Can you trick a duck into laying in one spot? How long can unfertilized eggs be left out?

[redeemedso]

My Cayuga lays in a different spot everyday. Well, I thought she had been taking a laying break but my kids found nine eggs in one nest! Cleary she is looking for a place to lay where her eggs won't get taken! So my two questions, can I still eat the eggs? One has obviously been out there for nine days! Also, if I put one egg back out will she lay on that nest again? Can I hollow out an egg and use that? Is there a trick to get her to lay in one spot? I don't mind he hunt every morning, but obviously we are missing some! Thank you!!

 

[Amiga]

Wherever she lays it needs to be in a safe place.

Nine days - that's a while. I might just let that one go. What I have done is use a pencil to mark eggs that I use for broodies (not fertile). Then I take the unmarked eggs out every day. After a week or so, I replace the old decoy eggs with fresh ones, mark the new decoys and compost the old decoys.

 

[ducksinarow]

My ducks like golf balls. You can also buy ceramic eggs at Hobby Lobby.

 

[redeemedso]

Glad to hear that this is a common thing! We set out an old one and marked it. Sure enough there were two in the morning! This will certainly make our morning egg gathering less of a hunt!

 

[bgsuohio]

I use 3 golf balls and my pekins always lay in the nest. They are in a pen over night and when I go out in the morning to let them out the eggs are always in the same spot. I do have a mallard that didn't want to go back in the pen one night about 2 weeks ago, she is now hiding under the deck. My guess is she has a nest under there.