Duck with Broken Foot

[Amiga]

 

[mskupcake]

Miss Lydia,
I have an older duck Duckie & she laid her official 1st 2 eggs 2 days ago. It's really cold here in KY so I took them up. Now she has laid 1 more.... Her & my drake have been attacking me every time I go near the duck house. I'm assuming they don't want me to take this one but she isn't setting on it or anything.
I don't know what to do or how this process even works. The 2 are still mating daily. They aren't very traditional when it comes to instinct..... They where abused when I got them at 9 weeks & have had the hardest time with them. For 6 months they wouldn't even take a bath. My baby ducks have actually taught them how to be "ducks" .
So I'm concerned she'll even know what to do with them. Help please

 

[mskupcake]

Everything I have read online & on here has seemed to not apply to these 2.
Everything I've read so far states they shouldn't even be mating or laying eggs right now. It gets below freezing at night.
I don't have an incubator so I can't hatch them myself. & am afraid they wouldn't survive even if she was to successfully hatch them. It would be dead winter here.
I planned on just eating the eggs or baking with them actually.
how do I know if they are fertile or not?
Oh how I wish they could talk to me! Would be so much easier lol

 

[Amiga]

@mskupcake

Some ducks do mate - all year long!!!

I would not hatch them - eating them should be fine. I don't know how you feel about eating potentially fertile eggs, so I respect whatever you feel about it - - - but now is no time to hatch in the northern hemisphere unless you have the resources (time and space and patience) to keep the little ones indoors.

Ducks that were not raised to be social with humans just have a hard time, and can give us a hard time. Try offering some treats, or wear gloves and sturdy trousers and shoes and take the eggs. I would leave them a treat afterward.

@Miss Lydia

 

[Miss Lydia]

@mskupcake I agree with Amiga take their eggs this is not a good time to hatch for them or for you. You just have to be bold and take them .Listen if I let my Muscovy's sit any time they wanted I'd have hundreds of ducklings lol.. They'll get over it.

 

[mskupcake]

Ok ladies Amiga & miss Lydia. I have been collecting the eggs like you said.... Well until she started hiding them n the yard.. I still have taken most of them up but I leave a few so she will have them all in the same place.... I don't know how to tell when she isn't gonna have no more eggs. She doesn't sit on them at all, the drake is the one who is over protective of the nest, & up until now the eggs have just been sitting alone.
Today I've checked on the ducks several times & wverytime I go in my baby drake (Baxter, 8wks) is sitting on the nest of eggs!
I'm not sure what's going on there or how it's gonna affect the eggs.
I guess my questions are 1. How will I know when she is done laying eggs?
(Oh, btw they r still mating!!!!)
2. Will she keep having eggs as long as they are mating?
3. Will the baby drake affect the nesting process?
4. Should I get some dummy eggs?

 

[mskupcake]

Oh, we are up to 11 eggs now

 

[Amiga]

These things are all up to the ducks, as far as my experience goes.

I sometimes mark a dud egg with a sharpie and leave that as a decoy. Or, I have gotten some ceramic fake eggs and those work.

 

[Miss Lydia]

These things are all up to the ducks, as far as my experience goes.

I sometimes mark a dud egg with a sharpie and leave that as a decoy. Or, I have gotten some ceramic fake eggs and those work.

I use fake ceramic eggs they look very real and my girls sit on them just like they laid them.