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Duck eggs in water.

(13 posts)

  1. Ruth
    Member

    Hello,
    I have 4 white campbell ducks. 3 girls & 1 boy.
    I have just cleaned out the duck pond to find 20 eggs at the bottom. It was last cleaned out 3 weeks ago.
    I know the eggs need to be thrown away, but it just seems such a waste. Does anyone think there might be any point in trying to incubate them?.
    Thanks for anyone who can help.
    Ruth

    Posted 1 year ago #

  2. m40mo
    Administrator

    oh theres a question my gut reaction would be to say no, not only are some clearly very old but as they are so pourous id imagine full of water by now
    is there a way you can let your girls out later in the mornings so they lay indoors, we all have the odd egg in the pond but this is so many its a shame

    mo x
    Posted 1 year ago #

  3. Ruth
    Member

    Hello,
    Oh, Thank you so much for replying. I am very new to all this! Yes, I think your right,but it really doed seem such a shame. Thank you for your advice about letting them out later. I do have an old incubator which a friend gave me, do you think it would be a total waste of time?. The ducks have been very ermmm, active! lately.
    Thank you again for your help.
    Ruth

    Posted 1 year ago #

  4. m40mo
    Administrator

    hopefully someone with more knowledge than me will be able to advise you better, like I said its only my gut reaction but I dont think I would risk it, they may be ok but I think my main worry would be if the age and water in them could if they developed maybe lead to deformed ducklings and that would be heartbreaking

    mo x
    Posted 1 year ago #

  5. m40mo
    Administrator

    Ruth I have asked other friends not on this site who have incubated and the general feeling is please dont do it for the reasons I have said above

    mo x
    Posted 1 year ago #

  6. duskhunter
    Member

    Hi Ruth,

    I had the same quandry a little while ago but gave the eggs to the cats and dogs here instead. They all looked fine no smell etc and one inadvertently got fed to my husband, we didn't realise till later and he was fine it could have been up to three weeks old too no way of telling.

    If you are at all unsure you could cook them for the animals one of our dogs will only eat cooked eggs anyway.

    Posted 1 year ago #

  7. Ruth
    Member

    Hello M40mo,
    Thank you for your kind advice. I won't try to incubate them. I hadn't even thought about deformity. I will keep the ducks in a little later as you suggest and maybe try incubating a few fresh ones soon. Thanks again so much for your help.
    Ruth

    Posted 1 year ago #

  8. Ruth
    Member

    Hi Duskhunter,
    Thanks very much... I will give it a try, it's such a shame to waste them. Not too sure about hubby & kids, but have some other animals to try rhem on!
    Thanks again & Best wishes,
    Ruth

    Posted 1 year ago #

  9. m40mo
    Administrator

    you are welcome Ruth and please call me Mo, again the general feeling is still to throw them, I and others wouldnt risk feeding them to anything, I know what the bottom of a duck pond looks like and all that gunge of poo mud and grass has all contaminated through the shell,

    mo x
    Posted 1 year ago #

  10. campbell ridge
    Administrator

    Hi. If eggs are old but not in water or been rained upon then they would be ok to feed to animals if they smell ok when opened, but if they have been in fouled water for longer than 10 minutes they would be contaminated and not fit for consumption by anything.
    Best to make sure they have all laid in future before they are allowed in the pond :)

    Sarah L
    Posted 1 year ago #

  11. Ruth
    Member

    Hello Campbell Ridge.

    Thanks for your help.
    As some of the eggs could have been very old, I had to bin the lot, I kept the shells for the compost heap, but didn't want to risk the eggs themselves. Thanks again for taking the time to help.
    Ruth

    Posted 1 year ago #

  12. Ruth
    Member

    Hi Mo,

    Thank you very much for your help. I got rid of all the pond eggs.
    Guess what?, I kept them in a little longer as you suggested, and this morning I had 3 lovely white duck eggs & 2 brown hen eggs!. Thanks again.
    Ruth

    Posted 1 year ago #

  13. m40mo
    Administrator

    Hi Ruth, great news on the eggs, far better than in the pond and so glad you got rid of the others, having found duck eggs in my pond I dont think id even want to put them in a pan in my kitchen let alone in my dog lol
    hope they continue to lay in the shed for you daily

    mo x
    Posted 1 year ago #

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