I feel like an idiot

[GldnValleyHens]

So, yeah I do feel stupid for not knowing this probably obvious question about ducks. In my defense, I've only had them for about a year. But, now my call duck hens are FINALLY LAYING EGGS! WHOOPEE! About one egg everyday, and last time I checked there was 4 in a little nest, though one was a little fart egg too small to hatch. It is pretty cold out, 30's in average, despite in being APRIL 16 PEOPLE! COME ON! Will these eggs stay viable until she has enough/goes broody on them? They are tucked in the corner of the coop in the straw, and aren't under a feathery bottom unless another egg is being added. Does the blastodisc/fertile embryo stay alive even though it is so cold and aren't being incubated? I know ducks wait to start sitting on a nest until they think they have enough eggs, I think so anyway. But with this cold... I dunno. I wouldn't mind some free call ducklings from my hens rather than pay 76 bucks for ones to come, like I planned. Still doing that even if a duck goes broody. Just my luck, it probably would decide to the day the ducklings are ordered.

 

[GldnValleyHens]

@WVduckchick?

 

[CayugaJana]

If they freeze, the likelihood of them developing is slim. But, I know it was freezing a couple days I collected eggs to put in the incubator and all of them started developing. They didn’t hatch but I don’t know if it was because my girls had just started laying and had extra small eggs. If I had to do it over again, I would NOT hatch eggs from ducks that had been laying for a month or less. Most of mine got to a few days from hatching and got stuck because of the small shell size. A couple I believe suffocated due to where they were trying to pip and I know a couple bled out because they pipped right on a blood vessel. So so sad. But I had no idea before I started. That’s just my opinion.

I would wait until your duck starts laying consistently and slightly larger eggs. (God is gracious and starts their eggs small and slowly increases in size). But if you have a duck this summer who will sit and hatch them out, I would totally go for it. They do all the work! Plus I believe most calls are good Mommas? Good luck!!

 

[HeatherD42]

I think you should also wait a little later to start collecting eggs, for the reasons above. Fertility improves later in the season

Also, you can put out dummy eggs to entice someone to sit and collect the hatching eggs elsewhere in a controlled environment. If no one goes broody, you can still eat the eggs as you go. Eggs older than a week can be rotated out and eaten so that you're not just throwing them away.

I found a collection of white wooden eggs at Hobby Lobby to use as dummies when I hatched duck eggs under my neighbor's chicken. My neighbor said that his chickens would sit on an empty nest if they were determined to be broody. In contrast, my Ancona ducks wouldn't even sit on a nest full of wooden eggs!

 

[CiscoChickens]

It's not a stupid question! I had the same thoughts when trying to get some of my girls broody. I agree with HeatherD42—put fake eggs (or golf balls) in a nesting box to persuade the girls to go broody. Until they do, write the date each egg was laid on each egg and keep them inside at room temp. Switch the oldest for the newest after about a week (if she still isn't broody). I think you know what to do after she's decided she wants to be a mother.

 

[HeatherD42]

If you can find somewhere cool and humid, that's the ideal place to store hatching eggs. I kept mine in my cellar in an egg carton wrapped in a plastic bag. I tilted one side of the carton up and rotated it. The oldest eggs I set were just a little older than one week. 10 of the 11 were fertile and I (and Mama Hen) hatched 10 healthy duckies!

 

[HeatherD42]

Also, it's better not to wash the eggs, so keep the nest and house full of clean straw while you're collecting. You can try to wipe off a little bit of poop with a paper towel

 

[GldnValleyHens]

So I should just eat the eggs and not let her sit on them if she decides to? They won't be viable anyway after sitting so long in the cold, I assume from what you guys have said?
Some of them are decent sized, not as big as a chicken egg but bigger than a green grape like one of them. Both Daphne and Jemima are just so cute on their little nest. Thanks for all the advice! Daphne and Jemima are so small I worried they wouldn't be able to lay decent sized eggs that a duckling could develop in. I had one large hen, much bigger than them and thought she would give good eggs. I really need more Call ducks, especially hens because she died and now I am down to 2 drakes to 2 hensl Not good.

 

[CayugaJana]

I believe Ravynscroft advises to wait for at least a month before hatching. So you could still hatch out a ton of eggs this summer. Do you have an incubator?

 

[GldnValleyHens]

I believe Ravynscroft advises to wait for at least a month before hatching. So you could still hatch out a ton of eggs this summer. Do you have an incubator?

I do, but it is a tiny 25$ one that probably won't work. I put an egg in it actually and on day 3 it looked to be developing, but I had to leave home and was forced to turn the incubator off and out the egg back in Daphne's nest.
I want to build a DIY one out of a styrofoam cooler. Just haven't done it yet! I want to!!