Poopy eggs, how do i get them to lay clean?

[DuckduckPalouse]

We have 19 fowl including 5 chickens 5 drakes and 9 ducks. The chickens sleep in a standalone coop. All the ducks and sometimes a curious chicken sleep in the "pen". It's concrete floor covered with about 7 inches of sand then full of straw year round. The ducks like boxes so we rotate in boxes a few new a week. They free range all day dawn to dusk most the year in the 1/2 acre yard. They are very well fed and daily get new pools full of water to bathe and drink. They are a mix of khaki campbell, cayuga, splashed Swedish and muscovy. The muscovy girls sleep seprate from the khaki and mixes because the khakis follow and bond with the two drakes. The drakes poop, the ducks poop everyone poops all day but they have plenty of room separate to sleep. How do we get eggs that aren't pooped on? Most eggs are slightly smeared but a few are carefully laid in a circled out nest in a box. How do I just get them to not poop while they lay?

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

They are ducks. They poop a lot. That's what ducks do. Wash eggs before. You crack them. Duck poo is just a part of life.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I rarely get any poop on mine but I only have six and they have a separate house area with tubs filled with pine shavings and an outdoor pen area. In fact, I usually only get poop in the house in the winter. You might try shavings in the nest boxes with dummy eggs?! You might also try getting rid of a few of those drakes.

 

[DuckduckPalouse]

I rarely get any poop on mine but I only have six and they have a separate house area with tubs filled with pine shavings and an outdoor pen area. In fact, I usually only get poop in the house in the winter. You might try shavings in the nest boxes with dummy eggs?! You might also try getting rid of a few of those drakes.

Do you think shavings is better than straw for catching the poop or just getting them to not poop? The drakes are our first two ducks and we won't be getting rid of them. The other three drakes are infertile scovy Cayuga Swedish mixes hatched from one of our mommas so we don't need to get rid if them per say. They also stand on the stumps to roost at night and stay out of the ladies nest boxes. I don't know why we get so much poop on the eggs. I know poop is everywhere they literally have a garden and yard and orchard and pools to fill with poop so I'm not annoyed at poop just trying to get mostly clean eggs so I can leave them unwashed on counter and not have to scrub then refrigerate right away. I don't like havING poop eggs lying around. I also give them and some people are not OK with seeing poop eggs and it's not just mud as much as people pretend. I do clean their area weekly to get rid if poop straw and put fresh in.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Do you think shavings is better than straw for catching the poop or just getting them to not poop? The drakes are our first two ducks and we won't be getting rid of them. The other three drakes are infertile scovy Cayuga Swedish mixes hatched from one of our mommas so we don't need to get rid if them per say. They also stand on the stumps to roost at night and stay out of the ladies nest boxes. I don't know why we get so much poop on the eggs. I know poop is everywhere they literally have a garden and yard and orchard and pools to fill with poop so I'm not annoyed at poop just trying to get mostly clean eggs so I can leave them unwashed on counter and not have to scrub then refrigerate right away. I don't like havING poop eggs lying around. I also give them and some people are not OK with seeing poop eggs and it's not just mud as much as people pretend. I do clean their area weekly to get rid if poop straw and put fresh in.

Yes, I do think shavings absorb better. I give mine hay or straw on top of shavings for warmth in the winter and I have to change the straw daily because the poop drips down through it. Mine like to bury their eggs in the shavings but that also keeps them cleaner.
I mentioned the boys because my girls rarely poop in the nesting tubs but my drake will. Also, when I had two drakes I found eggs all over the place. I think my boys were disturbing the girls when they were trying to lay. With the ratio you have I would expect the girls to be hassled.