My duck load her first egg!!!

[StephMagee]

Daisy laid her first egg today!! This is my first time with this so I'm not sure what to do. Do I leave it be? Will she sit on it? How often during a day will she sit on it? Do I need to get an incubator? I have a male so it's more then likely fertile. He tries to get with her at least once a day. Any suggestions/tips will be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[StephMagee]

She is a Pekin duck and is about 4 1/2 months old.

 

[Miss Lydia]

She is a Pekin duck and is about 4 1/2 months old.

She may go broody she may not if you want her to then leave the egg and let her lay more. If you don't want ducklings then by all means eat it. or bake something with it. Congrats on the first egg though

 

[StephMagee]

I want to leave it and see what she does! I'm hoping for a baby! What if she doesn't sit on it or do anything with it?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I want to leave it and see what she does! I'm hoping for a baby! What if she doesn't sit on it or do anything with it?

Well most likely she won't sit on 1 she'll build a clutch first which could be 4 to 20 eggs[you take the ones you don't want her to sit out once she begins to brood] think about it do you know 20 people who want ducklings or can you keep that many[ a little exaggeration] but if you can keep them what happens to them? So start marking the eggs starting with 1 that way if you want to limit how many she sits take out the oldest ones first. then on day 7 candle and that way you can tell which are growing and toss the ones that aren't, she won't begin to incubate the eggs til she has the amount she is happy with. Once she begins to brood make sure she is in a secure place so she won't be killed and her eggs eaten by a predator, then you wait 28 days. make sure she has water for bathing and good feed and she'll do the rest.

 

[StephMagee]

Well most likely she won't sit on 1 she'll build a clutch first which could be 4 to 20 eggs[you take the ones you don't want her to sit out once she begins to brood] think about it do you know 20 people who want ducklings or can you keep that many[ a little exaggeration] but if you can keep them what happens to them? So start marking the eggs starting with 1 that way if you want to limit how many she sits take out the oldest ones first. then on day 7 candle and that way you can tell which are growing and toss the ones that aren't, she won't begin to incubate the eggs til she has the amount she is happy with. Once she begins to brood make sure she is in a secure place so she won't be killed and her eggs eaten by a predator, then you wait 28 days. make sure she has water for bathing and good feed and she'll do the rest.

Thanks Miss Lydia! I definitely don't want 20 ducklings and dont know anyone who would! I didn't know you could handle the eggs. Some animals if you handle the eggs or babies the mother neglects them. And I didn't want that to happen. I will mark the eggs so I know which ones to take out when it's time! Thanks for the advice. I wasn't ready for this yet. She's 4 1/2 months, I thought I had more time to look into this process!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks Miss Lydia! I definitely don't want 20 ducklings and dont know anyone who would! I didn't know you could handle the eggs. Some animals if you handle the eggs or babies the mother neglects them. And I didn't want that to happen. I will mark the eggs so I know which ones to take out when it's time! Thanks for the advice. I wasn't ready for this yet. She's 4 1/2 months, I thought I had more time to look into this process!!

Yes you can handle the ducks eggs, you want to candle at intervals to make sure you don't have any eggs rotting in the nest boy that would be one stinky ,mess plus it would cause bacteria to get all over the other eggs and possibly kill any ducklings growing. So you candle at 7, 14 and 21 days. and more often if mama duck doesn't mind.

and just because she has started to lay doesn't mean your going to get a broody you just never know. I hope you do though.

 

[littlefrog]

I doubt she will do much taking care of the first eggs. If she does, you will be able to tell that she is going broody. She will get aggressive when you try to move her off the nest, and will probably fluff up to look as big as possible and hiss. Broody ducks can be pretty intimidating, actually... Pekins aren't known to be excellent mothers as a rule, but there are always exceptions.

If you don't want ducklings and she does try to go broody, you can just keep taking the eggs (if you can get her off the nest...). Eventually she will give up. This is probably your best bet if she starts nesting in a place you can't protect her at night. You can't move the nest, so you either need to build her a fort or convince her to move to another spot. I let my ducks incubate eggs if they make nests in the barn.

 

[StephMagee]

Thanks everyone!! She laid a second egg last night. It was there this morning when my husband let them out of the kennel. We have an area of the back yard fenced in for them where we dug a pond and then set up a dog kennel inside. We have the kennel covered on top and along the sides with tin. And then on the ground we put wood pallets down so there up off the ground, covered the wood pallets with foam padding and then laid saw dust down. At night they get locked in the kennel so they are secure. The eggs are in the back of the kennel. She doesn't have much to do with them. But a little while when I got home from work I went down to check on them and went in the kennel to get the bucket to give them clean water and she ran in and stood at the door like she didn't want me to go in. So I do see her becoming protective of the eggs. Were going to see what she does. I'm hoping she will brood because I would love a duckling or 2. I miss them being ducklings!