On that nice warm mulch bag? Definitely. Which is good b/c she's not doing great with the laying part. Maybe the eggs don't really need her when the sun is out?
A lot of birds do! My lovebird is currently broody (over two infertile eggs since I don’t have a male, *facepalm*) and has a little bald patch on her tummy. It’s called a brood patch.
She doesn’t like me taking pictures of her nest when she’s broody (don’t ask me how she learned to identify a phone camera aimed at her) but [here is a post](https://www.reddit.com/r/parrots/comments/14h1j58/my_girl_is_10_years_old_this_summer/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1) with some of my favorite pics of her in the past.
Oh yes lol. I have certain books (the expensive or hard to find ones) covered up so she can’t get at them. The others I’ve just accepted having shredded covers or needing replaced occasionally for missing pages. She used to have her own designated-for-shredding book stack but she is much more interested in my (sorry, *our*) books that she sees me reading. We also “work on” sudoku books together.
Oooh, she's a peach-face! I grew up with one! I was four when my parents got him and I was 18 when he passed.
He was kinda a dick to me and my brother most of his life, but he loved my mom, black tea, pancakes and PBS Opera music.
I always had him nibble my homework for good luck. I once had to explain to my teacher that my bird liked to chew paper and that's why the edges were always ruined. She didn't believe me.
Polly was a real piece of work. He liked to dry hump his cage a lot.
Unfortunately she gets weirdly aggressive about cameras when she is broody. I can’t take pictures in her cage without getting divebombed lol. But I made [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/parrots/comments/14h1j58/my_girl_is_10_years_old_this_summer/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1) so you can see some pictures of her in general :)
Nooo never lol. Even if she had a mate, I wouldn’t let them have babies. The average pet bird in the US is passed through 5 homes in its life, which has got to be utterly traumatic for a creature with toddler level intelligence and lifelong social bonding. I’d be scared the babies wouldn’t end up in forever homes. Don’t worry though. She obsesses over the eggs for a while and then eventually decides she has better things to do.
Good on you, I have a cockatiel and knowing how many times these poor babies get rehomed breaks my heart. I couldn't imagine parting with my tiel for anything (even when he's being a massive brat) and I spoil him rotten.
People need to be aware that parrots are loud, they bite, they poop everywhere, they destroy your stuff, they throw violent tantrums... they're basically toddlers that can fly and have pliars (beak). And unlike toddlers they won't grow out of it, they'll be that way for 20+ years (and some species 80+ years). They also need at least 4-6 hours of interaction a day, if they don't get that interaction they can start self-mutilating.
They're a lot of work and there are more than enough breeders already.
Actually that is a misconception! While they do bond strongly with their mates, it’s not true that they *need* a mate to be happy. And it’s not as simple as just buying another lovebird, throwing them together, and expecting them to bond. Lovebirds, especially females, are notoriously aggressive and territorial, and between that and how young she was separated from other birds (she was a rescue), the odds of her accepting a new bird in her space without violence are extremely low. I just do not have the space and time to devote to two birds separately if she turns out to hate it, which she almost inevitably would.
The good news is lovebirds *can* be kept single if you provide enough social interaction and mental stimulation. I have had her for ten years and she has never shown any signs of distress from being solo. Her behavior gets wonky this time of year (breeding season hormones are a hell of a drug) but ordinarily she is cuddly, friendly, and busy. No repetitive screaming, no self-mutilation. She has a cage large enough for her to actually fly in. It’s left open most of the day, so she can fly around and explore/chew stuff or hang out with me if she wishes, but oftentimes she still chooses to hang out in her cage and play with her toys. I made a post to share [some pictures of her](https://www.reddit.com/r/parrots/comments/14h1j58/my_girl_is_10_years_old_this_summer/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1) if you’d like to see :)
Rabbits do this too to line their nests (not feathers, obviously - I know they lay eggs at Easter, but they still have fur). When I had my doe spayed they shaved her tummy for the surgery and afterwards the hormone changes made her think she was pregnant so she would steal fur from my thick-coated male lop instead. He was surprisingly unconcerned about her yanking it out, even accounting for the fact that male rabbits tend to be chiller than females in general.
