hens laying eggs for the first time do they know they gotta sit on them?

[ducks rcc]

i have 5 masovie 2 dreakes and 3 hens there about 8 months old and started laying eggs on march 23rd and stopped laying on the 29th ive gone in the pen and stuck my phone in the duck house to see how many eggs there are but i never touched the eggs, ive sneeked up to the pen to see if theres a hen laying on the eggs but theres not are they gona hatch there first set of eggs?

 

[Doylehomestead]

Did you have a male duck for them to mate with? I am not sure if ducks are the same as chickens but I know some wont sit on their eggs. I know this is not much help but I hope you can find the answer!

 

[lazy gardener]

Muscovies are reported to be wonderful mothers. BUT, IMO, you're wasting good eggs by leaving eggs in the nest. They are at risk of being broken, and if so, eaten by the ducks. Are they being laid in a secure coop that is closed up at night? If not, the eggs may attract predators. Not to mention, leaving eggs around may result in stinky rotten, exploding eggs. If your ducks choose to go broody, you'll know it. You won't be able to get them off the nest if they are broody. That's the time to let them set on eggs, and not a minute before then. So, IMO, gather those eggs up, take them in the house, and if they pass the float test make a great omlet and do some baking. Hold back a dozen eggs, always rotating so you're saving the freshest ones. That way, when one of your little ducks goes broody, you have some fresh eggs to give her.

 

[ducks rcc]

Does the first batch of eggs usually hatch?

 

[lazy gardener]

Only if they are fertile and incubated. But, you're really better off to wait until the eggs are bigger before trying to hatch them.

 

[ducks rcc]

some eggs are bigger then the other and i know for a fact that there fertilized i seen the duck "sex" and i have a heat lamp but the hen isnt laying on them

 

[lazy gardener]

Just because the Drake has sex with the female, that is not a 100% guarantee of fertility. However, when you break an egg open, you can, if you know what you're looking for, tell if it is fertile. I'd suggest that you read the information in the learning center.