duck nest boxes...how to get them to use it???

[scrapmom5]

My runner just layed her first egg...Yay!

Ok, so it wasn't perfect.

She didn't lay it in the nest box I made for her. I even put a golf ball in it to encourage her. She layed it on my lawn in front of the ponds. The next box is to the side of the pond so the sprinklers will leave it alone.

It also had no shell. It looked awesome though (I have never seen a soft shell egg). I plan on getting her some oyster shell to fix this problem. I never thought of giving it to her before since my neighbor just gives his duck dog food and has never had a problem. (I think I will just treat my ducks like chickens with an affection for water).

The egg is also smaller than I thought it would be. It was the same size as my polish hens eggs. I assume it will get bigger as Quackers grows older.

Do you think we could still eat a soft shell egg?

My other duck is a beautiful Pekin drake...should I just assume that my eggs could be fertile?

Ok enough questions for today. I hope any of you duck experts can help.

 

[herbandteas]

I want to know all those questions too.....my ducks are 14 week old now.

 

[scrapmom5]

Oh please!!! Someone has an opionion...I know they do. I am really interested in your replies.

 

[Judymae]

My ducks don't like anything premade for them. They prefer to lay in pine shavings in the bottom of my chicken coop. Even when the go broody they don't want anything premade. Ducks are weird that way!!

 

[scrapmom5]

how do you gather their eggs??? I would hate to have to search all over my yard...under every fern and hosta, behind the water fall, in the playground, through the one area I hate to weed, near the stream...I am tired already just thinking about it.

I really need her to lay in one spot. I can't imagine what to I would do when winter comes and I have two feet of snow on the ground...it would be like looking for a...white egg in a mountain of white snow.

 

[Judymae]

Mine lay every morning before we let them outta the coop. Let me start at the beginning. Our ducks sleep in a closed up chicken coop with the chickens. My oldest son is the one to let the chickens and ducks out each morning and he gathers the duck's eggs then. They lay earlier then the chickens. I've had some that have gone back into the coop to lay later in the day but they only lay in the coop.

Do your ducks get confined in a coop or something like that at nite?

 

[herbandteas]

As soon as I got my duck pair I started them on the in the coop all night and so they now go in on their own. They share the coop with the chickens. They have the lower level and the chickens have the upper level. I have a nest box in there for her when she is ready to start laying.

The chickens are 9 weeks old so they are not laying yet but I will have a nest box in there soon.