Which Duck Eggs Are These?

[Snoopy Kim]

Hi There

We have an abandoned duck nest with 12 eggs in it. We have no idea of how long they have been there, but we candled them and it looks like all 12 are fertile and growing. We have put them into the incubator with our goose eggs, but would like any advice about how to continue. Are the various duck breeds very variable in their forming and hatching? If there isn't much difference in the types of care for ducks, we are happy to wait until they hatch (if we can get them that far) to identify them then. However, if there are very specific methods for each breed, we will need to find out what they are.

 

[Khota]

It's awesome you're taking these eggs! Any idea of what possibly happened to the mother?
Hatching is usually pretty much the same breed to breed from what I'm aware of. Since it's a wild duck nest, chances are it'll be one of the more common wild duck breeds of your area.

Perhaps @Miss Lydia will have a better answer to this though!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Only if Muscovy they take 35 to 37 days to hatch. Domestics 28 except Calls they take shorter time I want to say 26 but not sure Mallards 28 days according to google search lol

Also hatching wild ducks eggs may no be legal and what are the plans for these ducklings you can't just go and drop them off by the lake or pond they will be imprinted on you and will not make it in the wild [when old enough to even be in the wild] Mamas take care of teaching their ducklings how to survive.Best thing to do is when they hatch contact wild life rescue and let them pick them up care for them and release when old enough they are experienced at this.

 

[Snoopy Kim]

It's awesome you're taking these eggs! Any idea of what possibly happened to the mother?
Hatching is usually pretty much the same breed to breed from what I'm aware of. Since it's a wild duck nest, chances are it'll be one of the more common wild duck breeds of your area.

Perhaps @Miss Lydia will have a better answer to this though!

Thanks, we have no idea what may have happened to the mother. We have looked online at egg charts, but the colour doesn't quite match with any of them. I guess lighting isn't always correct on photos anyway.

 

[Snoopy Kim]

Only if Muscovy they take 35 to 37 days to hatch. Domestics 28 except Calls they take shorter time I want to say 24 but not sure Mallards 28 days according to google search lol

Also hatching wild ducks eggs may no be legal and what are the plans for these ducklings you can't just go and drop them off by the lake or pond they will be imprinted on you and will not make it in the wild [when old enough to even be in the wild] Mamas take care of teaching their ducklings how to survive.Best thing to do is when they hatch contact wild life rescue and let them pick them up care for them and release when old enough they are experienced at this.

Thanks for advice. We live in the UK and so have a few different types of duck from you guys. We definitely wouldn't consider just going and dropping them off somewhere. We would probably hope to keep them with us as we are on about 20 acres of land and it is pretty rural. We already have some mallards here with us, and also a load of Embden geese too.

 

[CarleeAnn]

I would contact your local wildlife agency as soon as you can. If truly wild the ducks could fly away, and they would rely on you still. They won’t do well as pets and typically it is illegal to interfere with a nest...

 

[Miss Lydia]

Very cool please let us know what hatches. I also have an Embden gander. Sounds like the perfect place