Pekin Duck Egg Fertility?

[daidyducks]

If you followed my post yesterday, you may know that my babygirl laid her FIRST egg! it was all squishy and gooey so a BYCM told me to just wait til she lays good hard shell'd eggs and so I did

this morning she laid 9 small-large eggs in a little nest she made by my mom's rose bushes! I saw her sleeping in there once before (guessing she was "scoping" out the spot)

D
shes silly. well, her eggs were hard shell'd! hooray!

but now... what do I do??
(I heard pekin NEVER sit on em but I have a feeling my bby made this nest for a reason, no?) wouldnt she just drop them out whenever?
I dont know whether to take them or not.
and I hvent had the chance to buy a bator.

would her FIRST eggs be fertile? I saw the drake and Darling get their boogey on a while back but not since.
maybe I havent seen them and they HAVE but honestly, I doubt they have.

and ONE last question! (promise)
How can I tell if they are HEALTHY eggs to cook up (if infertile)

reason is: she drinks a lot of the kiddie pool waste and I have a feeling she doesnt have the cleanest stomach after drinking her poo!

thanks. I did try searching for this but "egg" was too blank for a search. grr

 

[maybejoey]

She would just asume that all of the eggs that she lays are fertile. I would wait atleast a week so that she can get her egg laying process down. Because the shells may be hard but she may not have the insides right yet.

 

[daidyducks]

So I should leave the eggs where theyre at?? or do I pick em up and let her try again!
how can I tell if theyre healthy or not ?

 

[learycow]

If you put an egg in water, it will sink if it is fresh and float if it is old. You can try that trick, but it would really depend on the weather where you are and how long the eggs sat outside. I try to collect the eggs daily and put them right in the refrigerator. I have collected eggs that are 2 or 3 days old that are just fine too, but I wouldn't eat them if they are a few days old and have been outside in temps over 70 degrees.
You can eat the eggs even if they have been fertilized, you won't be able to tell the difference. The embryo doesn't start growing right off, so if you collect an egg from her you can still eat it even if she has been mating with the drake.
The pool water shouldn't make a difference is how the egg tastes. Sometimes, I get an egg that smells fishy, but I've been told that it's a genetic thing with the ducks. I just try to keep the pool water clean and fresh as often as possible.

I have heard that pekins are known for sitting on their eggs, and abandoning the nest once they are halfway along. But all ducks are different. I have a khaki campbell hen, not known for even sitting on eggs, hatch out 12 ducklings, and now she's started a second clutch (there are 18 this time). So you just never know!

 

[duckyfromoz]

this morning she laid 9 small-large eggs in a little nest she made by my mom's rose bushes! I saw her sleeping in there once before (guessing she was "scoping" out the spot)

She has been laying an egg an day in their for some time without you finding them. Ducks can be sneeky like that. Now that you have found her nest- she may find somewhere else she deems safe to lay.

I heard pekin NEVER sit on em but I have a feeling my bby made this nest for a reason, no? wouldnt she just drop them out whenever?

Pekins do sit- but they are not a breed well known for doing this. I have a single pekin female who is a wonderful broody duck- she just doesnt choose good spots to lay - like on the gravel path where all her eggs end up broken before they can hatch. Some ducks are better than others about where they lay. Some will go for a nesting box- others- will lay in under some bushes- like yours- and others will drop them where ever they are.

would her FIRST eggs be fertile?

They most certainly can- whether they would actually hatch is a different matter. First eggs can often be small- thin shelled or nutritionally deficient meaning they arent the best to set- but they can definitely be fertile. I have at time set first eggs in the incubator -but they are generally poor hatches- fertility has been very high with these eggs- but the ducklings have a higher mortality rate in the last week of incubation than other settings.

and ONE last question! (promise)
How can I tell if they are HEALTHY eggs to cook up (if infertile)

Break them open- if there is no blood or foreign matter inside...they can be eaten. One thing though - if it has been very hot lately where you are- be careful with the 9 eggs from the nest- some of them may have been there for a week in the hot weather so fresher eggs should only be used.​

 

[daidyducks]

Quote:
She has been laying an egg an day in their for some time without you finding them. Ducks can be sneeky like that. Now that you have found her nest- she may find somewhere else she deems safe to lay.

I heard pekin NEVER sit on em but I have a feeling my bby made this nest for a reason, no? wouldnt she just drop them out whenever?

Pekins do sit- but they are not a breed well known for doing this. I have a single pekin female who is a wonderful broody duck- she just doesnt choose good spots to lay - like on the gravel path where all her eggs end up broken before they can hatch. Some ducks are better than others about where they lay. Some will go for a nesting box- others- will lay in under some bushes- like yours- and others will drop them where ever they are.

would her FIRST eggs be fertile?

They most certainly can- whether they would actually hatch is a different matter. First eggs can often be small- thin shelled or nutritionally deficient meaning they arent the best to set- but they can definitely be fertile. I have at time set first eggs in the incubator -but they are generally poor hatches- fertility has been very high with these eggs- but the ducklings have a higher mortality rate in the last week of incubation than other settings.

and ONE last question! (promise)
How can I tell if they are HEALTHY eggs to cook up (if infertile)

Break them open- if there is no blood or foreign matter inside...they can be eaten. One thing though - if it has been very hot lately where you are- be careful with the 9 eggs from the nest- some of them may have been there for a week in the hot weather so fresher eggs should only be used.​

Thank you SOOO much! This really helped! As soon as I read your replies I felt a huge relief

Her eggs are actually pretty HARD! I cracked one open and it seemed really good, exactly like a chickens >,<
(my mom drank it, I do not like egg:/) but she enjoyed it! So hooray for my baby

She looks like she's in pain

which keeps hurting me