First Timer Eggs

[TheDaringDucks]

Hey there! This is my first spring having ducks, and I was mostly keeping them as pets, not livestock, however the inevitable moment has arrived, one of my girls, Yikes, a 9 to 12 months old call duck, may be showing signs of getting ready to lay her first egg, and being my first year with ducks, my first as well!

She came out of her shelter this morning, got some food and some water, then disappeared. When I checked her shelter, this is where I found her, tucked all the way back in the corner.

She was in there for a half hour or so, but as I am typing this, she just came back out with quite a pep in her step! So I am going to check if she laid an egg.

But my question is really just... What should I do? Is there any sort of comprehensive "guide for first time eggs for duck and owner"?

Edit: WE HAVE OUR FIRST EGG CONFIRMED!

Is it weird to have hang ups over the idea of using the egg? My hens are housed with drakes so there is a chance it's fertilized. Do I leave it for her to nest on? Do ducks go broody? Ah!!!

 

[500Chickens]

i have a storey's guide to raising sheep and one for cattle. i found one for ducks too. they are really helpful

 

[FowlProtector]

The possibility that your Call duck is preparing to lay her first egg is exciting! As you work through this, bear in mind that ducks and chickens might behave somewhat differently:

To begin with, ducks like to lay their eggs in a peaceful, secure location. Your duck has tucked herself in the corner, suggesting that she is already in nesting mode. Make sure her shelter is comfortable, hygienic, and provides her with a feeling of safety.
Generally speaking, ducks lay their eggs in the morning; however, this isn't always the case. Since it can take some time to establish a rhythm, if she is just beginning to lay, her first egg may be soft or somewhat malformed.

Watch the eggs to make sure they are not eaten after she begins to lay. It's a good idea to gather the eggs every day since some ducks will devour them if they are left out for too long.

Make sure she has access to additional calcium, such as oyster shell, to maintain healthy eggs since laying eggs requires a lot of energy.
An untidy nest or much commotion surrounding her might be the cause of her stress or lack of sleep. Allow her to establish her rhythm and give her some room.

Look for the egg if she has laid one! Generally speaking, duck eggs are bigger and have a thicker shell than chicken eggs. Enjoy the experience while you're still in the thrilling beginnings of duckkeeping!

 

[FowlProtector]

i have a storey's guide to raising sheep and one for cattle. i found one for ducks too. they are really helpful

I love this book!

 

[KathiQuacks]

Hey there! This is my first spring having ducks, and I was mostly keeping them as pets, not livestock, however the inevitable moment has arrived, one of my girls, Yikes, a 9 to 12 months old call duck, may be showing signs of getting ready to lay her first egg, and being my first year with ducks, my first as well!

She came out of her shelter this morning, got some food and some water, then disappeared. When I checked her shelter, this is where I found her, tucked all the way back in the corner.

View attachment 4058805

She was in there for a half hour or so, but as I am typing this, she just came back out with quite a pep in her step! So I am going to check if she laid an egg.

But my question is really just... What should I do? Is there any sort of comprehensive "guide for first time eggs for duck and owner"?

Edit: WE HAVE OUR FIRST EGG CONFIRMED!

View attachment 4058808

Is it weird to have hang ups over the idea of using the egg? My hens are housed with drakes so there is a chance it's fertilized. Do I leave it for her to nest on? Do ducks go broody? Ah!!!

Congrats on the first egg!

Yes, ducks go broody, lol. How else would they hatch their eggs?! You can let her build up a nest and try to hatch out some eggs, if you’d like. There’s also no problem if you’d like to take & eat the egg(s), or do something else with them.

If she becomes broody (lots of complaining & tail wagging) and starts sitting, you’ll want to mark the existing eggs. Online says clutches should be around 6-12 eggs, much larger risks uneven heating, so remove any extra eggs. You’ll also need to remove any new eggs that may be laid during the incubation, so you won’t have a staggered hatch. Candle the eggs about 1 week after she begins incubating and remove any eggs that haven’t developed. I believe Call eggs hatch after about 26 days?

If she doesn’t begin sitting in a few weeks, I’d remove the eggs, else they’ll begin to spoil.

 

[TheDaringDucks]

Thank you all for your thoughts! I've moved the egg over to an incubator, so I guess I'll see in a week or so if candling reveals any development!

 

[Yardmom]

First eggs are often smaller than eggs a bit later. They may have others quirks as well. The chances of a successful hatch are greater if you use eggs from an established layer .
Also when incubating you want to start all the eggs at once. Save the eggs for one or two weeks depending on how many you want and then put them in the incubator (or under a broody hen). Staggered hatches cause hatching problems because of humidity as well as ending up with different sized birds in the brooder.
Have patience hopefully you will have your duck for a long time.

 

[TheDaringDucks]

Also when incubating you want to start all the eggs at once. Save the eggs for one or two weeks depending on how many you want and then put them in the incubator (or under a broody hen).

Oh dear... I was unaware of that being a problem. Since I've already put that first egg in the incubator, I imagine I can't stop incubating it to wait for more eggs, right?

 

[KathiQuacks]

Oh dear... I was unaware of that being a problem. Since I've already put that first egg in the incubator, I imagine I can't stop incubating it to wait for more eggs, right?

I may be wrong, but since it’s been less than 24 hours, it’s possible you can remove it now and try again once there’s more eggs?

*This is somewhat what I meant by, “removing new eggs to prevent a staggered hatch.” For incubators, it means starting the eggs you want at the same time and not adding any new ones.

If you really wanted, you could technically do a staggered hatch with 2 incubators. You’d just want to set any new eggs within 2 weeks of the 1st egg so the age gap won’t be too crazy. The 1st baby will also be lonely by itself and require extra care and attention until it gets some friends.
**Also if you choose to do this, I’d hold off on getting a 2nd incubator until you know whether the 1st egg is developing or not.

 

[TheDaringDucks]

If you really wanted, you could technically do a staggered hatch with 2 incubators. You’d just want to set any new eggs within 2 weeks of the 1st egg so the age gap won’t be too crazy. The 1st baby will also be lonely by itself and require extra care and attention until it gets some friends.
**Also if you choose to do this, I’d hold off on getting a 2nd incubator until you know whether the 1st egg is developing or not.

It's all definitely a learning curve! Thank you for your insights!

I got a second egg this morning from the same lil lady Yikes, so I've decided to go ahead and incubate the first two together and get a second incubator after confirming if they are viable or not to act as a hatchery when the time comes. That way, assuming both eggs hatch out, there should only be a two-day gap between them and they can have a friend. (Though, if only one of the eggs hatches, I did have to raise a rescue duckling solo last year, which started this whole duck journey for me, so I've at least got experience with that).

Any subsequent eggs from now on, I plan to save to brood together as a batch. And hopefully that batch wouldn't end up being too much younger than the first two eggs.