If a nest is destroyed, the hen may or may not suffer the same fate, with probability of death equal to 0.06. Once a simulated hen dies, her death is tallied and she no longer plays a role. Should the simulated clutch survive the requisite 34 days, the eggs hatch. The number of eggs hatched equals the number laid, which was a random variable dependent on the hen's condition and the initiation date. Not all ducklings survive to fledging.
Some broods succumb completely, and nearly half the ducklings are lost from remaining broods.
Those ducklings that survive all the hazards are tallied as fledged recruits, the ultimate product of the reproductive season. For each type of nesting habitat, the program lists the number of nesting attempts initiated, the number of successful attempts, and the number of recruits that were hatched in that habitat. One listing is of all nests, indicating the hen involved, her age, her weight at nest initiation, the habitat, dates on which the nest was begun and terminated, the size of the clutch, and the fate of the nest. Summary tables display the total number of nests according to habitat and fate by age of hen. These data are also presented for each habitat type.