Is this normal for mallards?
Today I saw a female mallard with chicks that were so small that I estimate them to be no more than 1 to 2 weeks old.
This means that they hatched from the eggs around mid-March.
The breeding period for mallards is said to be 28 days.
This means she must have had sex in mid-February and laid the eggs by then.
Isn't that unusually early given the cold etc.?
The internet says they breed in mid-March, but this duck must have bred a whole month earlier, in mid-February.
(2 votes)
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At the end of March, and how do you work in assessing the age of a chick?
Even if you are right, it would be possible.
Because exceptions always confirm the rule.
Best regards
gregor443
They were very small. Older than 1 or 2 weeks may not have been guaranteed.
It is more likely that the chicks were only a few days or even hours old. For the mother leaves the nest with them shortly after the slip and leads them to the water.
Yeah, okay. It can be. Then it’s a lucky coincidence that I’ve seen her so soon after the slip.
It could be. The fox brilliance was over at the beginning of February. There’s time for food for the puppies.
Okay, thanks.
Well, it wasn’t so cold in the last few months. Animals don’t depend on our calendar.
Okay, thanks.