Can a Duck tell if her eggs are fertile?

[phoenixxflame]

I have eight eggs in my duck pen currently. When I went out to check if a female had gone broody this afternoon, I saw that she had thrown three of them off to the side. why is that? Some people are telling me that she knows they are not fertile, and some that there are too many eggs in her nest. I don't think there are too many in her nest, considering last year she hatched a clutch of fifteen. Also, She seems to be shoving all the eggs inside the walls of the nest she made...why is that?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have had ducks push eggs out of the nest, chickens too. They have always been no good. My muscovy hens haven't had a drake for a few years and they have only half heartily tried to brood their eggs, nothing like they did when they had a drake.

I don't know why she would be moving the eggs into the nest walls. Is it warm where you are at?

 

[phoenixxflame]

It's about 60 degrees Fahrenheit on average.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Is she actually broody or still adding to the nest. Maybe she doesn't want them warming up yet.

 

[chickens really]

All Birds seam to do it, so I have never put much thought into it?....Others will sit on rotten eggs also...I think its just a Hen thing they do...Possibly another Hen laid in the same nest?....

 

[phoenixxflame]

She's still adding to the nest, but they have no access to the nest from about 7 am to 8 pm because I bring them out to their pen (The pen is not attached to where the nest is). Should I leave a hen in the nest area so she will get broody?

 

[chickens really]

Leave the one that is more interested in the nest...Hard to set if you cant get to it?...

 

[phoenixxflame]

So I left her in the pen all day so far, and when I went to check on her, she put some more eggs in the wall. One picture is what you see when you look in the pen (has four eggs) and the other is when I

picked up the nest wall, revealing the other eggs.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

She might be still making a clutch. My muscovy cover their eggs when the leave them. Could be the two pushed to the side are no good, and the covered ones are good, but who knows what exactly is in a ducks mind.

 

[phoenixxflame]

I watched her today for about three hours while reading my book. She would kind of play with the hay near the nest, walk onto the eggs, sleep for ten minutes, then repeat. I'm pretty sure she has stopped laying eggs, but my two other hens are still laying, so if she is indeed still making her clutch, I will add the other eggs to hers.