What age do Ducks start to lay?

[TattooedKeeper3]

You are describing what some of my runners' eggs look like.

How often did your runners lay when they first started laying? Is it similar to chickens starting out? Where you get an egg about every other day that can be any size or shape and then after a few weeks it is every day.

I didn't see any egg in their coop this morning. I checked around 10:00am. I am going to check periodically throughout the day. Just in case one of my easter egg layers are going in there and laying.

Could you post a picture of what your egg looks like?

Sorry lots of questions this morning, would a male black runner have green on his head and part of his neck? His wing feathers have a few at the end that are tinted a greenish color mostly but with a hint of blue. Gabby has more of a blueish tint to her wing feathers when they are folded.

 

[gaitngirl]

I have 3 Indian Runner hens that are almost 4 months old, 2 Rouen hens that are 5 months old, and a Pekin hen that is almost 6 months old. My drakes - 1 Pekin (almost 6 months old), 2 Rouens (5 months old), and 1 Indian Runner (5 months old). The 3 Indian Runner hens are very petite (Holderreads lines). The smallest (of course) is being ruthlessly pursued by one of the Rouen drakes. He mounts her repetitively 4 or 5 times in a row (within about an 5 minute period) several times per day. He seems to have lost interest the rest of the girls and is focused on her. Before the Runners came along he used to go after the Pekin hen(s) the most (I had 2 additional older hens until a week ago). Only one of the Rouen drakes shows any interest in the Rouen hens . . . though the hens practically beg for it (following the males around bobbing their heads low). The Runners do the same thing (I thought they were a bit young for this!). The Pekin drake goes after the Pekin hen and Rouen hens but I haven't seen him with the Runners (he would probably suffocate them with his weight - he is more than 4 times their size/weight). The only eggs I'm getting (that I can find, since they all free range) are from the Pekin. There are a couple acres of tall grass around so they could be laying eggs anywhere! I've found 3 nests from my chickens so far this summer totaling nearly 4 dozen eggs (21 were all in one nest). I've walked most of the property looking for duck nests but haven't had any luck so far. I've even gotten up at 5 in the morning to watch them for any place they might be laying. My older Pekins generally laid between 7 and 10 a.m. My young Pekin lays anywhere between 8 and 1 p.m. from what I've seen so far, but she is still young.
I'm working on enclosing areas around the small pond in my yard for the ducks. I will probably divide it into 2 or 3 areas so I can separate ducks when needed and have a nesting/brooding area. Currently the only separate holding pen I have for ducks is housing one of my Muscovy mamas and 12 little ones. My 6 adult Muscovies don't associate with the other ducks - they are total snobs, lol.
If the Runners and the Rouens are chasing and being chased by the boys this much, I'm thinking that I should have more eggs (I know the Runners are probably too young to lay). They are all too young to be broody and no one has shown any interest in sitting. The Rouens have been actively mating for roughly 2 months. They have free access to oyster shell. Shouldn't I be seeing eggs from them at least???

 

[Amiga]

I have 3 Indian Runner hens that are almost 4 months old, 2 Rouen hens that are 5 months old, and a Pekin hen that is almost 6 months old. My drakes - 1 Pekin (almost 6 months old), 2 Rouens (5 months old), and 1 Indian Runner (5 months old). The 3 Indian Runner hens are very petite (Holderreads lines). The smallest (of course) is being ruthlessly pursued by one of the Rouen drakes. He mounts her repetitively 4 or 5 times in a row (within about an 5 minute period) several times per day. He seems to have lost interest the rest of the girls and is focused on her. Before the Runners came along he used to go after the Pekin hen(s) the most (I had 2 additional older hens until a week ago). Only one of the Rouen drakes shows any interest in the Rouen hens . . . though the hens practically beg for it (following the males around bobbing their heads low). The Runners do the same thing (I thought they were a bit young for this!). The Pekin drake goes after the Pekin hen and Rouen hens but I haven't seen him with the Runners (he would probably suffocate them with his weight - he is more than 4 times their size/weight). The only eggs I'm getting (that I can find, since they all free range) are from the Pekin. There are a couple acres of tall grass around so they could be laying eggs anywhere! I've found 3 nests from my chickens so far this summer totaling nearly 4 dozen eggs (21 were all in one nest). I've walked most of the property looking for duck nests but haven't had any luck so far. I've even gotten up at 5 in the morning to watch them for any place they might be laying. My older Pekins generally laid between 7 and 10 a.m. My young Pekin lays anywhere between 8 and 1 p.m. from what I've seen so far, but she is still young.
I'm working on enclosing areas around the small pond in my yard for the ducks. I will probably divide it into 2 or 3 areas so I can separate ducks when needed and have a nesting/brooding area. Currently the only separate holding pen I have for ducks is housing one of my Muscovy mamas and 12 little ones. My 6 adult Muscovies don't associate with the other ducks - they are total snobs, lol.
If the Runners and the Rouens are chasing and being chased by the boys this much, I'm thinking that I should have more eggs (I know the Runners are probably too young to lay). They are all too young to be broody and no one has shown any interest in sitting. The Rouens have been actively mating for roughly 2 months. They have free access to oyster shell. Shouldn't I be seeing eggs from them at least???

