The highest egg production will always be during the first year, and it gradually tapers down after that. How recently did you get them? I think it’s a bit late for Indian Runners, but it’s not alarming or anything. Runners tend to be better at laying during the winter than other breeds, but even they can use some help. It’s hard to convince some ducks that your nest is the best place to lay. What does she eat? I can’t really say what’s going on. These ducks were bred specifically for meat and egg production but have become almost synonymous with the word duck today. Is it good to wash/clean that area outside the nest, or is it better to not disturb them? Egg-laying ducks require a regular feeding schedule, access to water, ample space and a comfortable habitat. In fact, ducks will even use their bottoms to wiggle round nest depressions into moist soil. One broody lady will trigger everyone else to go broody. Some of the other factors in the list in my article could be possible as well. You can only make them empty their supply faster. Some variation is normal. In their pool they also maybe once a month get a treat of live fish. At first we thought they were chicken eggs, but we figured out it was one of the ducks laying because we found the eggs before the chickens were let out in the morning and they were huge. Ducks don’t normally eat their eggs. Your ducks WILL molt once a year (usually in winter) and you can’t stop that. Even more extreme, but not impossible, would be a duck that hatched in January, is mature enough to lay in June, but doesn’t start laying until next April—when she is sixteen months old! Describe her schedule. But, some duck breeds are far better than others at laying top grade eggs consistently throughout the year – including during the winter months. I’m not sure about Crested Pekins, but Swedishes and Cayugas are both seasonal layers. Their feed? By four or five, they probably won’t be very productive. Temperature extremes will prevent a duck from laying. I hope that helps and I hope you figure out what’s wrong and start getting eggs again soon! So I’m completely baffled by all this bc prior to molting she was the most dependable layer easily outlaying all my chickens. 3 of my girls have laid an egg every day since October but one of my girls has never laid an egg at all. It also depends on the breed because some ducks lay eggs throughout the year and they can lay over 250 eggs or more. With this assessment do you think that if all the issues are resolved that normal laying levels can be resumed. They are not particularly productive egg layers laying between 120 and 160 per year. The rule of thumb is 4-5 square feet per duck for the night, and at least 10 square feet per duck for the day or for a full time pen. There have been not, I haven't been active for a while and somehow I ne, And we've got ducklings! What Time of Year Do Ducks Lay Eggs. How can I get the others to start laying? It sounds like a pretty healthy diet, but not one that would maintain top egg production. However, Pekin eggs are, on average, 15 grams heavier than Campbell eggs. Whatever the cause, it apparently took until this month for them to get settled in enough for the chickens to start laying, but now it might be too late in the year for the ducks to lay. Can you rule out any other possible causes of low laying, like parasites or predators? Your duck herself is an even more likely culprit than a wily fox. They get along splendidly. Peas and mealworms alone are not a diet for a duck any more than peas and bacon would be for a human. You might try weighing them and see if they weigh as much as Runners are usually supposed to weigh. It could have been a “soft” molt that you didn’t notice. If the chickens only started two weeks ago, there’s a chance the ducks will still start soon. Why aren’t my ducks laying? I have five ducks (4 Welsh Harlequins and a Cayuga) nearly 1 year old who have been laying consistently for almost 6 months. I thought this would take the mating pressure off the female Indian runner. The adults did okay, and they were Muscovies, so they didn’t lay a tremendous amount anyway, but they took forever to molt. She is quite attached to my other duck who is a male khaki Campbell. Is it 20 square feet? I am trying use your Contact form to send you a few questions. I’ve also been fluffing up her bedding and basically destroying her nest. Other than that, though, she seemed fine. Hi, I don’t think you have much to worry about. I would especially consider increasing protein and calcium. Let me know if you have any other questions! Well the last five days she hasn’t laid an egg at all and also the other laying duck has also now gone broody. A feed mixture of laying ducks should contain about 16% to 18% protein. So it’s likely you won’t see any eggs until next year, unfortunately. Pekin ducks will start laying eggs at an age of 5 months. They arrived to our home April ’20 with 3 chickens and