Hatching

[Gardenchicken19]

I had 4 pekins up until about 5 weeks ago. 2 drakes and 2 ducks. The drakes were mating the females nonstop while we had them. Now we only have the 2 females one of which just started to lay eggs. Do you think there is a possibility they could be fertile after 5 weeks of no drakes?

 

[SilverBirds]

Hens can stay fertile for up to 4 weeks after mating. Occasionally up to 6 weeks in some cases. If this her first time laying eggs it's possible for her to still be fertile if the boys were getting the job done right. To check for fertility, crack open one or some of the eggs and look for a bullseye. Sometimes it can be tricky to tell, so feel free to post pictures if you need help.

 

[Gardenchicken19]

Hens can stay fertile for up to 4 weeks after mating. Occasionally up to 6 weeks in some cases. If this her first time laying eggs it's possible for her to still be fertile if the boys were getting the job done right. To check for fertility, crack open one or some of the eggs and look for a bullseye. Sometimes it can be tricky to tell, so feel free to post pictures if you need help. View attachment 3900648View attachment 3900650

Thank you! I just cracked some open and I believe they are fertile.

 

[SilverBirds]

Thank you! I just cracked some open and I believe they are fertile.

I think you might be right.

 

[Gardenchicken19]

we have since got 2 Rouen ducklings who ended up being drakes. We’ve been witnessing some adult activity with our pekins lately. We know some of the eggs are fertile, however we can’t figure out if it’s one pair that are mating or both. We currently have some eggs in the incubator but doesn’t look like we are having much luck which leads me to believe we’re only getting one fertile egg a day.

Does this egg look fertile to you?