buckboy1234
05-18-2009, 07:25 PM
Yesterday I candled one of my wood duck eggs and was excited to see that it had internally pipped. The fact I'd have ducklings within 48 hours put a huge smile on my face. However, upon going out there today, I found out that only ONE out of the seven eggs she laid this year developed and were hatching.
The little guy's externally pipped so I expect him out of his egg within 24 hours, but I'm somewhat concerned about a few things and have so many questions. Please help with some answers .
Will he be lonely or is this a common occurrence in the wild? Should I be concerned for his social needs, or will his mother be enough for him?
Has this ever happened to any of you?
Why do you believe this happened? Last year, she hatched 13 out of 17 eggs, and this year, only 1 out of 7. As you can see this is a huge drop. Why did it occur?
I'm so shocked and a bit discouraged, but am hopeful for this little guy's future. I anticipate being able to only focus on one duckling instead of 13 like last year, but I just want to know why this has happened. Please help.
Sincerely,
Charlie
The little guy's externally pipped so I expect him out of his egg within 24 hours, but I'm somewhat concerned about a few things and have so many questions. Please help with some answers .
Will he be lonely or is this a common occurrence in the wild? Should I be concerned for his social needs, or will his mother be enough for him?
Has this ever happened to any of you?
Why do you believe this happened? Last year, she hatched 13 out of 17 eggs, and this year, only 1 out of 7. As you can see this is a huge drop. Why did it occur?
I'm so shocked and a bit discouraged, but am hopeful for this little guy's future. I anticipate being able to only focus on one duckling instead of 13 like last year, but I just want to know why this has happened. Please help.
Sincerely,
Charlie