Do Ducks eat they own eggs?

[newbyduckmom]

I have heard of chickens eating their own eggs, but do ducks do that as well? Went out this morning to find one of the eggs pulverized with yolk everywhere. Their oyster shell bowl was empty as well (it was full last night). What was left of the egg appeared to have a normally hard shell (from what I could tell). It may have just been that they somehow trampled it, but concerned it was eaten or came out broken somehow.

 

[Kevin565]

I think it may be possible. I've raised ducks for years and have never personally had a duck do it though.

 

[bexnd]

i used to collect eggs on a farm and quite often you would find craked eggs from bieng trampled but we're talking a fair few hundered in one barn. yes they do eat their eggs for calcium but normally only if their broken but if they ducks get a taste for them they will crack their eggs to eat. which is why we wheren't aloud to feed the ducks them to much if they where completely crushed then the ducks could have it if only a little crack we wherent aloud last thing you want is a shed full of layers eating their eggs lol. but in your case i wouldnt be worried im sure the shell was fine it just probably got stood on

 

[newbyduckmom]

15 months into this and I am still a worried duck mom!

 

[bexnd]

lmao you should work on a farm lol when you see eggs in that number coming out 1 egg doesnt really bother you LOL. we'd have anything up to 300 cracks to large or to small come out of 1 shed

 

[rainplace]

We had a problem with ducks eating eggs for about 5 months. I can only assume that one got broken on accident and then they got a taste for them. I would let them out in the morning and there would be a least 4 who regularly had yolk all over their bills. I solved the problem two ways. I started putting fake eggs in there and started releasing them earlier. After a few weeks of that (because they started laying outside which I did not like) I went back to the regular release time and they no longer ate their eggs. I would imagine the trying to break open fake eggs for a bit stopped them.

 

[bexnd]

another possibility is maybe they where loooking for extra calcium. animals have a way of knowing what they lack and will hunt for that mineral they need. so if it happens often i would give a calcium suplement just to boost while their laying

 

[newbyduckmom]

Well, egg eating is confirmed. Another egg gone this morning with yolk in their water. They had a full bowl of fresh oyster shell that I gave them last night. :0( Haven't been getting as much forage time with me working so much. Guess I am going to have to make time before dark to let them out and let them forage for at least a bit before I lock them up for the night. Only happens when they have been in the smaller duck run for a couple of days without having time out. Still getting flockraiser, oyster shell, greens or dandelions as they have always gotten -- this morning I went slug hunting for them. (Gee, never thought I would be voluntarily collecting slugs.) Have even tried giving more feed in the event that they were just needing more than normal at this time of year. But "extra" feed was still in the bowl this morning.

 

[cswappo]

Hello everyone! My Name is colton, and I am the proud parent of the duck below, named Eugene.







I went out this morning to find that our duck, eugene had ate her egg today also. of course i was puzzled and a little bit worried....But after reading over the feedback above, I'm guessing that she did this because we have snow on the ground (UTAH), and she has not been getting quite the amount of healthy green grass/dandelions she had in the summer/fall, she resorted to her own egg for that extra calcium. It's amazing how smart these creatures are!

 

[duckluck]

Eggs are a near-perfect food, including for birds. Yes, they will eat them, but putting fake eggs or golf balls in, especially when they are not laying, helps correct this behavior. I go through at least one bout of this every winter with my Calls. They don't seem to like banging their bills against an unyielding substance though!