were all raised together. She won’t lay while she’s raising ducklings. She has not laid a single egg. 3. Also, chickens all love to share the same nest box … Hi They don't get let out until 10:00am, to make sure they lay eggs in the duck house (our duck house is 8x8feet, with four attached nesting boxes) All winter and spring the ducks would take turns laying. We did get a few small eggs over the past couple of months but I chalked it up to their youth. Many meat breeds and other breeds not bred for extreme egg production are like this. And we let them out at dawn and put away at dusk other than that they have full access to 2 anchors of forest. Thank you for being willing to answer a few Muscovy duck questions. She’ll probably start laying again soon, after her hormones return to normal. Are you absolutely sure your ducks are females? Has anything changed recently? They would need more calcium, and maybe more protein as well. Most likely, she’s either taking a break or laying somewhere you don’t know. She looks exactly like the others has more energy too just a tiny bit smaller then the others but she always has been. Ducks in regions with long periods of short winter days may take up to six months to molt. They slow down much faster. If you’ve been pushing your ducks to lay as fast as they can, they will run out of eggs sooner. Shouldn’t my ducks be laying more eggs than this? Has anything stressful happened? Even small animals such as mice, rats, and snakes can be thieves. My boy is not rough with her either. I have 3 Indian runner ducks, 2 female one Male, they started laying an eggs day about a month ago (the females obviously), two days ago dotty just stopped laying. Read “How to Tell if Your Duck is Boy or a Girl” if you’re not sure how to tell whether your ducks are males or females. They mature at an age of 4-7 months or 16-28 weeks. They have their own pool that has a enough water to immerse themselves and dunk, which is changed out twice a day. (How To Stop Your Duck From Hiding Her Eggs), Can ducks lay 2+ eggs in one day? Here are our top … They are about 4 months now, and we’ve released them back onto the river in our back yard. Generally, a duck will lay 5-6 eggs a week and we use that guideline to know if the hunt is on or not. You might consider trying to counteract the effect by adding artificial light in their coop. Every “my ducks aren’t laying eggs!” case I’ve ever heard of can be attributed to one or more of these fifteen causes: Ducks normally start laying around five to six months of age. Thanks for getting back to me. Do your ducks have water in their coop? Once an animal finds a source of food, they will usually keep coming back. Beyond that, I’m not sure. I’m guessing it’s a diet problem. To prevent foxes or other animals from stealing the eggs, keep your ducks locked up in a coop until they have laid their eggs. Geese lay best when there are 11 hours of sunlight, and they quit laying by the time there are 13 hours of sunlight. You could try deworming them, just in case. She will probably hiss and peck at anyone who comes near her. They are 1 1/2 years old, in a large enclosure, on a good diet, have a nest box and pool. 17 days ago we changed the feed back to layer feed. Depending on where you live, you might have to wait until the days are shorter before they lay again. I think a camera is a good idea, if you can find a way to easily do it. 4 1/2 months old! My name is Lachlan, I’ve recently bought 7 ducks but only one of them is laying. Most flock raisers offer their birds free choice oyster shell or crushed eggshells to be sure they have adequate calcium. Broody ducks stop laying when they have a clutch of eggs and begin to sit a nest. The seller said she is a year old. I believe they stop at five or six years old. Describe her living area. Even commercial hatcheries still have to employ a “chick sexer” to manually sex each chick after they hatch. Assuming so, I wonder if it could be a genetic problem, possibly caused by inbreeding? The Muscovies probably won’t lay again until next spring, unfortunately. You say you’ve ruled out daylight, but is there a lot of light in your coop? How often does she eat? This site uses cookies. They generally live about fifteen years, and ducks often stop laying a few years before they die of old age. Wheat is about 12% protein, and the ideal percentage for laying is about 17%. They are fun. There are a few breeds of geese that you can sex by color, but I was suspicious because I didn’t think ours were one of those breeds. A while back my chicken eggs dropped (I’m using chickens as an example because my ducks are Muscovies and Muscovies are not prolific layers like Indian Runners or these chickens), and it turned out that one of the hens had made a nest in the very back corner of our storage area, where almost no one ever goes. Even if it is laying feed, they may still need a calcium supplement in order to lay well. They actually can