The Lone Duck

[Liane O]

Here’s Faith…in case it helps determine male or female.
Here’s where it sleeps at night. It’s great that it doesn’t poop in there.
Any advice on if this enclosure is ok?

 

[SilverBirds]

Here’s Faith…in case it helps determine male or female.
Here’s where it sleeps at night. It’s great that it doesn’t poop in there.
Any advice on if this enclosure is ok?

Since it's just her that setup is fine.

 

[Liane O]

Hello Again!
So as Faith was getting ready to go to bed, I peeked before I closed the side hatch, and there was an egg. Clearly it’s a she!
Now, I feel totally terrible as I removed the egg that was right by the side door about an inch from sliding out and down. Is she mad at me for taking it? Should I do something special to her coop? Any advice also on what to do with the egg? Do I refrigerate it? Do I get her a fake egg to replace it? Should I make the bare floor more cozy?
All advice welcome, first duck, first duck egg of my life…I don’t want to be an eggs bandit to her (happy to finally know she’s a she though!)

 

[DobieLover]

Hello Again!
So as Faith was getting ready to go to bed, I peeked before I closed the side hatch, and there was an egg. Clearly it’s a she!
Now, I feel totally terrible as I removed the egg that was right by the side door about an inch from sliding out and down. Is she mad at me for taking it? Should I do something special to her coop? Any advice also on what to do with the egg? Do I refrigerate it? Do I get her a fake egg to replace it? Should I make the bare floor more cozy?
All advice welcome, first duck, first duck egg of my life…I don’t want to be an eggs bandit to her (happy to finally know she’s a she though!)

Congratulations on the egg!
Is she leaving your property regularly? Did she build a nest in the coop or just lay the egg?
You have not described any broody behaviors so I'm inclined to believe she's just laying with no intentions on setting. Continue to collect her eggs.
What are you feeding her?

 

[Liane O]

Congratulations on the egg!
Is she leaving your property regularly? Did she build a nest in the coop or just lay the egg?
You have not described any broody behaviors so I'm inclined to believe she's just laying with no intentions on setting. Continue to collect her eggs.
What are you feeding her?

Thanks!
She laid another this morning.
She’s free to go, some days she goes to the lake behind my fence line other days she just stays here in my yard. She eats duck pellets, unfrozen-frozen corn, some oats sprinkled in and smashed garbanzo beans…as well as whatever she forages for in the yard.
I’m not sure what broody behaviors are…she nips at my husbands toes regularly and chases him around while makes my a bunch of noises when she first sees him. She’ll sometimes nip at me while I’m petting her but usually if I put her in my lap and pet her she chills out.
No nest in the coop. She also doesn’t poop in there at night.
Should I help make her a nest. I have a bag of pine shavings I haven’t opened yet so eggs were laid in the metal coop tray floor on the top level.

 

[Liane O]

Her eggs.

 

[DobieLover]

I’m not sure what broody behaviors are

She will put her eggs in the nest and when she has what she thinks are enough, she will sit on them all day and all night and only get off the nest to eat, drink, poop and maybe take a quick bath then get back on.
If you approach her on the nest she will flatten out and hiss at you.

I have a bag of pine shavings I haven’t opened yet so eggs were laid in the metal coop tray floor on the top level.

Definitely put bedding in the coop. She will make her own nest with the pine shavings.

The over large egg is likely a double yolker so she must be young. I would not allow her to start a clutch of eggs for a while yet. At least a month. That will give her time to fully mature and lay single yolk eggs. Double yolk eggs that are fertile rarely develop fully and if they do, the ducklings rarely survive hatching. You should avoid allowing her to set double yolk eggs.

You can and should crack open the eggs she's laid for eating and examine the yolks for fertility.

 

[Liane O]

Thank you!
I don't want her to have babies. She doesn’t have a boyfriend or any friends that’s why she befriended me.
I don’t know how to know if the eggs are fertile or how don’t have any control of her laying?
I plan on simply removing eggs if she lays them. Yes she is very young, her caruncles just grew in and are still growing in over the past two weeks.

 

[Debbie292d]

Thank you!
I don't want her to have babies. She doesn’t have a boyfriend or any friends that’s why she befriended me.
I don’t know how to know if the eggs are fertile or how don’t have any control of her laying?
I plan on simply removing eggs if she lays them. Yes she is very young, her caruncles just grew in and are still growing in over the past two weeks.

Oh, they can't be fertile if she's a single lady, so I'd take her eggs and you can eat them or use for cooking/baking. Same rules apply as for chicken eggs, that if you don't scrub them, they can sit out on the counter for weeks, otherwise, straight to the fridge.

 

[DobieLover]

they can't be fertile if she's a single lady

She wrote that sometimes she leaves to a local pond. There could very well be a handsome drake down there she is visiting.