Pekin laying eggs(multiple questions)

Jasonmstewart

Chirping
Jan 23, 2020
118
395
80
I have a 5 month old Pekin female and a 5 month old mallard drake. He’s been breeding(or at least attempting) her for a little while now. She’s laying eggs daily. There’s probably close to 20 eggs in her nest. She’s laying on them at least 8 hrs a day I know of. So, to my questions.
How do I know if the eggs are fertile?
How long does it generally take for a fertile egg to hatch?
Will she stop laying eggs?
Do I need to remove some of the eggs?
How do I know if she’s broody?
How long does she need to lay on the eggs each day?
If you have any advice, I’d greatly appreciate it. This isn’t my first duck. But it is the first female that I’ve had to get bred. Thanks in advance.
 
20 eggs are too many for her to effectively brood. If he is mating her, the eggs are fertile. Mallard derived breeds take 28 days to hatch. Pekins generally do not go broody although there are always exceptions to the rule. Also with her being so young I doubt that she is broody. A truly broody bird stops laying, pulls feathers to make a nest, and sets pretty much 24/7 with breaks to eat and defecate.
 
She’s doesn’t lay all day on them. Once it gets dark, she’s on them til 9-10am. She’s got some feathers in the nest but I wouldn’t say a lot. Is there a way to determine which eggs may hatch?
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom