How to know when a duck is ready to lay on eggs?

[Kalileigh09]

I have 4hens and a drake and all the ducks are laying now they are about 7months old. I’m not sure how there fertiity is a friend tried to hatch a dozen of my eggs and only 3 developed and one died. I warned her they had just started laying and she didnt pay for them just wanted to try.
But one hens keeps making nests and I don’t know if they have all started laying in her nests or if she is putting them all in her nest but every morning they are neatly in a shavings nest and she gets very mad when I take them. Quacks and looks for them for a while but I’m worried she is too young to lay on them. She’s an Ancona and I know they are known for be broody.
Should I keep gathering them or let her try? I don’t see her laying on them but I know some wait til they get more eggs.
If she not ready yet what do I need to know about it. I’ve only hatched eggs in an incubator and my chickens don’t have a rooster this is new to me.

 

[Sosalty]

I've only experience with Muscovy. "some wait til they get more eggs" From what I've seen and read, they lay an egg and then go about their business, repeat, repeat, until they have enough to 'lay/sit' on their clutch of eggs. Maybe someone can say what size clutches Anaconda are prone to lay? "she gets very mad when I take them" 'To be' mother ducks are protective and defensive to people and anything they perceive to interfere with their sitting, and hatching ducklings.

Your 2 may be siblings with nests next to each other with plans to share duties. My 2 made nests next to each other and took turns sitting, however there was no drake involved. If your young ducks are laying healthy eggs and you want ducklings, just let nature take its' course. May others Anaconda owners chime in.

4 hens and a drake sounds like a good plan. Seems to me your 7 mo old ducks are ready to give you a hatch of ducklings as spring rolls around.

 

[Kalileigh09]

I've only experience with Muscovy. "some wait til they get more eggs" From what I've seen and read, they lay an egg and then go about their business, repeat, repeat, until they have enough to 'lay/sit' on their clutch of eggs. Maybe someone can say what size clutches Anaconda are prone to lay? "she gets very mad when I take them" 'To be' mother ducks are protective and defensive to people and anything they perceive to interfere with their sitting, and hatching ducklings.

Your 2 may be siblings with nests next to each other with plans to share duties. My 2 made nests next to each other and took turns sitting, however there was no drake involved. If your young ducks are laying healthy eggs and you want ducklings, just let nature take its' course. May others Anaconda owners chime in.

4 hens and a drake sounds like a good plan. Seems to me your 7 mo old ducks are ready to give you a hatch of ducklings as spring rolls around.

It’s been 4 days since I started leaving the eggs. She has 16eggs and still isn’t laying on them I’m not sure how long to wait. lol she guards them and gathers them up but isn’t sitting. I marked the eggs today and I’ll give her a bit more time I guess