she just laid an egg! what do i do??

[KrazyKZ08]

this morning i went outside to let my ducks out and there was an egg in there! i'm like 99% sure its not fertilized bc my male is still pretty young and i havent seen them mate, even though she keeps displaying for him. i wasnt prepared for this yet so i wanted to ask before i did anything to it if i should keep it in there or will she be sad if i took it away? or is it safe to eat if it might have been there overnight and if i want to make sure it is fertilized then when can i tell? i know i should have prepared myself ahead of time, i just thought i had a few more months at least!

 

[KrazyKZ08]

 

[Miss Lydia]

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Congrats on your first duck egg, and yes it's safe to eat. enjoy. and no she won't care if you take it she isn't sitting on it right? how old are your ducks and what breed are you talking about?

 

[KrazyKZ08]

lol thank you! and no she wasnt sitting on it. she is about 6 months old right now and shes a pekin and the male is 4 months old and a welsh harlequin. im not sure if they could breed very easily if they tried but im sure hes not old enough. will he become more agressive when he gets to that age? because im starting to notice hes getting a little more confident. i'm so proud of my baby!! lol

 

[bayyjayy]

Amazing how you feel when you see an egg, huh? You won't lose that feeling for a while, either. And, when you eat them....it is crazy how happy it will make you. I am still amazed that I am eating duck eggs. Enjoy them. I love them over medium with toast. YUM!

 

[Miss Lydia]

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yes he will get more confident and may start to nip, if he does it to you then you need to work on not letting him. when My drake nips me hard I turn him on his back in my arms and have him lay there for a bit, like you would hold a baby. Then when I put him down he just waddles off like nothing happened. He will nip your duck though it's just part of boy meets girls. But it's not nice when they do it to us humans.

 

[KrazyKZ08]

thank you! youve both been a lot of help! and youre right im going to be obsessing over this for a long time lol. i think i will try that baby technique with my male. ive heard of people doing that to pet birds to gain or prove the bird's trust. do you know how many eggs i should expect to see?

 

[duck walk]

yum...love my duck eggs...they make awesome cakes and cookies too...my younger girls are just beginning to lay...the Cayugas should start soon...very curious to see their eggs...these are the first Cayugas I have ever had...I have a young drake named Chuck who has claimed one of the Cayuga girls...he is black with a crest...his father is my Rouen drake Walter who is crested...his mother was a black Indian Runner...Chuck is a nut...his ego has shot up twenty points here lately now that he is breeding age and one of the Cayuga girls has taken a shine to him...she follows him every where...enjoy those duck eggs...

 

[Miss Lydia]

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cute story, they are so much fun to watch. duck eggs do taste great in baked goods.

 

[Miss Lydia]

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since we're going into fall she may not lay everyday. and then in the darkest part of winter she might not lay at all. If you live were it stay warm year round you might see eggs more often. I have muscovies and they are seasonal layers.