Should I start watching for eggs yet??

[byrd95]

I think they'll do just fine on their own. Typically they'll be on the smaller side for a bit but I did have one ameraucana who would lay double yolk eggs when she first started to lay and I haven't seen one from her that size in over a year now! She was fine when she would lay them.

 

[Birdmom2020]

I think they'll do just fine on their own. Typically they'll be on the smaller side for a bit but I did have one ameraucana who would lay double yolk eggs when she first started to lay and I haven't seen one from her in over a year now! She was fine when she would lay them.

Wow! That's awesome! Okay. Thanks for the info!

 

[aart]

Here's some tips about.....
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

Not sure about the ducks messing chicken nests on the floor.
@oldhenlikesdogs would know.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

My muscovy make floor nests, and some of my chickens will lay their eggs in them. The ducks just take the eggs as their own after the chickens are done. I've never seen a duck bother the chicken eggs.

 

[NatJ]

I do have one more question since I now know this. Do I need to have the boxes up since I have 2 Pekin ducks (same age) pretty sure both are female. Do you think they will bother the eggs if they start laying while we're out of town? I will have someone here to take care of them morning and night and will let them know to keep an eye for eggs just in case. But I'm just wondering if the ducks will do anything since I know they start laying a little later than the chickens will.

I don't think there will be a problem.

But you could put a few fake eggs in the nestboxes as soon as the boxes are installed. It can help the birds know where to lay, and I think it also helps avoid egg eating: the young birds wonder what that thing is, peck at it, and decide it's boring. So when real eggs appear, they already think egg-shaped things are boring, and don't seriously try to eat them.