I found 8 eggs

[nannychachi]

While putting the ducks in the pen a little bit ago I saw 8 eggs right inside the door of their house. Do I need to do anything or just let nature take it's course? It's the first time anyone has laid any.

 

[GingersHuman]

Are you wanting to eat them or sell them or hatch them?

 

[lomine]

I'm assuming by "nature take it's course" you mean let the eggs developed (incubate) and hatch. I'll also assume that you have a drake and you believe the eggs to be fertile. The eggs won't just start developing on their own. In order to start the process the eggs have to reach a certain temperature. This is accomplished in nature by a hen sitting on the eggs to maintain the heat. This is know as brooding and the hen is often referred to as a broody hen. If you don't have a broody hen the eggs must be placed in an incubator in order to develop.You can't force a hen to go broody and not all hens will go broody.

If you just leave the eggs they will eventually start to go bad. If you don't plan on trying the hatch them I suggest you collect them and eat them. You can use them same as a chicken egg in cooking. I like mine hard boiled if just eating because of the creamy yolk. They are wonderful for baking. My all time favorite use of duck eggs is for creme brulee and creme caramel.

 

[nannychachi]

Yes, I have 3 drakes and 4 hens. We were just going to collect them to eat. How long are they good for out there? The temp was around 26 this morning and didn't go above 40 all day. I was so surprised that I forgot to collect them!

 

[GingersHuman]

You can put the eggs, one at a time, into a glass of water. If the egg sinks it's good, if it floats it's bad.

 

[nannychachi]

Thank you! I'm going to try that now.

 

[lomine]

The float test measures how fresh an egg is. As an egg sits the moisture inside begins to evaporate. Eggs stored in warm, dry places will lose moisture faster. Eggs that are washed (bloom removed) will lose moisture faster. As the moisture leaves the egg, the air sac expands. When the air sac is big enough the egg will float.

Best thing to do it to crack your eggs in a small separate bowl before adding them to your pan or dish. If you get a bad egg you just toss that one egg and it doesn't ruin your whole dish. It's also makes it easier to fish out any egg shell that might break off into the white.

All that being said, I'd guess that your eggs will be fine to eat. They are good at room temperature for a couple months if not washed. Yours were kept at a much cooler temperature.

 

[nannychachi]

Thank you for helping me to learn about my ducks. I appreciate you.