Mallard eggshells (1 Viewer)

[Jim Archer]

Do Mallards remove the shells from the nest after hatching ?

My daughter phoned to say that everything, eggs/shells and ducks disappeared,from a nest int their garden, during a night they were not at home. No sign of any damage or disturbance to the nest.

Could it have been some predator or did they hatch and leave for a local lake?

 

[Rasmus Boegh]

Oops! Deleted my original thread by mistake... here's another:

Mallards wouldn't normally remove the egg-shells from the nest. Similarly, the ducklings usually stay a short period in the nest after they have hatched. So, if they were there yesterday, and nothing this morning: It does (sadly) sound more like a predator. If your daughter hasn't watched the nest for a few days, they may have hatched and already left. Egg-shells contain much calcium, so they are readily eaten by other animals.