YAY - 1st egg today - and questions -**** PIC ADDED****

[davekrista]

So I went out this morning to feed and water my "babies" and I was surprised to see an egg that one of my ladies layed right in front of the door.

I wasn't really expecting any eggs just yet, they are just about 5 months and for some reason I was thinking it was early for that, but either way, YAY, i am so excited. But also filled with a lot of questions.

How do I figure out if it is fertilized? I have 1 boy and 3 girls. Also someone told me that ducks only have sex in water, is this true? With the real cold weather here they haven't had much "water time" if any at all. However they were free ranging this weekend and could possibly have found the small lake behind our house. I would LOVE to have more babies but what do i need to do to figure out if this is for hatching or for eating?

ETA: - I have been researching and thinking this could be fertilized. I wasn't thinking when i grabbed the egg out of the duck pen. We don't have a rooster so when i see the chickens eggs I just grab them and bring them in, so with out thinking I grabbed the ducks egg too. They have 2 separate pens so I am positive it is a duck egg. At this point can I put the egg back in with the ducks to see if she sits on it? I do have an incubator if I need one so either way will be fine.

 

[AdamD77]

Congratulations! I had to wait 11 months for my first eggs so you're lucky!

Some can mate on land but the larger, heavier breeds like Aylesburys, Rouens and possibly Pekins and Muscovies need water to provide support for their large bodies. Smaller/lighter breeds like Calls, Runners, BEIs etc should be able to mate on land but may just be more inclined to do it on water.

From what I've read its best not to try hatching their first eggs anyway as they can be too small, thin-shelled etc. so if you want babies it's best to wait until they're more regular. If you want to eat them they should be fine

I think the only ways you can really tell if they're fertile is 1 - if you have seen them mating then you know there is a good chance they could be fertile and 2 - start incubating and candle the eggs after a few days to check for developments.

 

[HamandLily]

Congrats on your first egg! What breed are the ducks? 5 months is about right for laying!

You should wait about 10 days and then candle the egg - you should see veins and a dark mass if it is fetillised!

Ducks will have intercourse anywhere not just in water - although they do prefer it!

How long has the egg been away from her?

 

[davekrista]

Quote:
All are pekins - and I took the egg this morning around 8:15... Its about 1:30 now, so about 5 hours and 15 min......

 

[davekrista]

Quote:
Thanks. Mine are Pekins, so unless they did find they water, maybe they probably haven't had sex?

 

[HamandLily]

My giant Aylesbury tries to mate with my Khaki Campbell on land so there's hope! I'd go ahead and pop it under her, or if you really want to try and see if it's fertile, go for the incubator!

 

[learycow]

That's so exciting! I was so happy when mine first started to lay. I would wait a bit before trying to hatch them though. Like previously stated, the first few eggs they lay can be thin or undersized. I have pekins and haven't had any problems with them breeding, and they only have a small rubber tub. I waited a few weeks before I threw some in the incubator. I did happen to see them mating though, so I figured there was a chance they would be fertile. After 7 days I candled them and all 10 of them were developing.
So I would give them some time to adjust to laying eggs, then go for it! It's so much fun to have little ones

 

[missy5]

Hi everyone i have a question about leaving the eggs for mom to hatch. How long is it till she sits and where do i keep the eggs until she is sitting? I just got these ducks but the other owner says the eggs are fertile because she was putting them in the bator. If thats what you call it. I don't even know which one of my new girls are laying. My original calls have layed green/teal eggs, not fertil but my new ons are laying bigger pinkish cream coloured eggs. I thought all calls layed the green/teal, i guess i'm wrong. The new calls are a bit bigger. So are thier eggs. Do i just leave the eggs in the coop with them. They don't always lay in the same place. Please help!!

 

[davekrista]

Ok. We decided since it was her first egg and it was kind of small, we cracked it open and I am pretty sure I saw that germicidal ring thing. Looks like a small target. I tried to take a pic but it didn't come out that great. I will post it anyway along with the before pic......I need to see if i can find a pic of a ring so i can be 100% but i'm pretty sure it might be even though you can't see it in the pic. Sorry I'm babbling.

Duck egg in the top of an egg carton

Duck egg inside the egg carton

Duck egg when we cracked it open. Will try to get a better pic in the daylight so i won't need to use the flash

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK?

 

[treldib]

I would wait 2 or 3 weeks before attempting to hatch the eggs. The first eggs are often deformed and often hatch into deformed or just plain "messed up" ducklings. They may not even hatch. Please wait before trying to hatch them.