Ducks carrying eggs to water???

[Saxony_ducks]

We have 5 ducks and keep finding eggs in the buckets of water around their area. Are they purposely carrying the eggs and dropping them in the water? Has anyone heard ducks doing this before? We do have one nesting duck and wondering if she is trying to wet the eggs but then they seem to leave them there.

 

[AgnesGray]

I've seen videos of people cleaning out their pond and finding baskets and baskets of duck eggs. Mine haven't done this yet. They tend to lay most of them in the nest, but then will have a rogue week where I find them all over the place.

Are your ducks getting in that water? I wonder if they are laying the eggs in the water as a comfort choice like some women having babies in the water?

 

[Saxony_ducks]

Thank you for your reply! I would be very suprised if they were getting in this water as the buckets are quite narrow and they do have a larger pond that they definately go in but no eggs in there?? What is very peculiar as well, is the buckets have a lot higher sides than the pond and if the duck was somehow moving or rolling the egg into the water why not go for something with lower sides???

 

[416bigbore]

Welcome to BYC. Very strange for sure. In your OP you say WE, might someone else be messing with you?

 

[Saxony_ducks]

Well I mean I live with my parents and I would be very suprised if it was one of them moving the eggs and the rest of my family are oblivious to anything to do with the outside animals (but... it could be a possibility!!). The ducks also live with our chickens and the eggs are often broken in the bucket. Whether that means they were put in broken by a duck or chicken or one of the chickens could have cracked it in the bucket??

 

[416bigbore]

Our ISA Browns haven't started laying yet, very soon. Right now the four hens are in with our ducks and I have noticed that they like to sit on the edge of the ducks large water tub and they will drop a poop into the water and think nothing of it. Maybe yours are doing the same thing, but only dropping eggs. You might have to pull some surveillance to know for sure what is really happening? Please keep us posted.

 

[chelseachook]

Once my old duck got broody, ended up with 4 babies, and chucked the rotten and dead eggs into their pond/pool . I had to clean the pool out. It was gross.

 

[416bigbore]

Once my old duck got broody, ended up with 4 babies, and chucked the rotten and dead eggs into their pond/pool . I had to clean the pool out. It was gross.

Gross is an understatement for rotten eggs!