Things You'll Need
- Plastic egg trays
- Fine steel wool
- Clean cloth
- Scale (optional)
- Incubator (optional)
Instructions
Begin checking for eggs first thing in the morning. Ducks often lay their eggs between 4:00 and 7:00 each morning of their laying cycle. Go to one nest at a time and inspect it carefully without disturbing the nest or ducks.
Collect eggs one at a time by hand, placing the eggs into the plastic egg trays. Take care to separate eggs that are dirtier than others.
Inspect eggs carefully for dirt or damage. If you plan to incubate some eggs, set aside those which are average weight for your duck breed to go into an incubator. Eggs that are not suitable for incubating include underweight eggs and those with cracked or mottled shells. Weak shells are also poor candidates for incubation.
Wipe dirt, mud, manure and other potential contaminants from the eggs using a fine steel wool. Gently rub the eggs with steel wool using light pressure around the surface, then wipe the egg with a clean moist cloth. Do not wash the eggs; this can remove the protective coating from the shell.
Repeat the checking, collecting and cleaning routine daily for approximately five weeks, or until the ducks cease laying eggs. Many duck raisers check and collect eggs daily after their ducks begin laying. If ducks are kept together in groups larger than 250 birds, egg production may also be slow throughout the cycle.