First egg from Cayuga

[Terraalexandria]

It is not recommended to let a duck sit on eggs until it is at least 1 year old. Chances are she will not sit well or will not mother well. She's not fully mature, no disrespect to anyone who has had a child while young, but it is the difference between a 15 year old and a 25 year old getting pregnant and having a baby. Are they both physically capable of it? Yes. Are they equally emotionally and socially prepared for it? No.
So if this duck is less than a year old it's better to wait and eat the first eggs for a while or to use an incubator.
As the duck matures she'll start making a better nest and always lay in the nest, you can encourage this with a nest box in the house.
Where that egg is laid in the house, it's just dropped on the ground, there's no nest, that's not really a good sign for hoping the duck will go broody.
Broodiness is a hormonal change in the duck that tells her to sit on the eggs, she'll do most of her eating and just sit for 28 days. That's a pretty big deal and it takes a bit of time for broodiness to fully kick in!
Also, some breeds have broodiness bred out of them so that you almost need to use an incubator. Cayugas may go broody, but they're not necessarily known for it

Checked for any new eggs just now & although there weren’t any (yet) she did form a better nest than yesterday (posted the photo) perhaps she’ll beat the odds and be a great mother

 

[Poultry mum]

View attachment 2729506
Checked for any new eggs just now & although there weren’t any (yet) she did form a better nest than yesterday (posted the photo) perhaps she’ll beat the odds and be a great mother

Just because she is making a nest to lay an egg doesn’t mean she is broody and these eggs are even fertile…. My cauga girls make nest lay eggs … my Muscovy girls do this too… please do not force your newly egg laying duck to become broody its like forcing a 12yr old girl who just got period for the 1st time to become pregnant just because you want to be “grandma” your better off getting an incubator if that’s what you want… sorry but that’s the fact… and not to be rude or bitchy but your obviously not ready for ducks or ducklings if you haven’t done your research…. The fact that you had to ask “what does broody mean” shows that you haven’t done your resear before getting ducks…

 

[N Good]

That’s the point I was trying to make was just trying to be a bit more tactful lol…

I hope I didn't come on too strong, that wasn't my intention.

 

[Terraalexandria]

It is not recommended to let a duck sit on eggs until it is at least 1 year old. Chances are she will not sit well or will not mother well. She's not fully mature, no disrespect to anyone who has had a child while young, but it is the difference between a 15 year old and a 25 year old getting pregnant and having a baby. Are they both physically capable of it? Yes. Are they equally emotionally and socially prepared for it? No.
So if this duck is less than a year old it's better to wait and eat the first eggs for a while or to use an incubator.
As the duck matures she'll start making a better nest and always lay in the nest, you can encourage this with a nest box in the house.
Where that egg is laid in the house, it's just dropped on the ground, there's no nest, that's not really a good sign for hoping the duck will go broody.
Broodiness is a hormonal change in the duck that tells her to sit on the eggs, she'll do most of her eating and just sit for 28 days. That's a pretty big deal and it takes a bit of time for broodiness to fully kick in!
Also, some breeds have broodiness bred out of them so that you almost need to use an incubator. Cayugas may go broody, but they're not necessarily known for it

Just because she is making a nest to lay an egg doesn’t mean she is broody and these eggs are even fertile…. My cauga girls make nest lay eggs … my Muscovy girls do this too… please do not force your newly egg laying duck to become broody its like forcing a 12yr old girl who just got period for the 1st time to become pregnant just because you want to be “grandma” your better off getting an incubator if that’s what you want… sorry but that’s the fact… and not to be rude or bitchy but your obviously not ready for ducks or ducklings if you haven’t done your research…. The fact that you had to ask “what does broody mean” shows that you haven’t done your resear before getting ducks…

Jesus lol you’re super negative about my excitement. I have raised my Cayuga’s since they were 6 weeks old and they are doing just fine. Although I am new to this egg laying/hatching process plus learning the terms does not mean I am incompetent. I will continue to learn and continue to love/spoil my ducks. Btw I am not forcing them to do anything. I am simply asking what to look for since she is laying. Hopefully your day gets better and your mood improves.

 

[N Good]

Jesus lol you’re super negative about my excitement. I have raised my Cayuga’s since they were 6 weeks old and they are doing just fine. Although I am new to this egg laying/hatching process plus learning the terms does not mean I am incompetent. I will continue to learn and continue to love/spoil my ducks. Btw I am not forcing them to do anything. I am simply asking what to look for since she is laying. Hopefully your day gets better and your mood improves.

Just for the record, I really wasn't trying to be negative, I was trying to inform. I have totally get the excitement!! I just hatched out my first ducklings in an incubator and with a broody mama one week ago. Trust me, I've been itching to do it since they first started laying in October. But in the end, I'm glad I waited. You do what is right for you and your birds, I still recommend a nesting box if you are trying to encourage broodiness. I also would still recommend waiting until she's older to encourage broodiness, unfortunately with the time of year that might mean waiting until next spring....(disappointing, I know). But incubators are only $60-90 and are just as much fun (in their own way).
At the end of the day, I hope you do what's right for you and your birds. Enjoy them and keep having fun!

