoology degree and have been interested in animals since I was two. I am a zoo volunteer at London Zoo. I have appeared on a BBC Radio Quiz, 'Wildbrain'.

Organizations
WWF. ZSL. Natural History Museum. RSPB. London Bat Group.

Publications
Newsletters of London Zoo volunteers and the London Bat Group

Education/Credentials
BSC degree in Zoology. 'A' level in Zoology. 'O' Level in Biology.

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