Mallard egg?

[SassyKat6181]

The mallards are about 21 weeks old. This morning when I let them out of the duck coop, I found a small (chicken size) whitish color egg. There are also Khaki Campbells and Pekins in with them, but they are only 18 weeks old. There were some chickens too, but I only have brown eggs layers. So......am I right to think this egg came from the Mallard? Do I need to provide a box with straw in it? And oyster shell like the chickens? Thanks

 

[learycow]

I have a few khaki Campbells and they started laying around that age. They lay whitish/ almost translucent colored eggs. Like a chicken, they start out small and get larger with age. I have never had mallards, but I am pretty sure they lay small eggs and their eggs are a greenish color. You can correct me if I'm wrong!
Otherwise, are you sure they are mallards? If they are large, about the size of the campbells, they are probably rouens. In which case, they could've laid the egg. They also have whitish colored eggs.
As for a box, my ducks tend to lay on the ground outside or on the floor of my coop. I have a nest box for them, about a foot off of the floor, but a few of my hens lay in that. I have one that is sitting on 14 eggs in the nest box right now. But most of them just lay their eggs on the floor. And you will find that they tend to lay their eggs early, before 8 am. Rarely do I get a duck egg after 8 in the morning.
I do feed oyster shells to mine. I give them a good sprinkle 2 times a week. Some I throw on the ground for them to pick at, some I put in their grain. I do this because they have a limited-grain diet. They spend most of their time outside foraging, so that's why I throw some on the ground for them. Just in case they don't all eat their grain.

 

[SassyKat6181]

Thanks! It was white, almost translucent as you described. My first time with ducks, but I thought the Khaki Campbells were too young, guess not. I am so happy to be getting duck eggs. My son is excited to cook it up for breakfast tomorrow.