Eggs fertile???? How do I tell

[kelseygirl707]

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Have you seen them mate? It could be that you have too many males, and they are all fighting for mating privileges, but not actually getting the deed done because they wont let each other get close to the females. Hope that makes sense, it does in my head, but writing it is a different story, LOL

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

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they generally dont breed like that, 1 male to one female is usually the way they breed, not like domestics where everybody breeds everybody, second year birds though, yes they shouldnt be shooting blanks??

 

[duckling 1234]

The only place I've ever seen Mandarins breed is in the water... Do you have a little pool in there?

 

[katharinad]

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You are right on this one. Thought it had only one each because of the low number of eggs. Something is missing for sure. Perhaps the duck kiddie pool? See if you can find someone who is familiar with your type of duck. They are not all the same and each on may require something special. I've found something interesting that states that vitamin deficiencies can cause low egg products and fertility in females and males alike. On the other hand high quality feed does usually contain those.
Katharina

 

[Littleducky]

They have a kiddie pool that gets cleaned daily in addition to the regular water. I use a good food and have seen the males and females in the pool together. Maybe I am missing some kind of nutrient. I will look into that thanks for all the help

 

[katharinad]

There is an excellent pdf file by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service about incubating and hatching eggs . Near the end is a chart with vitamins and minerals and what their deficiency can cause in egg. Really interesting.
Katharina

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

nurtients and sterility are kind of a way out there deal, possible, but sounds like you are doing everything right, so probably not it.
I'm just curious here as to another option. These are tuff to hatch in an incubator if you dont do everything just right.
What were your settings at? Do you use a turner or hand turn? I highly recommend hand turning them on their sides, egg turners and duck eggs never seem to work well for me, wild or domestic.
Just a thought...