To touch or not to touch (eggs)

[Johnlump]

Hi we are fairly newbies as we bought seven mixed breed ducklings early this past spring. Now we have a duck that is laying eggs everywhere but in the same spot. Not knowing what to do I gathered them and put them in a nesting box in the coop & I have put her inside the coop away from the others, but she has now built a new nest & as of today we have 4 eggs in that nest . The eggs that I gathered are a bakers dozen in another nest ,I need to know what my next move is I really didn't want to incubate if I don't have to. Can I add these eggs to her new clutch?

 

[ChickenKing319]

No, you should leave her new nest alone and dispose of the other eggs. ducks are not like chickens, If you touch their eggs and get your sent on them then she will abandon the nest. just let her get comfortable and lay till she wants to hatch the eggs if that's what you want and shell be fine.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

I have added eggs to a nest.

Edited to add info:
My ducks tend to sometimes lay in one nest, and sometimes the odd egg will be just out in the pen. If I'm wanting to allow a duck to sit, then I would probly just take the odd egg and set it inside the nest. I have also candled eggs thruout the period of incubation and handled all sorts of eggs and ducklings too, and never had any issues with the mother duck not accepting either eggs or ducklings.