Duck sitting on EVERYONE'S eggs??

[Quackygal84]

Hi!! My welsh harlequin has been sitting on a huuuge clutch since around 6/5/2021, every once in a while my khaki Campbell will join her, but rarely stays longer than a couple hours. Upon candling the eggs they seemed to be at different stages of development. I have 2 other girls a pekin and cayuga. And all the eggs in the coop are under my Welshie. Is she taking their eggs at night? What's going on? This is our first experience with fertile eggs. TIA

 

[JacinLarkwell]

They're likely laying when she gets up. I have four hens that do it whenever my spitzhauben gets up. But now she's on a staggered hatch which will not end well. She will hatch the oldest eggs and after a few days will abandon any remaining eggs regardless of if they're still alive or not

 

[Quackygal84]

They're likely laying when she gets up. I have four hens that do it whenever my spitzhauben gets up. But now she's on a staggered hatch which will not end well. She will hatch the oldest eggs and after a few days will abandon any remaining eggs regardless of if they're still alive or not

Uh oh!! That's not good!

 

[Ryguy3684]

I've caught one of my hens stealing eggs before sitting on a clutch. I had video going because I couldn't believe all my chickens were laying in one nest. Sure enough, I saw one rolling eggs out of other nests with her head, wattles, and beak, all the way to the nest she wanted to sit in. My nests are pretty close to the ground, but it was still impressive. For future hatches, I would mark the original eggs, so you can pull all that are laid there later. @JacinLarkwell is right about her abandoning the later eggs. Good luck.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

One option you do have is to remove the late eggs. You can either incubate and raise yourself or destroy the eggs. That would mean that the only eggs under her are ones hatching at the same time

 

[Quackygal84]

One option you do have is to remove the late eggs. You can either incubate and raise yourself or destroy the eggs. That would mean that the only eggs under her are ones hatching at the same time

I've finally started going in there and candling some, but I don't want to move them too much. A lot seem gross and dead. Like blue and the light doesn't shine through. Should I take them all out and clean the coop then put em back?