How many eggs?

[nat1710]

My female miniature silver appleyard keeps hiding her eggs from me, if she lays any in her house she burries them and won't let me any where near them. So I have been saving them to let her sit on them (we have a drake). I can't seem to find any information on how many she should sit on.

Does anyone know?

 

[chameleon]

Hi. Sorry, I have no experience with ducks but this article seems to answer your question quite well: http://www.liveducks.com/nesting.html

Otherwise I'm sure there will be some duck experts along soon to help you out.

 

[dotknott]

Hi!

Should and Will are two different things when it comes to ducks going broody. Some ducks will go broody on a handful of eggs and others will go broody on 26. There's something that clicks for them and they go through a hormonal change that raises their body temp a bit and stops egg production, but that click may or may not be based on the number of eggs in the nest.

You said she won't let you near them? Is she already sitting on the eggs most of the time? If not can you get her out of the house to eat or bathe and then check on the eggs? You might want to mark them with an X then check again in a few days for new ones to see if she's still laying..

 

[nat1710]

Hi thank you for the replies. She isn't sitting on them yet but is very protective of them but then if I watch her from the house as soon as I'm out of sight she leaves them.

 

[dotknott]

Do you only have the pair?

 

[nat1710]

I have the one pair of ducks and one pair of chickens

 

[dotknott]

I've never had only a pair, but I've heard this behavior described by others with only two.

 

[nat1710]

She is spending most of her time led down now, hoping she isn't egg bound. Or perhaps she is wanting her eggs back lol

 

[nat1710]

Definitely not egg bound