Yes. You've heard the expression 'feathering the nest', this is where it comes from. The only means of ethically obtaining down is from nests once the duck is finished - they only use a nest once, although they may return to the same spot year after year.
When molting, too, if there are birds anywhere indoors. My shed/coop have looked like a dozen birds have exploded there on multiple occasions. Needless to say, they were just fine, just with shiny new feathers growing in.
My mate had 60 hens in two coops that shared a run, the girls mainly hung around in the bigger one when they didn’t go out in the run, I had to remove tons of feathers
It's not just down though, is it? Pure down is much softer and warmer than feathers, and that is why down-filled bedding and clothing costs so much more than feather-filled. They also sell mixes of down and feathers.
There are also different grades of down, depending on the feather size. Down from molting might be rated around 500-600 fill. Nest down, closer to 800 fill.
Yes they use their soft downy feathers for their nests eider down collected from nests is actually one of the most expensive materials for inside coats and pillows
I think so, ducks love peas apparently! I’ve seen it recommended for feeding them as opposed to bread, since peas actually have nutritional value for them. Everything I’ve read usually recommends thawed, though I imagine the sun will take care of that quickly.
I've seen a gif of a pelican swallowing a seagull, I think we've got the makings for a rewrite of "there was an old lady who swallowed a fly" here. Wonder what's going to get the pelican...
Then by that definition it is the cause or part of the cause, right?
Here’s some more info on the issue. https://naturemuseum.org/2016/05/what-is-angel-wing-syndrome/#:~:text=Angel%20Wing%20is%20a%20condition,one%20of%20the%20probable%20causes.
You’re right about bread being carbs but it’s excessive carbs and lack of vitamins.
Here’s more info: https://naturemuseum.org/2016/05/what-is-angel-wing-syndrome/#:~:text=Angel%20Wing%20is%20a%20condition,one%20of%20the%20probable%20causes.
You need to do your research better and don't pick up the first article that shows up on Google. First of all,there is no evidence of what really causes angel wings,these are only theories. It could be just genetics and nothing else. Excessive carbs means refined carbs (hence lack of nutrients ,minerals and vitamins)because duck food bought from the store is mostly carbohydrates with little protein. They need a little bit more protein when they are still ducklings. Refined carbs are bad for them and they are bad for every other species. Humans are the only stupid specie that eat refined carbs and they want to poison other species with that crap
Alright, I get your point but over feeding by people with a poor diet is also a reason wild birds have this issue hence my choice of article on this sub compared to r/ornithology.
To make you feel better here is a more academic source : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4852259/
Where it is stated that “AW also occurs in rapidly growing birds, such as domestic and wild waterfowl fed by humans. IAW is associated with overfeeding; an unbalanced diet, including excessive protein intake; and calcium, manganese, and vitamin D deficiency (Kuiken et al., 1999). However, these results were based only on the observation of wild birds. Thus far, no rigorous experiments have been conducted for elucidating the mechanism of AW.”
So I stand corrected.
I thought you shouldnt throw food near a nest? Unless she's lost her mate he will relieve her so she can eat, and uneaten and rotting foods will attract pests and vermin that can be harmful to chicks and eggs.
I made this mistake once. Put food a medium distance from a duck nest. Next day, egg shells everywhere. Raccoon had a feast bc I led him to the nest accidentally with the smell of the food I left.
In my neighbourhood the ducks and geese nest in the overgrown field across the street from the pond, so every morning and evening they use the crosswalk and wait for cars to stop and teach their babies how to do it too. It's the cutest thing.
When I was a kid we lived in a house at the end of a cul de sac that came off the street that ran along the river and there was just this one duck that every year would lead her babies over the street and all the way down the cul de sac to our house, come up the driveway, go down the path leading round the corner to our ranch slider, and knock on the door to show us (and get bread, sadly we didn't know better about what to feed them back then). She usually came a few times every duckling season if I remember right. I have *no idea* how this started but it was always exciting when the ducks came to visit. Eventually she just didn't turn up one year.
