Take or leave the eggs? Advice and Opinions needed!

[casportpony]

This is the other picture posted of the bird in question. BTW, this is a great picture!

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Both female.

 

[mysgyn]

Thank you! I love getting pics of all my animals

OK, so the consensus is questionable duck (one on the right in the dual photo and also the one below (same duck) is that she is a she. I will say also in the past few days I've seen her gathering materials and making a nest of sorts (including an old sock from my son??)

We're almost at 30 days from when she started sitting so I think it's time. I'll feel awful if I'm wrong but I don't want her getting sick if one pops, either! I unfortunately was unable to tell anything from candling. I'm sure even though I read a lot I did something wrong (or they are infertile so I just saw nothing and have not seen in real life one that is alive...)

Anyway so they say 31 days gestation right? That would be next Tuesday so maybe I'll hedge my bets and wait until Tuesday and just see JUST in case. Ugh, I wish there was a 100% sure way to know without possibly harming her (if they are infertile and crack).

But I think it's fairly certain both ducks are female and that these are non-fertilized eggs. I hope she recovers quickly! I have some extra cracked corn on the way for a treat

This is the other picture posted of the bird in question. BTW, this is a great picture!

 

[Miss Lydia]

35 days for Muscovy. If these are the only 2 females and no other drake then they are not fertile. You'll need to take the eggs destroy the nest place something over it so she doesn't go back to nothing and just give her time to get over it. Doesn't happen over night but it will happen. Wait till next week hopefully none will explode before then but I would be very careful when removing the eggs from the nest.

 

[mysgyn]

ok so that would be next Friday for 35 days from when she started sitting on them...
A friend (who has ducks) pointed out that we do have a large Muscovy population around us so there is that, albeit slim, possibility one flew into our yard and mated? But considering our amazing pond and water baths and feeding areas and garden I would think it would stay (and I work at home so I'd see it more than likely) but yeah, the odds are highly against it. I will be very careful when removing them! Thank you all so much!

 

[mysgyn]

Odd update. So last night she woke us up at 2 am. Her nest is in a window box by my bedroom window and she jumped up and thumped into the window.
When I watched her, she was moving two eggs and I had read they will sometimes move duds so I watched which two. She had also gone in the pond and before last night had NEVER gotten off her nest except one time in the AM when I brought out corn...

Anyway so this morning I decided to take the two she had pushed aside, went to my compost, dug a hole, and dropped them in one by one (just in case) and sure enough they were not fertile (not surprised) so I buried them.
Well I just looked outside and she is standing up on her nest which is unusual. I went over to the window and thought "oh she rearranged her eggs into a nice neat circle... wait, where are the other eggs?" She had 10. I took two. Now there are 6. She's standing up and talking to me, looking at her eggs. I wonder if she realized they were duds and she's there but abandoning it, too? I went outside and no sign of a smell. There is what looks like a dropped egg (but no shell, but yellow) near her nest. Hmmm....

 

[Miss Lydia]

Sounds like something may have gotten into her nest if eggs are missing.

 

[mysgyn]

Well we went ahead and removed the last 5 today. I broke each open (if I found one that was fertilized I would know better) but of course, as you all said, we have two females and all eggs were unfertilized.

I did find it strange (interesting?) that the eggs were of 3 different kinds inside... Of the 7 that I popped and buried, 2 were black goo inside, 3 were like a regular unfertilized egg (yolk intact, albumin around), and 2 were like they had been shaken up, solid golden yellow throughout.

Anyway I really appreciate your advice and support! I'd love to have babies around and let them all grow as we are letting nature "take its course" with these fine friends who have found our backyard, but it's also good to finally know we have two females and any eggs are better for eating than for sitting.

Mama (and the other) got a huge treat of grapes, tomatoes, and pomegranates today (cut up of course) so hopefully that will help her get over the loss.

 

[Miss Lydia]

She sounds well loved. Both do. Maybe next year you'll have a drake come and stay Then you'll have babies