The diet of a laying female may consist of twice as much animal food than that of males or non-laying females. Incubation by the female begins after laying her last egg. As soon as their feathers are dry, the mother leads them to water. During such a trip many baby ducks fall prey to gulls, crows and other predators. The female has her work cut out, tending her young alone, as her mate abandons her after the first week of incubation begins, joining other male flocks.
Mallards molt after breeding.
During molt, males are flightless for about 34 days, and resemble females until their fall molt when they regain their resplendent colours. Female mallards are flightless for about 32 days. While in this condition, even adults are vulnerable to predation. I once witnessed a red setter dog attempting to catch young ducklings in our slough. The mother duck valiantly tried to lure the dog away from her offspring, pretending to have an injured wing.