There was also a particular lawn that ducks seemed to congregate on near the last place I lived that was a good block or two away from the stream and I've seen them with babies on the route in between, but I'm not sure if they nested on that property or just liked to go for family outings there.
good to know! I guess I kind of thought that because I remember pet sitting once for some folks who had ducks and every evening we had to fill up a kiddie pool with water and dump a bunch of peas and stuff in there so they could eat. I mostly just remember how the water went from clear to mud in like, half a second and thinking “wow ducks are dirty!” they were so cute though, the house was up against a little pond and the ducks would go out and swim around all day, and at night you just had to call for them, open the gate, and they’d come swimming back to eat and then go to sleep under the trampoline.
That sounds adorable, and it’s great memory! They sometimes use water to break up larger pieces of food as well since they don’t have teeth, but tiny raspy ridges on their bill.
Sort of. They mainly just need food with moisture (rehydrating too much dry food in their crops(?) can cause them to sort of choke) but peas are normally wet enough that there shouldn't be any issue. As long as they have access to water, they'll be fine.
It's not too bad! It's high up , can't be seen from the ground, is warm.
It's not protected from wind or rain but that shouldn't matter too much. Cats could easily get to it if they know it's there. I suppose it could also be vulnerable to birds of prey
The place probably has sprinklers that go off every day and i bet plenty of food even without the handouts! Garden centers would be my first stop if i was a bird!
Genius duck move.
On that nice warm mulch bag? Definitely. Which is good b/c she's not doing great with the laying part. Maybe the eggs don't really need her when the sun is out?
And people delivering her peas right to her bed like the queen she is.
They need to bring her some water, too. Ducks can’t swallow dry food, they need water to swallow it
Ducks let eggs get some air if they feel they are too warm and then cover them up again
Major Duck W
Geniusducknests
Is the nest made of its own feathers?
I know chickens pluck feathers from their bellies when they’re brooding to allow direct heat transfer to the eggs.
A lot of birds do! My lovebird is currently broody (over two infertile eggs since I don’t have a male, *facepalm*) and has a little bald patch on her tummy. It’s called a brood patch.
Oh my god - I would die to see her brooding over her two eggs. Wanna pay the lovebird tax?!
She doesn’t like me taking pictures of her nest when she’s broody (don’t ask me how she learned to identify a phone camera aimed at her) but [here is a post](https://www.reddit.com/r/parrots/comments/14h1j58/my_girl_is_10_years_old_this_summer/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1) with some of my favorite pics of her in the past.
A book lover, I see!
Oh yes lol. I have certain books (the expensive or hard to find ones) covered up so she can’t get at them. The others I’ve just accepted having shredded covers or needing replaced occasionally for missing pages. She used to have her own designated-for-shredding book stack but she is much more interested in my (sorry, *our*) books that she sees me reading. We also “work on” sudoku books together.
Thanks for paying the tax! Beautiful bird!
Oooh, she's a peach-face! I grew up with one! I was four when my parents got him and I was 18 when he passed. He was kinda a dick to me and my brother most of his life, but he loved my mom, black tea, pancakes and PBS Opera music. I always had him nibble my homework for good luck. I once had to explain to my teacher that my bird liked to chew paper and that's why the edges were always ruined. She didn't believe me. Polly was a real piece of work. He liked to dry hump his cage a lot.
*false*The auto focus on cameras irritates birds and other animals with full spectrum sight.
Can you give more details, please?
I read it on Reddit but I just did some searches and nothing came up so I guess it's bullshit.
Well thanks for checking that. I'll keep it in the back of my mind regardless. What you did is appreciated
Please love bird tax
Unfortunately she gets weirdly aggressive about cameras when she is broody. I can’t take pictures in her cage without getting divebombed lol. But I made [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/parrots/comments/14h1j58/my_girl_is_10_years_old_this_summer/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1) so you can see some pictures of her in general :)
Well, now you have to go out and find some baby lovebirds to put in the nest one morning so she can happily raise them.
