How long can a duck hold on to an egg?

[Kleonaptra]

My favourite little call Leelu has started laying, but not in the shed with the other ducks, oh no, the duck whose eggs I most want has to be sneaky! I noticed her sneaking off to the top garden. Investigated a few hours later to find an egg. The next day she was sneaking into the side garden. A few hours later I went to check and found her curled up in the top of a lily plant. She came out indignantly quaking at me. Today she has moped about the pen, not free ranging, not sneaking anywhere, just sitting fluffed up. She had a little food and water but didnt swim or have her usual enthusiasam. I think she's gotten upset from me disturbing her and taking her eggs. Can she hold on to it long enough to make her ill?

FYI the only 2 eggs of hers I found are now in the incubator with 10 from my other girls.

 

[Going Quackers]

she sounds broody! they are super cute when they are, hostile though. She wants to set a clutch and wants you to leave her alone!

 

[MommaHenn]

Well, you are trying to trick mother nature, which is not so easy. She can hold that egg until it makes her sick - that's for sure. I would try to let her lay and replace with dummy eggs, so she still feels safe enough to finish laying. I would let her choose wherever she likes.

 

[Kleonaptra]

I cant let her choose wherever she likes because I cant leave her out overnight. We have a lot of foxes and other predators around, she would be way too vulnerable.

She was moping this morning, just sitting fluffed up. Then she had some food and water, went off free ranging with the others and has disappeared. I assume she will reappear this afternoon, and give me her customary sly face as she waddles past the back door.

 

[hennible]

Wonder if you put a pet carrier where she is laying, put the eggs in it and let her do her thing adding to the clutch. When she decides to sit you could mover her clutch and all some where safe.

 

[Kleonaptra]

Heres a pic of her



I love all my babies but Leelu, Wist and Regina are my favourites. Im really hoping Leelu is pregnant to Wist (who is pictured in my avatar) but I fear its her brother calls who have done the damage. I was going to make a seperate pen for Leelu and Wist to try and force the issue.

She reappeared yesterday afternoon with her sly face. Im not even going to try and hunt down her eggs at this stage, the weather is very mild so they will be ok. I'll wait for her to finish and see where they are and make up my mind then.

 

[hennible]

That's what I did with my chicken marshmallow. By the I figured out what she was doing she had 10 eggs. I let her hatch them and then moved her. I figured if I couldn't find her so predators would have a hard time too. But once there was a baby it was time to relocate. Took till the end for me to decide what to do... Ha maybe I was lucky she had such a great safe spot.
Your girl is beautiful by the way.

 

[Kleonaptra]

That's what I did with my chicken marshmallow. By the I figured out what she was doing she had 10 eggs. I let her hatch them and then moved her. I figured if I couldn't find her so predators would have a hard time too. But once there was a baby it was time to relocate. Took till the end for me to decide what to do... Ha maybe I was lucky she had such a great safe spot.
Your girl is beautiful by the way.

Thanks I think she's a cutie. I could never leave her out overnight even if I trusted her hiding spot, I'd be way too anxious. When we first moved in I lost one to a fox because I honestly thought they wouldnt come into the house yard and I wanted to give the ducks an extra half hour foraging time. Not so long ago on a misty rainy day someone left our front gate open and when I went to check there was a fox right in the middle of the road looking up the yard and my babies were foraging not 10 feet from him! With the gates closed its a challenge to get in but not impossible for a fox so Im very wary.

 

[hennible]

Understandable, I considered building a "cage" around her...

 

[MommaHenn]

Wow! That is s very sly face if I've ever seen one! I thought you were exaggerating until you posted that pic!