 

[Terraalexandria]

Just for the record, I really wasn't trying to be negative, I was trying to inform. I have totally get the excitement!! I just hatched out my first ducklings in an incubator and with a broody mama one week ago. Trust me, I've been itching to do it since they first started laying in October. But in the end, I'm glad I waited. You do what is right for you and your birds, I still recommend a nesting box if you are trying to encourage broodiness. I also would still recommend waiting until she's older to encourage broodiness, unfortunately with the time of year that might mean waiting until next spring....(disappointing, I know). But incubators are only $60-90 and are just as much fun (in their own way).
At the end of the day, I hope you do what's right for you and your birds. Enjoy them and keep having fun!

I was replying to that other person lol not you! I appreciate your feed back!

 

[shawluvsbirds]

We have one drake and the rest are his girlfriends, but we have singled out his favorite and the one he seems to enjoy drowning from time to time she’s also the only one who knows how to escape their enclosure which is why I scoured the yard after finding the first egg lol you don’t think there’s a possibility it’ll hatch?

Well sure It is possible. It's just not the best chance for eggs that are possibly older or dirty or been laying out and exposed to weather ..extreme heat or cold, or real dirty. And an egg that goes bad in the nest can end up popping and contaminating the rest of the eggs.

What does broody mean? And is numbering them for consumption purposes because although eventually we might eat them… our main hope is to get a duckling lol we are treating this situation as first time grandparents haha

I wouldn't keep and eat eggs that have been sitting out for 10-12 days myself. They may or may not be good. The purpouse is for what I said above. Plus they start losing fertility at about 10 days and there's less chance it will develop.

It is not recommended to let a duck sit on eggs until it is at least 1 year old. Chances are she will not sit well or will not mother well. She's not fully mature, no disrespect to anyone who has had a child while young, but it is the difference between a 15 year old and a 25 year old getting pregnant and having a baby. Are they both physically capable of it? Yes. Are they equally emotionally and socially prepared for it? No.
So if this duck is less than a year old it's better to wait and eat the first eggs for a while or to use an incubator.
As the duck matures she'll start making a better nest and always lay in the nest, you can encourage this with a nest box in the house.
Where that egg is laid in the house, it's just dropped on the ground, there's no nest, that's not really a good sign for hoping the duck will go broody.
Broodiness is a hormonal change in the duck that tells her to sit on the eggs, she'll do most of her eating and just sit for 28 days. That's a pretty big deal and it takes a bit of time for broodiness to fully kick in!
Also, some breeds have broodiness bred out of them so that you almost need to use an incubator. Cayugas may go broody, but they're not necessarily known for it

I would also wait until next year if it were me.
But that's not saying it can't happen.
My Cayugas are not the best mother's anyway and they are a few years old. I probably won't be letting mine sit again.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Just because she is making a nest to lay an egg doesn’t mean she is broody and these eggs are even fertile…. My cauga girls make nest lay eggs … my Muscovy girls do this too… please do not force your newly egg laying duck to become broody its like forcing a 12yr old girl who just got period for the 1st time to become pregnant just because you want to be “grandma” your better off getting an incubator if that’s what you want… sorry but that’s the fact… and not to be rude or bitchy but your obviously not ready for ducks or ducklings if you haven’t done your research…. The fact that you had to ask “what does broody mean” shows that you haven’t done your resear before getting ducks…

I'm not sure you can FORCE a duck to go broody. They either will or won't.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

View attachment 2729506
Checked for any new eggs just now & although there weren’t any (yet) she did form a better nest than yesterday (posted the photo) perhaps she’ll beat the odds and be a great mother

Broody means when they decide they want to sit on the eggs. Eggs will not start to develop until the conditions are right for it.
They usually don't start sitting until they have several eggs saved up to sit on. Leaving some eggs in the nest can encourage them to want to brood and sit but it's not a guarantee they will.
And plenty of times first times mothers and even sometimes older ones with not so great instincts will start to sit on them and then abandon them later.. Better buy an incubator.

Another thing to think about is a lot of times your other ducks won't be good with babies. Especially ones that have never seen babies and your drake.
Your drake being young adds even more danger to the situation. Young drakes are super hormonal and you may have to fence your sitting duck off so he's not in there trying to mount her on the nest.

A drake will sometimes try to mount a young duckling killing it.
You need to plan for how to keep them safe for several months until they can handle being bred.

Also think about what you will do with extra drakes that hatch. Your gonna love them and wanna keep them all...
Too many drakes is a disaster waiting to happen.
Not trying to be negative here, just making you aware of all the possibilities to be ready for.

 

[Terraalexandria]

Broody means when they decide they want to sit on the eggs. Eggs will not start to develop until the conditions are right for it.
They usually don't start sitting until they have several eggs saved up to sit on. Leaving some eggs in the nest can encourage them to want to brood and sit but it's not a guarantee they will.
And plenty of times first times mothers and even sometimes older ones with not so great instincts will start to sit on them and then abandon them later.. Better buy an incubator.

Another thing to think about is a lot of times your other ducks won't be good with babies. Especially ones that have never seen babies and your drake.
Your drake being young adds even more danger to the situation. Young drakes are super hormonal and you may have to fence your sitting duck off so he's not in there trying to mount her on the nest.

A drake will sometimes try to mount a young duckling killing it.
You need to plan for how to keep them safe for several months until they can handle being bred.

Also think about what you will do with extra drakes that hatch. Your gonna love them and wanna keep them all...
Too many drakes is a disaster waiting to happen.
Not trying to be negative here, just making you aware of all the possibilities to be ready for.

Thank you for the information! I will jot this all down and start planning!