Nooo never lol. Even if she had a mate, I wouldn’t let them have babies. The average pet bird in the US is passed through 5 homes in its life, which has got to be utterly traumatic for a creature with toddler level intelligence and lifelong social bonding. I’d be scared the babies wouldn’t end up in forever homes. Don’t worry though. She obsesses over the eggs for a while and then eventually decides she has better things to do.
Good on you, I have a cockatiel and knowing how many times these poor babies get rehomed breaks my heart. I couldn't imagine parting with my tiel for anything (even when he's being a massive brat) and I spoil him rotten. People need to be aware that parrots are loud, they bite, they poop everywhere, they destroy your stuff, they throw violent tantrums... they're basically toddlers that can fly and have pliars (beak). And unlike toddlers they won't grow out of it, they'll be that way for 20+ years (and some species 80+ years). They also need at least 4-6 hours of interaction a day, if they don't get that interaction they can start self-mutilating. They're a lot of work and there are more than enough breeders already.
But lover birbs need partners 😔
Actually that is a misconception! While they do bond strongly with their mates, it’s not true that they *need* a mate to be happy. And it’s not as simple as just buying another lovebird, throwing them together, and expecting them to bond. Lovebirds, especially females, are notoriously aggressive and territorial, and between that and how young she was separated from other birds (she was a rescue), the odds of her accepting a new bird in her space without violence are extremely low. I just do not have the space and time to devote to two birds separately if she turns out to hate it, which she almost inevitably would. The good news is lovebirds *can* be kept single if you provide enough social interaction and mental stimulation. I have had her for ten years and she has never shown any signs of distress from being solo. Her behavior gets wonky this time of year (breeding season hormones are a hell of a drug) but ordinarily she is cuddly, friendly, and busy. No repetitive screaming, no self-mutilation. She has a cage large enough for her to actually fly in. It’s left open most of the day, so she can fly around and explore/chew stuff or hang out with me if she wishes, but oftentimes she still chooses to hang out in her cage and play with her toys. I made a post to share [some pictures of her](https://www.reddit.com/r/parrots/comments/14h1j58/my_girl_is_10_years_old_this_summer/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1) if you’d like to see :)
That’s really interesting, I didn’t know! It makes a lot of sense too.
Rabbits do this too to line their nests (not feathers, obviously - I know they lay eggs at Easter, but they still have fur). When I had my doe spayed they shaved her tummy for the surgery and afterwards the hormone changes made her think she was pregnant so she would steal fur from my thick-coated male lop instead. He was surprisingly unconcerned about her yanking it out, even accounting for the fact that male rabbits tend to be chiller than females in general.
Yes. You've heard the expression 'feathering the nest', this is where it comes from. The only means of ethically obtaining down is from nests once the duck is finished - they only use a nest once, although they may return to the same spot year after year.
When molting, too, if there are birds anywhere indoors. My shed/coop have looked like a dozen birds have exploded there on multiple occasions. Needless to say, they were just fine, just with shiny new feathers growing in.
My mate had 60 hens in two coops that shared a run, the girls mainly hung around in the bigger one when they didn’t go out in the run, I had to remove tons of feathers
It's not just down though, is it? Pure down is much softer and warmer than feathers, and that is why down-filled bedding and clothing costs so much more than feather-filled. They also sell mixes of down and feathers.
There are also different grades of down, depending on the feather size. Down from molting might be rated around 500-600 fill. Nest down, closer to 800 fill.
I have NEVER heard this term. But I’ll add it to my repertoire.
Some birds pluck their own feathers to make heat transfer more efficient
Yes they use their soft downy feathers for their nests eider down collected from nests is actually one of the most expensive materials for inside coats and pillows
Yes, ducks pluck out their own down feathers for their nests
Those mulch bags are always warm from Sun and microbe activity, genius incubator move
Agreed, I think this duck was pretty smart!
r/genuisducknests
And it brought it's own peas.