hold in their egg, if they’re desperate to lay in some specific nest. They lay eggs at night or at sunrise at around 4 am to 8 am. The exact age when they stop laying, however, varies, depending on the breed and how hard you have pushed them to lay. Parsley is supposed to be a laying stimulant. Anyway, if you don’t think any of the other 15 reasons I listed in my article explain her lack of laying, I’m guessing she’s just not quite ready yet but will start on her own within a few weeks. You’re also approaching winter, so maybe they think the days are too short already. They forage around the garden all day and get peas as a treat and duck crumble twice a day. The chickens have already started laying about 2 weeks ago, yet the ducks have not started just yet. But that may not last forever. Hi, I have 8 ducks in total. If they were adults when you got them, then they probably would have started laying after they got over the stress of moving. I have 14 khaki cambles I just add a Indian runner drake 3 weeks ago know the the girls are only laying 6 eggs a day instead of 12 to 14 is there a reason. Should I leave a laying box out? If they freak out at being held or herded, it could be stressful. Maybe she is indeed laying and has put her eggs in the pond or garden or something. (they are all brothers and sisters). My ducks have laid eggs in wheelbarrows that were covered and I thought could not be entered, clumps of thick grass (saw grass, at that! As for being fat, actually, I don’t know of any reliable way to feel them or look at them and tell for sure whether they’re fat or not. The first two days after they arrived, they each laid an egg. This also mean that ducks such as Khaki Campbells will stop laying sooner than something like an Aylesbury. They both lay about 100-150 eggs a year and they usually stop laying somewhere between June and November, and only start again in spring. Habitat for Ducks Keep an enclosed area where your ducks have access to their food, water and shelter. When trying to pin down the exact reason your ducks are not laying, these are the main factors to consider: If you’re still not sure, contact me and I’ll try to help you. With the help of the supplier I tried to correct the problem remedially but this was not working as the males were having access to the females and mounting them – once they mounted them their weight would damage their backs. The Pekin hails originally from China and however you believe it happened it has now spread all over the world. I can’t help you a whole lot beyond the information in the article without more information. For example, if they hatched in March, they’d be old enough to lay around September, but by that time the days would be too short, so they would only start the next spring, most likely only after all the snow has melted. They finished molting a few weeks ago? They’re still very young and things could change. She will sit consistently on her nest, only leaving it to drink and eat once or twice a day. Ducks can have special dietary needs and sensitivities, just like humans. If you bought adult ducks from someone else who didn’t mention their age, it’s possible they’re too old to lay. Yes she has only not played for two days now but I got home tonight to find spots of blood in and around the coop, not a lot just maybe a dozen or so spots, I have checked them all for wounds but none seem to be injured, they are all as active as normal, the one not laying did a nice solid poo while I was looking at her and she didn’t look like she was straining or anything (I read something about egg bound ducks), at this stage i will just have to wait and see what happens tomorrow, I hope I am just being a “mother hen” over anxious first time mother, will keep you updated xxx, I have 2 Indian Runners that are 2 years old (I got them Feb 2017). She may be laying, just not where you expect! Once they do imprint, separating them is extremely stressful. It can also prolong molting. I read about changing their diets but if the other 3 are laying fine could it even be their diet that’s the problem? I’m sorry for the problems you had with the contact form. Related Articles:Why aren’t my ducks laying eggs?When do ducks start laying eggs?What time of day do ducks lay eggs?How to stop your duck from hiding her eggs. Either that, or they both went broody just because it’s spring and it’s breeding season and they think it’s time to make babies. To me, the time of year seems like the most likely “culprit.” By the time she finished molting, the days were too short for her to lay. I get the others are Muscovy ’ s going on for a duck can live to be or! Yet the ducks will molt once a female s definitely not supposed to weigh outside the will! Live to be there stayed small she is active, eating and drinking well, it ’ s to... Of fresh, i.e the last year, when do pekin ducks stop laying eggs not being satisfied only. 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