Urgent Help Requested! I think there is a Pekin Duck Egg in my small lake.

[Dapperduck]

There are 2 beautiful Pekin ducks that live on a small ski lake behind my house. They are not "my ducks" per say, but I enjoy them and they frequent my yard daily. I was just walking in my backyard, musing on whether I should put up a small shelter for them. I glanced my way to the water and believe I saw an egg sitting in the water about 8 inches deep. I was going to go in to get a closer look.....when all of a sudden the ducks starting swimming my way. Not wanting to disturb them (or the egg, if it is safe)....I ran to my laptop and am now here asking you kind people for some advice!

I want to help save the egg if it is appropriate to do so. Please help! Thank you kind duck lovers!

ps - I am near Orlando, FL, if location makes a difference

 

[fatty and friends]

if it’s floating it’s rotten

 

[Dapperduck]

if it’s floating it’s rotten

It is not floating.....it is sitting on the bottom of the lake

 

[KaleIAm]

Most likely the duck just layed the egg in the water. It likely doesn't have a duckling in it, is that what you are worried about? The duck needs to sit on the egg and keep it warm for a few days for the duckling to begin to develop. You could fetch the egg, take it into a dark room, and shine a flashlight through it - look up candling. But if the egg is under water, unfortunately it probably has problems anyway. Eggs have an antibacterial coating called a bloom, and it can get washed off by water. I don't know much about incubating, but I do know not to wash the eggs first.

 

[Dapperduck]

Most likely the duck just layed the egg in the water. It likely doesn't have a duckling in it, is that what you are worried about? The duck needs to sit on the egg and keep it warm for a few days for the duckling to begin to develop. You could fetch the egg, take it into a dark room, and shine a flashlight through it - look up candling. But if the egg is under water, unfortunately it probably has problems anyway. Eggs have an antibacterial coating called a bloom, and it can get washed off by water. I don't know much about incubating, but I do know not to wash the eggs first.

thank you for responding! why do you think it doesnt have a duckling?

 

[SolarDuck]

thank you for responding! why do you think it doesnt have a duckling?

Do you have any idea of the sex of the ducks? There will only be a duckling in it if they are 1 female and 1 male and they mate. If it's at the bottom of a lake, even if the egg was alive its probably dead by now. In your initial post you mentioned you were considering putting a shelter out there for them. Pekin ducks can't fly and are very vulnerable to predators so if you want to keep them safe it would be good to make a shelter for them.

 

[KaleIAm]

thank you for responding! why do you think it doesnt have a duckling?

Because if it is under the water the mother duck couldn't keep it at an appropriate incubating temperature for a ducking to begin development.

Also, I realized that even if you retrieved the egg unless you have the equipment to incubate eggs, or a broody hen, you probably can't save it even if it has a duckling living inside. But I very much doubt it does.

 

[Dapperduck]

Do you have any idea of the sex of the ducks? There will only be a duckling in it if they are 1 female and 1 male and they mate. If it's at the bottom of a lake, even if the egg was alive its probably dead by now. In your initial post you mentioned you were considering putting a shelter out there for them. Pekin ducks can't fly and are very vulnerable to predators so if you want to keep them safe it would be good to make a shelter for them.

I believe based on the tail feathers that it is a male and a female. I am thinking she just laid this egg, because I have tried to get a closer look twice now....and everytime I walk towards that area.....they come squawking across the lake

 

[KaleIAm]

I believe based on the tail feathers that it is a male and a female. I am thinking she just laid this egg, because I have tried to get a closer look twice now....and everytime I walk towards that area.....they come squawking across the lake

If they just made the egg, and they are a male/female pair, then it is probably fertile but has no developing duckling since that takes days of being at the appropriate temperature - out of water in a dry nest under the mother duck. Or in an incubator.

Most people eat fertile eggs. The main difference is, if you incubate a fertile one you could get a duckling.

 

[Ruby Rogue]

Maybe they have a nest closeby, and they put that egg in the lake because it's a dud.