Duck eggs cracked and eaten?

[jfinn57]

So I have 7 pet ducks that I've acquired through different means. All of them are around half a year old with a couple a little older or younger. They live pretty independently on our land and have 2 large ponds they swim around and forage in. While walking my dog around today, I saw 4 different eggs, all with a hole in them and the yolk and everything gone from the inside. They weren't in a nest or anything just kinda in different areas near where they sleep. If the ducks wanted these eggs to hatch would they have made a nest and laid them in there? Also, I'm not sure what got to the eggs. If it was my dog I feel like the eggs would have been completely smashed. There's geese that roam around our land too but I'm not sure if they would have done it. Maybe a raccoon or something? Should I be worried for my ducks or potential ducklings or will they hide the eggs better if they actually want the eggs to hatch?

 

[chickencoop789]

My opinion is that there are two things that could've happened to the eggs. The first, and most likely, is that since your ducks are free ranging a couple of them just stopped and laid an egg in a random spot on the ground. Seems odd but you'd be surprised you many eggs I find around my property. Then a bird flying around spotted the eggs and came down, pecked a hole and ate them. Again, seems odd, but it does happen. If this is the case, then the eating was most likely the work of a crow. Another option is something is stealing the eggs out of the coop and eating them around your property. My guess would be either a skunk or possum. If this is what's happening, then yes, your ducks could be at risk of a predator attack. It doesn't happen very often but a skunk or possum can eat a chicken. Hoped this helped a little

 

[Miss Lydia]

So I have 7 pet ducks that I've acquired through different means. All of them are around half a year old with a couple a little older or younger. They live pretty independently on our land and have 2 large ponds they swim around and forage in. While walking my dog around today, I saw 4 different eggs, all with a hole in them and the yolk and everything gone from the inside. They weren't in a nest or anything just kinda in different areas near where they sleep. If the ducks wanted these eggs to hatch would they have made a nest and laid them in there? Also, I'm not sure what got to the eggs. If it was my dog I feel like the eggs would have been completely smashed. There's geese that roam around our land too but I'm not sure if they would have done it. Maybe a raccoon or something? Should I be worried for my ducks or potential ducklings or will they hide the eggs better if they actually want the eggs to hatch?

Any time we leave our water fowl out to fend for themselves with out secure housing we run the risk of not only losing eggs to predators but ducks and their ducklings. There are so many predators just waiting for an easy meal.

@jfinn57 Welcome to BYC

 

[jfinn57]

Thanks for the help, I think it must've been a crow or some type of bird like you said coming down and snacking on the eggs. I think the eggs were just laid in a random spot and left by the ducks.