Actually, with that much going on, I would expect few if any eggs from the poor runner girls. Having a drake - based on my limited experience - makes no positive difference in egg-laying. Those girls need you to protect them. They could have serious health issues with the drakes' behavior. I am putting it mildly. They could end up killed.

I keep Bean and his two girls separate from Romy and the rest of the flock, because he is obsessed with her. Once he settles down - if ever - we will try again to be one flock. We may only be able to run them all together from fall through winter.

 

[gaitngirl]

I am going to rehome the obsessed Rouen drake. I had placed an ad for him once before, but I was too concerned with him not being someone's dinner. If that has to be the case, so be it.

 

[Amiga]

I hope he can find a better place. Tough choices sometimes, and I wish we could communicate the consequences to the ducks.

 

[gaitngirl]

It can be. I enjoy my ducks - even when they are being pains, lol. A little girl took one of my runner drakes a little over a month ago. She wanted the Ruoen drake, too. I offered to deliver the Rouen, so I could check on the runner. OMG! She had 5 drakes (including my runner) in a pen with 1 poor 3 - 4 month old Rouen duck hen. I told her no on my drake and explained to her why. She was about 11 years old. I talked to her grandma, too, about what would happen to that poor girl duck. I thought about it for a couple of days and called the grandma back. I told her that, if she was okay with it, I would give her granddaughter one of my hens (who was already laying), if she could
get a couple of the boys rehomed and get the duck pen cleaned up and enlarged. She called me a week later and let me know they were working on it and had ordered sand to take care of the drainage issues (the pen had been a muddy, poopy mess) and were getting more fencing. I took her my 2 best laying Pekins last weekend. She was so excited! I did let her know that I would be checking on them and that they had to come back to me if anything happened that she could not keep them any longer. She wants to stay in touch and come visit my ducks. I think her grandma was very surprised about it all. She stays in touch - always apologizing for bothering me with duck questions, lol. Her granddaughter reminds me of myself at that age. I was just glad I was in a position to help out.

 

[laughingdog]

It can be. I enjoy my ducks - even when they are being pains, lol. A little girl took one of my runner drakes a little over a month ago. She wanted the Ruoen drake, too. I offered to deliver the Rouen, so I could check on the runner. OMG! She had 5 drakes (including my runner) in a pen with 1 poor 3 - 4 month old Rouen duck hen. I told her no on my drake and explained to her why. She was about 11 years old. I talked to her grandma, too, about what would happen to that poor girl duck. I thought about it for a couple of days and called the grandma back. I told her that, if she was okay with it, I would give her granddaughter one of my hens (who was already laying), if she could
get a couple of the boys rehomed and get the duck pen cleaned up and enlarged. She called me a week later and let me know they were working on it and had ordered sand to take care of the drainage issues (the pen had been a muddy, poopy mess) and were getting more fencing. I took her my 2 best laying Pekins last weekend. She was so excited! I did let her know that I would be checking on them and that they had to come back to me if anything happened that she could not keep them any longer. She wants to stay in touch and come visit my ducks. I think her grandma was very surprised about it all. She stays in touch - always apologizing for bothering me with duck questions, lol. Her granddaughter reminds me of myself at that age. I was just glad I was in a position to help out.

awww.. how very good of you! id probly have offered to trade her hen for male she wanted from you, jist to save future trouble. would all those drakes been good together wth no hens, as opposed to maybe one apiece if she gets more drakes and no more hens (wondering if she prefers more flamboyant and quieter drakes as some do)?

 

[gaitngirl]

Hmmm. Wish I would have thought of that! All boys would have been just fine, as you said. I know she wanted a crested Rouen she had heard about (drake, of course). I advised her no more males and to get rid of all but one or two that she currently has.

 

[connect2tab]

My mallards (3), are 7 months old. They have not laid eggs yet. Is that normal? What can I do to get them laying?

 

[Amiga]

My mallards (3), are 7 months old. They have not laid eggs yet. Is that normal? What can I do to get them laying?

Welcome to the Duck Forum!

Is it spring or fall where you are? If it is autumn, they may wait till next spring, as mallards tend to be more seasonal layers. Do they get free choice oyster shell? What is their feed?