Ducks laying eggs with chickens

[Sandfly45]

Hi, weve had 5 chickens and 3 ducks (2 female and 1 male)for about 2 months in a large enclosure but only 1 shelter for all. All going great so far, the hens are laying great. The ducks have started laying (I presume fertilized eggs) on the same nest as the chicken eggs (that arent fertilised). I'd love to have ducklings but unsure what to do with the eggs as the ducks arent sitting on them. I've read that ducks will only start sitting on them when all their eggs are laid. Wont the first eggs get cold or go rotten? Will the hens maybe start incubating them? If I move them to a "duck only" nest will that work? We've never had birds before and didnt do our research before the eggs started popping out!

 

[DuckyDonna]

You could get an incubator and wait until you get the desired number of ducks eggs and hatch them yourself.

Depending on the breed of ducks you have some don't get broody very often. I've got Indian runners and they seldom do so I incubate my own which is kinda cool.

Someone more experienced than I am will have to answer on how to arrange the nests like @WVduckchick, @Miss Lydia will have the answer to that.

 

[WVduckchick]

Yep ducks collect eggs until they get the amount they want. They tend to them every day and they won’t spoil unless it’s very very warm. You can either collect some and leave some, then when she decides to sit, swap out the ones you’ve collected with the ones she had. Or just wait and see when/if she decides to sit.
You’ll be able to remove chicken eggs occasionally when she gets off the nest, which she should do, once or twice a day.