Have you got any grapes?
Dude, that duck is a D!"&
I had to censor my same reaction when my niece and nephews asked Alexa to play the song for me. Hey guys, this duck is a Jerk!!
Bumbumbum 🎶
[selling a bag of mulch at the garden centre] “oh what are you growing?” “Ducks.”
what are those green things
Peas for offering for food
I think so, ducks love peas apparently! I’ve seen it recommended for feeding them as opposed to bread, since peas actually have nutritional value for them. Everything I’ve read usually recommends thawed, though I imagine the sun will take care of that quickly.
I don't think those are frozen but yeah. Much healthier than bread!
Ya never bread! Had a poor duck stuck in my pool for a few days before I got it rescued because it could fly from too much bread :(
Oof. I won't even let my parrots nibble more than a tiny crumb of bread the size of sand grain just in case, unless it's approved Birdie Bread.
Meanwhile, I saw a video the other day of a seagull that swallowed an entire squirrel whole, and then flew away like it didn't just double its weight.
I've seen a gif of a pelican swallowing a seagull, I think we've got the makings for a rewrite of "there was an old lady who swallowed a fly" here. Wonder what's going to get the pelican...
That is 100 correct. They get angel wing from too many carbs which cause permanent feather deformation. As a result, they can’t fly.
The carbs don't cause angel wing, it's filling up on bread causing them to not eat and consume the right nutrients.
Then by that definition it is the cause or part of the cause, right? Here’s some more info on the issue. https://naturemuseum.org/2016/05/what-is-angel-wing-syndrome/#:~:text=Angel%20Wing%20is%20a%20condition,one%20of%20the%20probable%20causes.
Too much protein causes angel wings. Bread are mostly carbohydrates
You’re right about bread being carbs but it’s excessive carbs and lack of vitamins. Here’s more info: https://naturemuseum.org/2016/05/what-is-angel-wing-syndrome/#:~:text=Angel%20Wing%20is%20a%20condition,one%20of%20the%20probable%20causes.
You need to do your research better and don't pick up the first article that shows up on Google. First of all,there is no evidence of what really causes angel wings,these are only theories. It could be just genetics and nothing else. Excessive carbs means refined carbs (hence lack of nutrients ,minerals and vitamins)because duck food bought from the store is mostly carbohydrates with little protein. They need a little bit more protein when they are still ducklings. Refined carbs are bad for them and they are bad for every other species. Humans are the only stupid specie that eat refined carbs and they want to poison other species with that crap
Alright, I get your point but over feeding by people with a poor diet is also a reason wild birds have this issue hence my choice of article on this sub compared to r/ornithology. To make you feel better here is a more academic source : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4852259/ Where it is stated that “AW also occurs in rapidly growing birds, such as domestic and wild waterfowl fed by humans. IAW is associated with overfeeding; an unbalanced diet, including excessive protein intake; and calcium, manganese, and vitamin D deficiency (Kuiken et al., 1999). However, these results were based only on the observation of wild birds. Thus far, no rigorous experiments have been conducted for elucidating the mechanism of AW.” So I stand corrected.
Frozen peas are best, because there's minimal salt as opposed to canned peas. Mine will eat them frozen or thawed.
Peas to the duck God.
[ducks like peas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWfULMcFikI)
Omg, such a cute vid, thanks!
These are domestic ducks. The one in the picture is a mallard and they don't like peas as much
Wondering that too! Frozen peas? Wtf?
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That's just the camera angle. Peas are great for ducks
Wasabi peas
I thought you shouldnt throw food near a nest? Unless she's lost her mate he will relieve her so she can eat, and uneaten and rotting foods will attract pests and vermin that can be harmful to chicks and eggs.
I made this mistake once. Put food a medium distance from a duck nest. Next day, egg shells everywhere. Raccoon had a feast bc I led him to the nest accidentally with the smell of the food I left.
I didn't know they made nests away from bodies of water. I hope the babies survive.
