Duck nests

[specTONKular]

Hello all
Firstly thank you for reading this.
My story so far! I tried for a couple years to hatch eggs from ebay, all attempts failed, I think in part from the incubator (never buy cheap!!) In the end last August I purchased 4 miniature silver appleyard which I was told were all girls, so when 3 turned out to be males I thought I should rehome 2 of my boys (which I did in January ) during this time I 'saved' 2 call duck cross from a teenager who got them for tictok purposes and was keeping them in a hamster cage (smaller than the one I had for my hamster!!) They couldn't stretch or duck yoga as we call it.
Any hoo.... so in February I went to clean out the duckery (nice bday present for me!!) I found our 1st egg so it really was the best present. Then I noticed a couple of weeks ago that bongo would disappear after opening the run for the day and missy (the male) would stand guard and when she got up there was 2 eggs, each day a new one added, so I thought she is getting her clutch together. Then we had a cold spell and so I decided to incubate the 6 that was there. Upon taking the eggs bongo stopped using that nest, then the same started to happen in the duckery so I took those eggs too and now no more eggs in the duckery.
This morning my partner came in saying he couldn't find bongo (after letting them out) although when I went out to look for her she was there but jemima was missing. I hunted the garden and found her sat on 3 eggs that wasn't the the day before!
My question is...
Is it possible that the eggs are from both girls? so they are sharing the nest? Also is it worth getting some fake eggs so I don't have to have an easter egg hunt every day or so? Attached is the 1st nest ( please not the snail shell in the nest too!!)and bongo sat on them.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Yes to fake eggs and yes to sharing a nest. I would also suggest delaying when you let them out (if possible) so they lay in the coop. I always have the most trouble with hidden nests in the spring.

 

[specTONKular]

Thank you so much! It makes so much sense as the eggs laid are 2 colours, white and a blue/green.
I will try delaying them in the morning, it's just bongo is so noisy when she wants something, so half past seven, she is quacking to escape lol.
It started out as fun finding the eggs in the beginning but I am gonna be Easter egg hunt-ed out before we get to April. I am going to look for some fake eggs now. Thank you again

 

[ruthhope]

We have three females -- two pekin and a muscovy. They almost always all lay in the same nest and the larger pekin, " Big girls sits on them until I go out to feed them. This morning we had two eggs in one nest and the smaller pekin had obliged by laying hers in a separate nesting box.

Last year, the same little minx [the little pekin] would dash out in the morning and hide her egg -- so we had the egg hunt each day to find in which of her hidy places she had laid -- behind the HVAC behind the compost, hidden in the ferns etc. So we stopped letting the girls out until after 9am -- sometimes even 10am. The girls are good about staying in late and sometimes each will sit on a separate nesting box while they wait [but all three eggs would be under the bigger pekin.] They seem to think egg laying is a communal activity!