got eggs!!!

[kylee2katie]

Big Momma, my pekin who was born on April 2, 2010 suprised me Saturday morning! I went out around 6:30 to let them out of the night pen and clean it out. While I was spraying the concrete paver stones around the ramp to their pool, an egg rolled out!! It was cracked in several places so my guess is she must have been on the ramp when she layed it. Sunday morning, I went out and looked and there was #2, also cracked...so, I put hay down around that edge and corner where I had put a nest box for her - today I have #3 - it was on the hay but not in the nest box - no cracks!! I am so excited - I really didn't think we'd have eggs till next spring!

I am going today to get some sort of rubber matting to put down in the pen since I found out (thanks to a BYC member) that the concrete is bad for their feet and now to help protect the eggs! Is there anyway to train her to lay in the nest box?

 

[GMT]

Golf balls. Having a number of somethings approximately egg-sized and egg-colored in there seems to encourage ducks to find the nest boxes and work out what they're used for. At least, it did for mine. Though I'm not sure just how fooled my ducks really are, since sometimes I find a golf ball all by its lonesome out in the main part of their house; and sometimes a duck decides to just lay an egg right out on the floor of the duckhouse (where I have to then crawl in and get it) for giggles.

 

[katharinad]

I have my duck in training mode right now. They are not laying yet, but one started to play mom outside. They build a nest, put rocks into it, and sat on it for few days on an off. That's when I put a nesting box into the duck house with pine shaving and a ceramic "chicken" egg in it. The girls seem to use the box, but they are not ready yet to lay eggs. I hope they will use the box once they get ready. Only time will tell.

 

[FenDruadin]

Second on the golf balls--mine laid anywhere in the world but their nestboxes until I started putting golf balls in them. They still lay all over sometimes, but most eggs make their way to the nestboxes. Also, keep in mind that a girl new to laying may not recognize her signs yet, and may not make it to the nestbox even if she's trying. Sorta like potty training, lol! But the golf balls are a good idea to show her the right spot.

Congrats on the eggs!