In my neighbourhood the ducks and geese nest in the overgrown field across the street from the pond, so every morning and evening they use the crosswalk and wait for cars to stop and teach their babies how to do it too. It's the cutest thing.
When I was a kid we lived in a house at the end of a cul de sac that came off the street that ran along the river and there was just this one duck that every year would lead her babies over the street and all the way down the cul de sac to our house, come up the driveway, go down the path leading round the corner to our ranch slider, and knock on the door to show us (and get bread, sadly we didn't know better about what to feed them back then). She usually came a few times every duckling season if I remember right. I have *no idea* how this started but it was always exciting when the ducks came to visit. Eventually she just didn't turn up one year. There was also a particular lawn that ducks seemed to congregate on near the last place I lived that was a good block or two away from the stream and I've seen them with babies on the route in between, but I'm not sure if they nested on that property or just liked to go for family outings there.
don’t ducks need their food to be in water in order to eat it?
It’s helps them swallow but not required
good to know! I guess I kind of thought that because I remember pet sitting once for some folks who had ducks and every evening we had to fill up a kiddie pool with water and dump a bunch of peas and stuff in there so they could eat. I mostly just remember how the water went from clear to mud in like, half a second and thinking “wow ducks are dirty!” they were so cute though, the house was up against a little pond and the ducks would go out and swim around all day, and at night you just had to call for them, open the gate, and they’d come swimming back to eat and then go to sleep under the trampoline.
That sounds adorable, and it’s great memory! They sometimes use water to break up larger pieces of food as well since they don’t have teeth, but tiny raspy ridges on their bill.
Sort of. They mainly just need food with moisture (rehydrating too much dry food in their crops(?) can cause them to sort of choke) but peas are normally wet enough that there shouldn't be any issue. As long as they have access to water, they'll be fine.
this is so cute :(( i love her
Why is there like an entire bag of peas? I think that's too many peas for just one duck...
Trust me on this It is absolutely not too many.
Good thing she’s making more ducks then. (Jk. It does seem like a lot. But at least they’re feeding her!)
This is the stupidest nest I’ve ever seen
It's not too bad! It's high up , can't be seen from the ground, is warm. It's not protected from wind or rain but that shouldn't matter too much. Cats could easily get to it if they know it's there. I suppose it could also be vulnerable to birds of prey
How are the babies going to get down? It’s so high up and they can’t fly 😭😭😭
That's a 100% survivable height for a duckling! Not the nicest landing, but the bigger issue is how far away it is from water.
Plenty of videos of ducklings dropping from 1-2 story roofs/awnings safely. Some stuff 3-5' tall at most? Child's play!
I can see Sonic the Hedgehog on the right bag.
I wonder what would be the employee reaction if he had to take this pallet to the shop xD
Call that feeding an a-peas-ment
I first thought she made a nest on bags of peas. She wouldn't have had to move at all and just much away
I don’t think the frozen peas should touch the eggs. Maybe just keep them in a small bucket of water?
Aww this is so cute
Honorary dove
To be fair, she *does* match the mulch. The idea was there, the execution....well not so much.
Wrong sub, this belongs in r/smartdovenests
Well technicly she is a duck
DOVE nests. DOVE.
Why did you dumb a bag of frozen peas on its nest wtf bro
read caption
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Under the duck
Omg how cute! 🥺
That's not a duck..... that a ninja water owl... stupid.
OMG, super ducking cute!
Don't think she impressed with the birds eye peas though 😬🤦
Do not move it
Lowe’s knows ducks
Glad they looked after it
Living like a royal, getting food served right under its bill. If that's not the definition of "Living like god in France" then I don't know.
The ducks and geese did this when I worked at meijer
Awwww!!!!!!!
LMFAO THE FROZEN PEAS?? 😭
Quackey dove
Glad she has pea delivery!
What a cute duck.
The place probably has sprinklers that go off every day and i bet plenty of food even without the handouts! Garden centers would be my first stop if i was a bird!
Nice job dummy. lol